Vikings need to get back on track

Portland State’s football team has been under a lot of pressure to make the playoffs.

Although they lost to Northern Arizona, the next chance the Vikings have to bolster their record is this Saturday against Southwest Texas State. This first-time home match-up will be a time for the Vikings to avenge the 23-20 loss from last season. Although the game is non-conference, every game counts, as we saw last year when NAU had more overall wins and went to the playoffs.

Last year, the Vikings got themselves into a hole early against Southwest Texas and had to fight back from a 17-0 halftime deficit. This game was also tailback Ryan Fuqua’s d퀌�but. He rushed for 112 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown. Fuqua, even coming off his lowest rushing yards last week against NAU, is arguably the best running back in the league if not the nation. So far, the Viking season seems to go as Fuqua goes.

Although the Vikings offense has struggled, the defense has been constantly improving. Last week, the defense had four interceptions against NAU and have forced a total of 10 turnovers in only four games.

This year, the Bobcats are better on both sides of the ball, with Lee Davis rushing for 415 yards and seven touchdowns. They also have better passing. On defense, the cats have a +6 turnover margin and 44 tackles for a loss.

Southwest Texas is off to a good start at 3-1, but all three of their wins have been in San Marcos, Texas. The Vikings have won seven straight home games, 2-0 at home this season.

The game will be held at PGE Park this Saturday, with kickoff at 6:05 p.m.