PORTLAND, Ore. (November 14, 2015)- Portland State coach Bruce Barnum has resisted talking about the playoffs all season.
When asked after each conference win, he deferred to talking about next week’s game. When questioned after upsetting two FBS opponents, he said the Big Sky regular season games are what really counts.
Barnum’s game plan will likely chang dramatically after a
24-23 home win over conference-leading Southern Utah. Now, not only are the Vikings in position to make the playoffs, they could be in position to make some noise.
The game, which was a back-and-forth affair, came down to a two-point conversion try by the Thunderbirds, who scored with 1:18 left in the game. However, SUU quarterback Ammon Olsen’s pass on the conversion was low, sealing the win for Portland State.
Portland State held a 17-10 lead at halftime, using a gritty performance from quarterback Alex Kuresa to hold a fourth-quarter lead. However, each time the Vikings appeared to gain momentum, Southern Utah would steal it back. After several long PSU drives that didn’t result in points, the Thunderbirds went on a seven-play, 61-yard drive that resulted in a Levi Te’o touchdown run that tied the game at 17-17 late in the third quarter.
Portland State took back the lead, 24-17, on a half-back jump pass from Kieran McDonagh to Cameron Thompson, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 14:54 left in the game.
Both teams entered the game with highly regarded defenses, but it was Portland State’s that made the most noise in this game. The Vikings intercepted Olsen three times, ending several promising Southern Utah drives.
With the win, the Vikings are now strong contenders for an at-large bid into the FCS playoffs, and a number of variables could lead to a Big Sky title.
Portland State will travel to Eastern Washington in the season finale, where they will play for the “Dam Cup.” Southern Utah will host Northern Arizona in the “Grand Canyon Rivalry” in Cedar City.
With an Eastern Washington loss to Montana, the Thunderbirds ensured they will finish as co-champions in the Big Sky. However, with a win over Northern Arizona next week, Southern Utah will clinch the overall championship, and will also receive the league’s automatic bid.
MONTANA 57, EASTERN WASHINGTON 16- With two games left in the regular season, the Montana Grizzlies were in a position where they needed to win the final two games to stay in playoff eligibility.
Not only did the Griz win, they controlled the game from wire-to-wire, picking up a 57-16 win over rival Eastern Washington at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Montana running back Jeremy Calhoun scored three short-yardage touchdowns in the first half, giving the Grizzlies a 20-3 lead with 11:04 to go in the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies also scored two defensive touchdowns, with Herbert Gamboa scoring on a 33-yard fumble recovery, and reigning ROOT SPORTS Defensive Player of the Week JR Nelson scoring on a 36-yard interception return.
One of the bright spots for Montana was the return of quarterback Brady Gustafson, who missed most the season after leading the Griz to season-opening win over North Dakota State.
Montana will travel to Montana State next week, for the annual “Brawl of the Wild.” The game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.
NORTHERN ARIZONA 49, SACRAMENTO STATE 35- In a similar position as Montana, needing to win the last two games to get to seven Division I wins, Northern Arizona earned a 49-35 home win over Sacramento State.
Lumberjacks quarterback Case Cookus threw for 407 yards and six touchdowns, completing 25-of-33 passes. NAU receiver Elijah Marks caught three of the touchdowns for the Lumberjacks, who finished with 536 yards of offense.
After Northern Arizona scored fast on a Cookus-to-Emmanuel Butler connection, Sacramento State quarterback Nate Ketteringham led the Hornets down the field to a score, with Shane Harrison catching a pass to tie the game at 7-7. The two were tied at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Cookus took over the show in the second quarter, throwing three touchdown passes in the quarter to give Northern Arizona a 35-14 halftime lead.
The Lumberjacks will play at Southern Utah in the “Grand Canyon Rivalry” in Cedar City next weekend.
NORTH DAKOTA 45, NORTHERN COLORADO 14- Needing a win to stay alive in the hunt for an FCS playoff bid, North Dakota’s defense intercepted three passes, leading UND to a 45-14 win at home.
National Freshman of the Year candidate John Santiago rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns for UND, as North Dakota controlled the clock by racking up 408 rushing yards.
North Dakota held a 45-0 lead at the end of the third quarter, after a 34-yard touchdown run by Iwharri Smith.
Northern Colorado scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, off two touchdown runs.
North Dakota’s defense forced five Bears turnovers in the win.
UND is now 6-5, and 4-3 in Big Sky play. North Dakota will play at Cal Poly next week.
CAL POLY 55, UC DAVIS 38- Cal Poly quarterback Chris Brown ran, threw for and received touchdowns, helping Cal Poly claim the “Battle for the Golden Horseshoe” in a win over in-state rival UC Davis.
Brown completed six-of-nine passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns, caught one pass for a touchdown and led the Mustangs with 155 rushing yards.
The two teams were tied at 14-14 in the first quarter after a Manusamoa Luuga touchdown run, but Cal Poly scored three straight touchdowns to take control of the game.
Cal Poly, the FCS leader in rushing offense, rushed for 486 yards in the win.
Luuga rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns for the Aggies, and UC Davis quarterback C.J. Spencer threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns.
MONTANA STATE 44, IDAHO STATE 20- Montana State quarterback Dakota Prukop threw four touchdown passes, as the Bobcats picked up their first road win of the season at Holt Arena in Pocatello.
Prukop threw two scores and ran for another, as Montana State held a 27-0 lead at halftime, moving their record to 5-5. The quarterback either scored-or-contributed to each Montana State touchdown.
Bobcats kicker Luke Daly also hit two field goals in the game.
Idaho State running back Xavier Finney finished with 145 rushing yards, and caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Michael Sanders. A historic moment for Finney came in the second quarter, as he passed Josh Barnett’s all-time Idaho State career rushing record of 3,408 yards.
Montana State will host Montana in next week’s annual “Brawl of the Wild” on ROOT SPORTS, while Idaho State will travel to play Weber State.