Portland State Survives Scare from Western Oregon
Wolves quarterback Ryan Bergman had other ideas, keeping the Vikings on their toes deep into the fourth quarter before PSU came away with a 45-38 victory.
(HILLSBORO, Ore. ) — Portland State expected to get their first win of the season in their home opener against Division II Western Oregon at Hillsboro Stadium.
Wolves quarterback Ryan Bergman had other ideas, keeping the Vikings on their toes deep into the fourth quarter before PSU came away with a 45-38 victory.
In a game loaded with big plays and momentum turns, the Vikings were finally able to get enough pressure to Bergman in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Portland State had 507 yards of total offense, but Bergman threw for 413 of Western Oregon's 430 total yards, twice bringing the Wolves back from 17-point deficits.
The game was tied 31-31 early in the fourth quarter after Western's Joe Harris scored on a three-yard run. Following a defensive stop by the Wolves, Bergman took the ball back with a chance for Western to take the lead for the first time since the first series of the game.
The Wolves crossed midfield on the Vikings, but PSU linebacker Corey Crowder came up with the biggest defensive play of the game. He sacked Bergman, forcing a fumble and recovered it at Western Oregon's 48-yard line.
On the very next play, PSU sophomore quarterback Paris Penn scampered 48 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Penn tacked on another score four minutes later when he hit Kasey Closs on a 36-yard touchdown pass.
Leading 45-31 with 7:29 to play the Vikings appeared to have the game in hand.
But Bergman brought the Wolves back again, hitting Paul Revis on a 48-yard touchdown pass inside the final minute. Western Oregon was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick and PSU ran out the clock.
Both teams had a lot of offensive stars. PSU's starting quarterback Kieran McDonagh and Penn combined to throw for 222 yards with three touchdowns, and combined to rush for 99 yards with two touchdowns.
Shaq Richard went for a career-high 151 yards on 14 carries. He had a career-long 70-yard run and followed that with a 10-yard touchdown to open the third quarter.
Overall, PSU rushed for 285 yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
One of the biggest and perhaps most overlooked plays of the night came on a Hail Mary throw by McDonagh as the first half clock ran out. Closs hauled down McDonagh's 48-yard heave to give PSU a 24-14 halftime lead.
Closs had 109 receiving yards with two touchdowns on six catches.
Although the Vikings gave up a lot of yards to Bergman, they were able to get a lot of pressure on him in the end. PSU made seven sacks on the night, led by 2.5 from defensive end Brandon Tobias. Crowder led PSU with eight tackles, as well as the big fumble recovery. In all, the Vikings made 14 tackles for loss and the Wolves could get only 26 rushing yards on 17 carries.
However, Bergman kept the Wolves in the game all night, completing 32 of 61 passes for 413 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for a score.
In addition to Bergman's fine play, the Vikings hurt themselves with 18 penalties for 146 yards.
"(Bergman) is a heckuva football player," said Viking Coach Nigel Burton. "We knew that going in. Our guys played seven-on-seven against him in the summer, and were talking about what a great player he was. That wasn't surprising. We saw it on film. I was surprised we didn't do a good job, when he decided to scramble, keeping him contained."
GAME NOTES:
The 100-yard receiving game was the fifth of Closs' career. Richard had the second 100-yard rushing game of his career. The Wolves, playing their first game of the season, were 7-4 last year. PSU is now 15-4 in home openers since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, 36-21-1 in home openers since 1958. PSU has beaten Western Oregon seven straight times. The Vikings travel to face their second Pac-12 opponent of the year when they face Washington State next Saturday in Pullman. Game time is 5:00 p.m. It will air on the Pac-12 Network and Rip City Radio 620 AM.
Source: goviks.com
