Jerry Glanville sat in his black leather office chair around midday Thursday staring over a plastic container of steaming rice that was lying on his desk.
Glanville was in deep thought, sitting in silence just moments after the he emphatically laid out the woes that have defined Portland State’s lackluster 2-4 record.
Then the Vikings’ head coach spoke.
“We need this one bad.”
The “this one” Glanville was referring to is Portland State’s matchup with Idaho State at 1:05 p.m. at PGE Park Saturday.
After a demoralizing loss to Northern Arizona Oct. 11, the Vikings enjoyed the luxury of a bye last week to rest their minds and bodies, which Glanville believes will pay dividends Saturday.
“You just need it; everyone needs it,” Glanville said of the bye week.
The most important benefit the Vikings will reap from the short reprieve is getting a bit healthier. Glanville cited senior linebacker Andy Schantz and senior cornerback Reggie Jones as the two greatest beneficiaries from a health standpoint.
But it is not all good news, as Portland State will still be without the services of freshman defensive tackle Josh Manupuna, who is suffering from an ankle injury, and junior linebacker Ryan Pedersen will play despite breaking his hand in practice. “He caught his hand in another player’s jersey, and when he tried to pull it out the other player took off,” said Glanville of Pedersen’s injury. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Glanville said junior defensive tackle Jermaine Jacobs will start in Manupuna’s stead. And the Vikings will need all the help they can, because Glanville said Idaho State is absolutely huge up front on the offensive line.
But even with the “300-pounders,” Glanville said the Bengals boast along their offensive line, Idaho State is having little success on offense.
The Bengals are a superb passing team and are ranked second to last–with Portland State being the worst–in rushing offense. A lack of scoring potency, averaging only 22.9 points per game, from the offense has caused Idaho State to stumble to a 0-7 record.
Even with the less-than-stellar start, Glanville is not ready to overlook the Bengals. At the forefront of Glanville’s concerns is sophomore quarterback Russell Hill, who averages almost 300 yards per contest. The Bengals’ pro-style attack is predicated on throwing the ball time and time again, especially focusing on hitting the running backs out of the backfield.
And if Hill is not dinking the ball off one of the backs, it is likely he will be sending the ball the way of wide receivers Eddie Thompson or Jaron Taylor, who are both averaging over 10 yards per reception.
Glanville said the Vikings will still blitz the Bengals, but must be careful to keep an eye on the backs that are flashing out of the backfield.
“You can still blitz as long as you have the back covered,” Glanville said.
Last season, Portland State headed into halftime with a convincing 13-3 lead, but the offense self-destructed in the final 30 minutes of play. A pair of fumble returns for touchdowns capped off a 35-point second half for the Bengals.
As was the case in their game two weeks ago against Northern Arizona, protection was an issue when the Vikings took on Idaho State last season, as the Bengals racked up nine sacks and forced six fumbles.
A definite key for Portland State will be ensuring whomever starts at quarterback–either sophomore Drew Hubel or junior Tygue Howland–has a comfortable pocket from which to throw.
Glanville feels confident that success through the air will be obtainable, but the Vikings may want to run the ball more than normal seeming how the Bengals’ rush defense has been nothing short of porous this season and the pass defense has been serviceable.
But Glanville does not believe the Bengals are the team the Vikings should be worried about Saturday. He is not suggesting Portland State look ahead to their rematch with Weber State in over a week.
“It’s not about Idaho State, it is about us,” Glanville said. “We really need to know how to fix us.”
Five things Portland State must do to WIN: -Protect the QB at all costs. Last season the Vikings allowed Idaho State to sack the QB nine times, which is seven or eight too many to win in the Big Sky.
-Expose the Bengals greatest weakness: stopping the run. Idaho State gives up over 215 yards on the ground every game, and while the Vikings stick to the air, mixing the run and the pass is a must this weekend.
-Cover, cover, cover. Idaho State boasts the eighth-best passing offense in the nation and the Vikings are known to give up an abundance of yards through the air. This is where the game will be won or lost.
-Stay mentally strong. Easily the most frequent phrase head coach Jerry Glanville has uttered this year is, “We’ve got to stop the mental errors,” an indication of how often his team has let a slipup cost them the game.
-Convert on third down. Glanville’s second biggest pet peeve this season has been his team’s conference-low 33 percent third-down conversion rate. That has to change.
Five things that will cause Portland State to LOSE: -Give up the football. This happened in the form of interceptions against Northern Arizona two weeks ago, and the Vikings caught the fumble bug versus Idaho State last season. Both ended with the same result: defeat.
-Let Idaho State’s wide receivers run wild in the secondary. The Bengals have an excellent receiving corps-led by Eddie Thompson and Jaron Taylor-that is dangerous if given enough space.
-Allow the Bengals to get to the QB. Here is one of the most basic, steadfast rules you will hear in football: You allow sacks and you lose. This is the truth, just ask the Vikings.
-Not be able to outmatch the Bengals’ massive offensive line. The Vikings need to generate a rush–period. If that does not happened, do not expect a win.
-Commit costly penalties. Based solely on the number of penalties they have committed this season, Portland State is the most undisciplined team in the conference and loses almost 85 yards in penalties a game.