Portland State Returns To Football This Saturday At Boise State
750 The Game Staff
Portland State football will return to play on Saturday at Boise State, the school announced Monday. The Vikings canceled their scheduled game for last Saturday vs. South Dakota after a PSU player was diagnosed with pertussis (whooping cough).
More from the PSU athletics press release:
VIKINGS WILL RETURN TO PLAY AT BOISE STATE
Portland State will return to competition this Saturday with a non-conference game at Boise State. The Vikings will be playing a second FBS-level opponent in three games as part of the most challenging schedule in school history. Game time is 7:45 p.m. MT/6:45 p.m. PT at Albertsons Stadium in Boise. The game will be televised on FS1.
In one of the most bizarre and unfortunate situations in program history, Portland State’s game with South Dakota last Saturday was canceled. Illness within the Vikings’ program and the potential ramifications for both teams was the cause. PSU has been taking appropriate measures to get healthy and get back on the field of competition (SEE BELOW).
As a result of the canceled game, the Vikings (0-2) will now play four consecutive road games to open the season. It marks the first time since 1989 that PSU has played four games in a row on the road within a season.
Boise State (1-1) had a more conventional bye week last Saturday. The Broncos will be playing their home opener against the Vikings. BSU has a 56-45 win at Georgia Southern, then took Oregon to the wire on Sept. 7, losing in Eugene, 37-34.
The Broncos’ dynamic offense (510.0 ypg) is led by perhaps the finest running back in the nation, Ashton Jeanty. In two games, Jeanty has 45 carries for 459 yards and nine touchdowns. Slowing him down will be priority one for the Vikings defense.
This will be the first meeting between schools since 2019 and ninth all-time.
STORYLINES
- PLAYING UP: The Vikings are 4-47 all-time against FBS-level competition with wins over Hawai’i (2000), New Mexico (2006), Washington State (2015) and North Texas (2015)… this marks the 10th consecutive season that Portland State has played two FBS opponents. PSU has done so a total of 14 times, including three in 2006.
- POKEY PRIMER: Former Portland State Football Head Coach Pokey Allen (1986-92) moved on to be the Head Coach at Boise State in 1993. Not coincidently, Allen’s Vikings had beaten the Broncos, 51-26, in 1992 in Boise.
- BRONCOS BACKGROUND: Boise State was 8-6 last season, including 6-2 and tied for first in the Mountain West Conference. Head Coach Spencer Danielson was named interim Head Coach last November, then given the position full-time in December.
- GAME CANCELATION: Portland State’s canceled game with South Dakota last week marked the first time a Vikings’ game was called off since the tragedy of 9/11. That game was made up later in the season. There are no plans at this time to make up the PSU/USD game.
NUMBERS GAME
- TOUCHDOWN MAKER: SR QB Dante Chachere has 58 career touchdowns, 37 passing and 21 rushing… with his 37th passing TD at Weber State, he has tied Juston Wood for 10th all-time in PSU history.
- ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER: After two games, SO RB Quincy Craig leads the Vikings in rushing with 24 carries for 125 yards, and receiving with nine catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.
- 1-2 PUNCH: Backup JR QB Will Haskell (#1 on the roster) and starting JR WR Branden Alvarez (#2) have connected on touchdown passes in each of the first two games. Haskell hit Alvarez for a 10-yard score at Washington State and a six-yard TD at Weber State.
- HIT MEN: Both Viking sophomore starting linebackers set career-highs for tackles at Weber State. Michael Montgomery had 16 tackles, two for losses and a sack. His 16 stops were the most by a Viking in six years. Peyton Wing made 13 tackles with two tackles for loss.
VIKINGS GAME WITH SOUTH DAKOTA CANCELED DUE TO ILLNESS
Portland State University’s football game against South Dakota, scheduled for this past Saturday, was canceled as a precautionary measure following the diagnosis of a PSU team member with pertussis (whooping cough). The decision to cancel was made after thorough consultations between the administrations of both universities and the team physicians, prioritizing the health and safety of student-athletes and their communities.
The diagnosis for the one individual was confirmed Thursday evening, with several additional PSU players exhibiting symptoms of upper respiratory illness, though they had not yet been officially diagnosed at the time of the game. Multiple players were in close contact with the infected individual.
Portland State University team physicians, Dr. Melissa Novak and Dr. Jacqueline Brady, who are employed by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Sports Medicine, are working in close collaboration with the Multnomah County Health Department and the Oregon Health Authority. Together, they are ensuring the safety of the PSU community as well as the teams and universities PSU will compete against in the future.
As a precaution, all PSU players who may have been exposed to the illness have begun a five-day course of antibiotics, under the guidance of our OHSU medical professionals. These measures are expected to be completed in time for the team’s next scheduled game at Boise State on September 21. Only athletes and staff who have completed the antibiotic regimen will be eligible to travel and participate in the upcoming game.