Archie’s wry hook

I have lost my common sense.

Just three months ago I rolled my eyes while head football coach Jerry Glanville explained to fans that his team would be much improved this season.

He said that they would be better tacklers, that the offense would be more effective and that they had more athletes and better football players than one year before.

Cynically, I believed he was only selling the product, a skill he perfected during his years of coaching, broadcasting and winning over people from every walk of life with his charisma.

Glanville said that the results would speak for themselves.

And speak they did.

After each of the Vikings’ six losses on the road this season, in which they lost by a combined score of 244-134, I wondered why anybody thought this team would be good this season.

I was in Pullman, Wash., late in September when the Vikings were dominated by one of the worst teams in college football history.

I was in Ogden, Utah, when Weber State made the Vikings defense look like Portland State High School in the first half.

I was at PGE Park when Montana outclassed and outcoached the Vikings.

In the back of my mind, I gloated all year long that I abstained from drinking the Glanville Kool-Aid.

But when the Vikings finally wrapped up their fourth win on Saturday afternoon against Northern Colorado, I looked over at Glanville and realized that he was right all along.

Glanville never expected his team to win the Big Sky Conference this year, despite what he may have said.

He knew that a rebuilding effort takes time and patience, and those are two luxuries that he has at Portland State.

His squad suffered through stretches of completely irregular quarterback play, spotty defense and poor execution.

But when the season wrapped up, Portland State’s 4-7 record was one game better than last season. That game in Pullman aside, Portland State competed in every game this season.

Glanville’s squad hung with Montana and made the Weber State game interesting after falling behind 31-0. It was never obvious on the field for long stretches of games, but overall this team is improving.

Glanville is adding quality youngsters like freshmen Cody Worthen and Dustin Waldron. Both were forced into starting roles for at least part of the season, and while there certainly were growing pains, these are players that will likely progress into stars as time goes on.

Another year of recruiting and another year of learning the run-and-shoot offense and the 3-4 defense will also help the team immensely.

So, too, will the passing of another offseason filled with workouts and film sessions to help motivate the squad into contenders for the Big Sky title.

Last season, the Vikings were a novelty.

High-scoring games based on an offense that nobody could defend and a defense that couldn’t tackle. They were all sizzle, products of Glanville’s reputation, media hype and a mass-marketing blitz by the athletic department.

This season, the Vikings became a football team.

They became a team with substance and a team with backbone.

Did they rise to the occasion every time? Certainly not. But there was improvement.

As the season progressed, new star players emerged. The receiver corps led by Aaron Woods and Mario D’Ambrosio should be fun to watch and difficult to stop next season.

The Vikings will be much improved and one year older at the offensive line, and sophomore quarterback Drew Hubel established himself down the stretch as the right gunslinger for the offense.

The results of another disappointing season will remain.

But Glanville’s rebuilding plan continues to go forward.