Vikings fall short against Grizzlies

For the second consecutive week, a strong first-half showing for the Portland State football team ended with the Vikings leaving empty handed. On Saturday, Portland State (3-3 overall, 2-2 conference) charged out early against the Montana Grizzlies (5-2 overall, 4-1 conference), taking a 21-10 halftime lead, but in the end, the Vikings came up short in a tough 30-24 road loss. The defeat at Washington-Grizzly Stadium was the eighth straight at Montana for the Vikings, but the loss of All Big-Sky running back Cory McCaffrey to injury over the weekend may be the most painful wound.

Portland State head coach Nigel Burton addressed the Vikings’ game-changing mistakes that ultimately cost them the win.

“We had some opportunities to make some plays that we didn’t make in the end,” Burton said. “We also had some inopportune penalties, some silly stuff at critical moments to take us out of the game.”

Portland State took hold of the momentum from the opening kick off, jumping out to a quick 13-0 lead in the first quarter. After back-to-back field goals by the Vikings, senior quarterback Conor Kavanaugh scored on an 8-yard touchdown run. The Grizzlies responded with a touchdown and field goal of their own, but Portland State capped off a 13-play, 70-yard drive with a 3-yard McCaffrey rushing touchdown to make the score 21-10 heading into the half. The Montana offense was shut down in the first quarter, accruing seven yards on offense.

Despite a strong start to the second half following Nevin Lewis’ third blocked punt of the season, the Vikings were outscored 20-3 in the final 24 minutes as the Grizzlies running game picked up steam. Montana added 254 of their 383 yards in the second half on their way to victory behind a breakout game for running back Jordan Canada.

The rushing game has been a crucial part of the Vikings’ early season success, but on Saturday the Vikings were held to 200 yards on the ground after heading into Montana averaging 292.8 rushing yards per game. All Big-Sky conference running back McCaffrey led the Vikings between the tackles, accruing 103 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown, but was unable to play for the bulk of the fourth quarter. McCaffrey went down early in the fourth with a serious left leg injury that could bench the senior indefinitely and halt a record breaking senior season.

Kavanaugh has been a complimentary running threat to McCaffrey, and he added 97 yards rushing and one touchdown against Montana. However, after McCaffrey came out of the game, the Vikings had little success running the ball and were forced to lean on their passing game.

Portland State rounds out the bottom of the conference in passing, but a need for quick yards at the end of the game fueled the change. Connor Kavanaugh threw the bulk of his passes in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, completing 10 of 20 passes overall for 100 yards and two interceptions. Unfortunately for the Vikings, both Kavanaugh interceptions came in the fourth quarter, the first coming on the play that injured McCaffrey. The second pick was in the closing second of the game as Portland State moved the ball into Grizzly territory in an attempt to get a game winning touchdown, but the Grizzlies made the stop and took a knee to win the game.

The Montana defense played the role of disrupter in the second half, holding the Vikings productive offensive attack in check. Portland State came into their game with Montana averaging a staggering 439.4 yards per game of total offense, but were held well below the mark in Missoula with 300 total yards. The Montana defense also shutdown the Vikings’ ground game, allowing just over 50 yards rushing in the second half for Portland State. Montana cornerback Houston Roots was responsible for both interceptions on Kavanaugh in the fourth quarter.

The Montana offense hit their stride in the second half with sophomore quarterback Jordan Johnson completing 10 of 18 passes overall for 128 yards and one interception. Montana running back Jordan Canada rushed for a 159 yards and one touchdown, including a 75-yard near touchdown run that highlighted the day for the Grizzly.

It was a tale of two halves for the Portland State defense. The Vikings allowed just seven yards of offense in the first quarter, including a blocked punt in the second quarter to set up another scoring drive, before conceding 20 points in the second half. Vikings linebacker Ryan Rau led the defense with a career-high 18 tackles including two sacks. Rau’s 18 tackles were the fifth highest recorded in Portland State history.

The Vikings football program has caught a lot of heat this season due to their conference lead in penalties. Against Montana, the Vikings lowered their number of mistakes, but still ended up with 88-penalty yards in the game. However, the lower numbers still were costly, as numerous pass interference calls helped the Montana offense move down the field quickly and score in the second half. Coach Burton emphasized getting penalties under control would be the key for the rest of the season and this upcoming weekend against Willamette University.

“We have to start playing more penalty free and mental mistake free football,” Burton said. “There really isn’t a better opponent to play against than Willamette.”

Kickoff is set for 5:05 p.m. Saturday at Jeld-Wen Field.