Up next: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

Portland State football wraps up the 2010 season this week as the Vikings travel to Flagstaff, Ariz., to face Northern Arizona for the  season finale.

Records entering the game

After an embarrassing defeat last week, one that head coach Nigel Burton described as “probably the worst” of the season, the Vikings are 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the Big Sky Conference. Their sole win over a conference opponent was against hapless Idaho State, who has lost all seven conference games played this year. 

The Viks have lost six straight games and have not had a win since Oct. 2. 

Northern Arizona has had a rough season, but has won more games than Portland State has. The Lumberjacks are also sitting near the bottom of the conference standings with a record of 3-4 in conference play and 5-5 on the season. 

Saturday’s will be the last game of the season for both teams. 

Eating up the clock

Northern Arizona and Portland State have each been exceptionally good at controlling time of possession this season. Northern Arizona has the highest total average possession time within the conference with 33:54 minutes per game. Portland State is in second with 33:43 per game. 

Last year’s meeting

It was a resounding victory for Northern Arizona with a score of 44-23. The Viking offense was slow to start and managed to only score on field goals through the first three quarters of the game. Finally, in the fourth quarter they scored two touchdowns, but it was too-little-too-late.

Lumberjack quarterback Michael Herrick, who will be back for this year’s matchup, had a tremendous day, shredding the Viking defense for 254 yards and three touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his throws. 

Scouting the  Lumberjacks

The Lumberjack defense also created problems for the Viking offense. Quarterback Connor Kavanaugh, who will sit out of this year’s game due to a broken hand, was intercepted three times. The running game struggled just as much. Kavanaugh also wound up the Viks’ leading rusher with a paltry 42 yards. 

The Northern Arizona defense looks tenacious this year. They lead the conference in scoring defense, allowing only 20.4 points per game, and their total defense is second in the conference in total defense, allowing an average of 307.7 rushing and passing yards per game. Their top-rated rush defense is giving up less than 100 yards per game.  

The offense, or lack thereof, seems to be responsible for the team’s record. They are ranked next-to-last in the conference in total offense and rushing offense. Herrick is averaging an even 200 yards per game through the air, but his efficiency is low. Two of their receivers are tied for the top spot for receptions per game in the conference. 

It would seem that the offensive line may be the problem, but Herrick has not been sacked a disproportionate number of times, so it’s anybody’s guess as to what the problem is. 

Scouting the Vikings

Last week’s game was a disaster. The Viks came out strong offensively and defensively in the first half and led the game until the fourth quarter. The defense went to pot and the offense couldn’t get anything going once the ground game was neutralized. After scoring 27 points in the first two quarters, the Viks only managed three in the last two quarters. 

The running game is the Vikings’ bread and butter, so it will be interesting to see how junior running back Cory McCaffrey—the second-ranked rusher in the conference with 1,275 yards—fares against the tough Lumberjack running defense. McCaffrey will need to have a good day for the Viks to have a chance. 

At this point in the season it is difficult to find words for the Viking defense. It performs when it wants to and gives up when it feels like it. After some impressive games early in the season, it looks like a shadow of its former self—ranking last in the conference.  

It seems that if the pass rush can find its footing this week, the Viks may have a chance to end their season on a high note. If they can keep Herrick off kilter, the offense may just be able to pull the team through. 

The game is set to kick off at 2:05 p.m., and it can be seen live at www.b2tv.com or heard on KXFD, AM-970 or www.970.am.?