Aztec overload

It didn’t take long for Jerry Glanville, the man anointed the savior of Viking football and celebrated former NFL head coach, to realize his team was heavily outmatched against San Diego State University on Saturday.

“We were in a gun show and all we had was a knife. More like, all we had was a pocket knife,” Glanville said.

The Vikings’ head coach was right on target, as Portland State suffered a 52-17 loss to the Aztecs, the only Football Bowl Subdivision opponent on its schedule this season. The loss puts Portland State at 1-3 on the season and 0-3 versus non-conference opponents.

Despite the lopsided loss, the Vikings’ offense finally looked on track after offensive coordinator Darell “Mouse” Davis installed the shotgun into his patented run-and-shoot attack. Although he was not entirely content with changing his original game plan, the shotgun was effective. Senior quarterback Brian White completed 36 of 53 passes for a career-high 408 passing yards and was sacked a season-low three times.

“I like a little more run than pass and the shotgun really limits our ability to confuse defenses,” Davis said. “But if it works, it works.”

Even with White’s success, Portland State only managed to score two touchdowns, both on rushes by fullback Olaniyi Sobomehin, and one field goal. In an attempt to make a late comeback, White threw three second-half interceptions. But White found wide receiver Kenneth Mackins, who led all receivers with 137 yards on six catches.

“Offensively it should help our confidence heading into next week. The quarterback played well and it was the best protection we have had all year,” Glanville said.

On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary, plagued by injuries, allowed San Diego State quarterback Kevin O’Connell to put up career numbers, with 443 passing yards and five touchdown passes. Jordan Senn led the Vikings with 17 tackles, a career high for the senior linebacker.

“Defensively we just made too many mistakes. We had two new safeties in because we lost two guys to staph infections, and it basically put us back at week one in Lake Charles, La.,” said Glanville. “You make errors in the secondary against a team like [San Diego State] and you give away the game.”

Safeties Benny Schenk and Jake Fetzer, who usually share playing time, both had surgery for staph infections earlier in the week and were forced to sit out of practice. The two safeties were re-evaluated Monday and it’s uncertain whether they will be available against Eastern Washington this Saturday.

In an attempt to rotate playmakers and keep the defense fresh, defensive backs Damion Porter and Condrew Allen stepped in at free safety.

Aztec wide receiver Brett Swain took advantage of the depleted secondary, catching a career-high 224 yards on six receptions and three touchdowns, including a 75-yard reception where the Viking secondary appeared confused by San Diego State’s formation.

Glanville was distraught after the game, and surprisingly not because of the brutal loss his team sustained but because he lost one of his top playmakers in inside linebacker Andy Shantz.

“Its not been an easy year, we have lost our best quarterback, our best fullback and our best linebacker to injuries,” Glanville said. “Getting your butt kicked hurts, but losing your best players is really killer.”

Shantz sustained a knee injury in the first minute of the second quarter that knocked him out of the game. Preliminary results point to Shantz being done for the year, but magnetic resonance imaging results will not be known until late Tuesday.