Football ranked in Top 25

The Portland State football program escaped from Greeley, Colo., with a close win, defeating the Northern Colorado Bears 23-17 and kept their playoff hopes alive. The Vikings (7-3 overall, 5-2 conference) brought their win streak to four games for the first time since 2004, and concluded the Bears’ (0-11 overall, 0-8 conference) winless 2011 campaign in the process.

For the first time since 2007, the Vikings find themselves ranked among the nation’s Top 25 teams, coming in at No. 25 in the Sports Network Media Poll. Should the Vikings win their final game against Weber State, the program could see the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Portland State came into the weekend’s contest as the heavy favorites on paper, averaging 433 yards of total offense, nearly 150 yards more than Northern Colorado. However, the stats proved meaningless as the Bears fought mightily, holding a one-point lead with only four minutes remaining in the game.

“It was just a muddy game,” Vikings head coach Nigel Burton said. “We made plays when it counted and left a ton on the field.”

Viking safety DeShawn Shead ran back an interception 74 yards for a touchdown to give the team a six-point advantage late in the fourth, but the Bears weren’t finished fighting. On the final drive, Northern Colorado took possession of the ball on their own 28-yard line with only 46 seconds remaining and put the Vikings’ backs to the wall with a six-play 52-yard drive that ultimately fell short.

“Guys fought through to the end and weathered the storm,” Kavanaugh said. “That is what this team has been all about this year and it has been exciting to see us push through adversity and come out with a big win.”

The Vikings stuck to their bread and butter, making plays on the ground and rushing for 224 yards. Portland State quarterback Connor Kavanaugh led the ground attack, running for 132 yards on 27 carries. Freshman running back Shaquille Richard went down early with an undisclosed injury, but senior tailback Willie Griffin picked up the slack, running for 73 yards on 21 attempts.

Northern Colorado’s attack was focused on passing, as quarterback Seth Lobato threw a staggering 51 times, completing 22 passes for 293 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Kavanaugh didn’t throw as often, but was efficient, completing 15 of 27 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Junior wideout Justin Monahan caught the lone touchdown and led the receiving group with 71 yards on nine receptions.

The defensive play of Portland State was solid again, winning the game for the Vikings as they held Northern Colorado to 63 yards on the ground. Shead scored the late-game interception touchdown and also led the defense with nine tackles and a pass break up. Shead has caught two crucial interceptions in the past two games and earned a Big Sky defensive player of the week award for his efforts against Sacramento State.

“My team was counting on me as a defensive player to make a play,” Shead said. “Defense needed to score and I felt when I got that pick that was the only thing going through my mind, I needed to make a play for this team.”

Both offenses struggled to put up points, but in the end the Vikings defense won the battle in the trenches. Still, the Bears defensive effort deserves credit, as they kept the Vikings attack in check, only giving up 16 points to an offense that averages 33 per game.

The final regular season game for Portland State is set for this Saturday at Jeld-Wen Field, as the Vikings host Weber State (4-6 overall, 4-3 conference). Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m.