Spring football in the air

Saturday was a beautiful day for football, and new head coach Nigel Burton and the Vikings seized the opportunity to showcase the team’s new offense and defense at the annual spring scrimmage.

Held at Hillsboro Stadium, where all of PSU’s football games will be played this season due to a planned renovation of PGE Park, the spring scrimmage pitted the green team against the white team. When the dust finally settled, the final score was 14-13 in favor of the Vikings’ white team.

“The excitement was great,” Burton said in a statement released by the school. “There were a couple of good plays where guys got fired up on the field. There was good execution, and we saw guys continue to grow even during the game. Those are the things we are looking for and that we are excited about.”

The size of the team this spring offered a unique opportunity for the Vikings. Unlike in years past, where the offense taking on the defense had to suffice for a spring game, this year featured two separate teams with their own offenses and defenses.

The white team dominated the statistics. With senior Tygue Howland, sophomore Nick Green and freshman Hank Taylor all sharing time taking the snaps, the team threw for a combined 200 yards. This was the first chance in over a year for fans and new coaching staff alike to see Howland in action. After splitting playing time with now senior Drew Hubel in the 2008 season, Howland missed all of last season due to a knee injury.

Sophomore receiver Justin Monahan played for the white team, but he led receivers on both teams. He may have made only four catches, but they totaled 72 yards. A newcomer to the team, he shows great promise as a complementary receiver to senior Raymond Fry, who was the team’s leader in receptions last season. On Saturday, Fry had four catches for 48 yards.

The white ground attack was equally as fierce, rushing for 69 yards to the green team’s 15 yards. The running game will have to improve, though, by the start of football season. They may have outrun their teammates, but the white team garnered a paltry 2.6 yards per carry average.

Senior running back Kevin Watts showed up to play. His 11 runs for 41 yards was a game high, and he also had a two-yard run for a touchdown. Watts was a special teams player and backup cornerback last year.

The green team’s defense didn’t give the white team’s offense an easy afternoon. Senior linebacker DJ Macarthy recorded a game-high total of eight tackles. Macarthy, who has great speed and strong tackling ability, played in the last two games of last season and looked promising.

Junior linebacker Ryan Rau had six tackles for the white team. Rau led the team in tackles last season with a total of 72.

The green team’s ace in the hole was sophomore defensive lineman Siasau Matagiese. He recovered a bad snap and returned it three yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and to make the score 7-all. 

Matagiese played in 10 games last season despite not being listed as a starter. With his speed and ball awareness he has a good chance of starting this year.

Junior cornerback DeShawn Shead racked up an interception for the white team. Shead totaled six interceptions in his rookie season but managed only half as many last season.

A number of incumbents did not participate in the scrimmage, including two of last year’s starters—senior quarterback Drew Hubel and sophomore cornerback Michael Williams.

Vikings football will resume in early August, and the first game is set for Sept. 4 at Arizona State. The Vikings’ first home game will be in week four of the season, when they host Idaho State on Saturday, Oct. 2 to begin conference play.