PGE Park continues to be the Vikings’ home, sweet home. On Saturday night, Portland State (3-2, 0-1) made it three straight victories at PGE Park this season. The Vikings’ defense played exceptionally well, producing the first shutout in five seasons. Through stellar special-teams performance, the Vikings cruised to victory, 16-0, over Southwest Texas State.
“It’s nice to see that when the offense is struggling that the defense can play at a higher level,” said sophomore tailback Ryan Fuqua.
��� Throughout the first quarter there was no score from either team. Both defenses combined forced five total punts. In the second quarter, the Vikings finally got on the board when Mike Cajal-Willis was able to connect on a 31 and 20-yard field goal. The Vikings went into the locker room at halftime with a 6-0 lead.
“It’s good to see we can use Mike’s talent, because before our PAT team struggled. We had a couple of his kicks blocked a couple weeks ago. But they got it together,” Fuqua said.
In the third quarter, both defense stayed strong. The Vikings were only able to get one more field goal to go up 9-0. While the Vikings’ defense did not allow any scores, the Bobcats gave up only nine points during three quarters of play.
The fourth quarter showcased the only touchdown of the game. Once again, it was the special teams of Portland State making things happen and putting points on the board as a result. By placing the rush on the Bobcats punt team, Antonio Jackson was able to recover a bad snap for a touchdown. It came with 3:51 left in the game. The Vikings defense held the Bobcats from scoring for the remaining three minutes to avenge last year’s loss, for a 16-0 outcome.
“They have played well for the past three weeks, and it’s good to see them finally get rewarded with a shutout,” said head coach Tim Walsh in a recent press release.
“Our defense is really helping us out. They are playing at a higher level then the past couple years right now,” Fuqua said.
Juston Wood ended the game 24-42, with 216 yards passing and no interceptions. With a banged-up ankle and left hand, Fuqua carried the ball 26 times to collect 89 yards. On defense, backup safety David Goodloe made two interceptions for the second week in a row. Linebackers Kevin Hastin and Marcus Green both gathered 10 tackles. Green was active in forcing a fumble and deflecting a pass as well. To help out up front, defensive lineman Agatupu Sagapolutele made three tackles in the backfield for losses.
Next up for the Vikings is Eastern Washington, which visits PGE Park next Saturday. Kick off is set for 6:05 p.m. It is the first Big Sky match-up at PGE Park for the 2002 season. The Eagles are unranked but have the same record as PSU, 3-2 overall, 0-1 in conference.
Last season the Vikings crushed Eastern Washington 37-22 in Cheney, Washington. The PSU offense rolled up 533 yards of total offense against the Eagles in 2001, with 393 yards coming from Fuqua. Fuqua put up an amazing 393 yards rushing, on 45 carries and three touchdowns. He set a new PSU rushing record for yards and attempts in a game. This Saturday the Vikings hop to keep their home win streak alive and rolling.