A break from the Big Sky

Two crushing losses in two weeks have left the Vikings football program reeling and in need of a major confidence boost. Fortunately, the Vikings will get their chance when they take on the Division III Willamette University Bearcats this Saturday at Jeld-Wen Field. Portland State (3-3 overall, 2-2 conference) is coming off a tough 24-30 loss at the University of Montana, and the team also lost All Big Sky Conference running back Cory McCaffrey after a left leg injury early in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings will be taking a much needed break from conference play to take on Willamette, which has a record of 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the Northwestern Conference. The match will be the first ever between the schools, and despite the gap in talent, Vikings head coach Nigel Burton is not taking the game lightly.

“Willamette’s offense forces you to play assignment football, and if you don’t, then they get free touchdowns,” Burton said. “We know a couple kids on their team and we know those guys are players.”

While the Vikings have lost their last two conference games, the Bearcats are currently riding a two-game winning streak and have won three of their last four games. Portland State will need to rebound after two losses against third-ranked Montana State and the 14th-ranked Montana Grizzlies. Despite the uphill battle of facing back-to-back ranked opponents, the Vikings had leads in both games, only losing by a combined total of eight points.

However, the loss of McCaffrey may very well hurt the most. The running game has been the driving force behind the Vikings early-season success. McCaffrey and senior quarterback Connor Kavanaugh led the pistol offense to a 3-1 overall start, as the Vikings have averaged 277.3 yards per game rushing behind the duel ground threats. Without McCaffrey, the nation’s leading scorer and the conference’s leading rusher at 146.2 yards per game, Portland State will turn to freshman running back Shaquille Richard. Richard will likely be taking the bulk of the hand-offs this weekend with sophomore Justin Lilley and senior Willie Griffin potentially getting carries as well.

Kavanaugh has been the other major component of the running game for the Vikings, averaging 102.7 yards on the ground this season, including six rushing touchdowns. However, Kavanaugh threw two interceptions in the loss at Montana, including one that closed the door on the Vikings’ game-tying drive in the final minutes. Kavanaugh has been more of a threat running the ball than passing this season. Currently, the quarterback is averaging 91 yards through the air per game and has completed 53 of 95 passes for 546 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.

Willamette is known for their “fly” offense, a similar style of offense to the Vikings pistol formation, since the emphasis is on the ground game. The Bearcats are averaging 229.7 yards rushing and 352 yards of total offense through six games. The leading rusher for Willamette’s run-based offense is running back Jamiere Abney, who has accrued 382 yards and two touchdowns on 71 carries this season.

Both schools have reason to be confident in their defense, as the Bearcats have only allowed 17.5 points per game and have forced 18 turnovers this season. The Vikings defense has remained resilient, allowing only 141 yards on the ground per game and claiming six interceptions. Linebacker Ryan Rau leads the Vikings defense with 65 tackles and four sacks this season.

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