Montana vs. Portland State

Coming off a 44-41 upset over Montana State and last week’s 45-0 blowout against Northern Arizona, the Vikings travel to Missoula, Mont., for the season’s biggest game where first place in the Big Sky will be up for grabs.

The first place Vikings are 5-3 (3-1 Big Sky) and will roll into Grizzly Stadium Saturday with the hopes of their season riding on another big game from stud senior tailback Joe Rubin and the constantly improving arm of junior quarterback Sawyer Smith. In their last two games, Smith and Rubin have combined for 764 yards of offense and nine scores.

The defense righted itself last weekend after giving up 41 points to the dangerous MSU offense, dealing NAU their first shutout since 1985. They will face another challenge when they match up against a Montana offense that is averaging 27 points a contest.

This is a huge game for the Vikings. They’ve saved the season these last two weeks and are poised to do some real damage in the Big Sky. But the key remains tucked inside Sawyer Smith’s pocket, so to speak. Smith has got to keep playing at a high level. He’s got to believe in himself.

The win against MSU went along way toward galvanizing that belief. With three games remaining counting this Saturday’s contest against the Grizzlies, the Vikings’ season is coming down to the wire and should be one of the more exciting finishes in recent history.