Sat., Aug. 31 @ 3:00 pm ET
Portland State Vikings (0-0) vs Washington State Cougars (0-0)
CW: Ted Robinson Ryan Leaf Nigel Burton
Portland State Vikings (0-0)
Head Coach: Bruce Barnum (Eastern Washington, 1987)
PSU Record: 35-56/10th year
• Big Sky Record: 25-38
• vs. Washington State: 1-2
Career Record: 35-56/10th year
STORYLINES
• STUCK ON FIVE: Portland State was 5-6 last season, 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference… Washington State was 5-7 last season, 2-7 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars beat Northern Colorado of the Big Sky, 64-21, in a non-conference game.
• A BIG DAY IN VIKINGS HISTORY: The Vikings pulled off a huge upset over Washington State in 2015 on their way to a FCS playoff season. Portland State won 24-17 in a first-ever win over a Pac-12 program.
• PLAYING UP: The Vikings are 4-46 all-time against FBS-level competition with wins over Hawai’i (2000), New Mexico (2006), Washington State (2015) and North Texas (2015)… this marks the 10th consecutive season that Portland State has played two FBS opponents. PSU has done so a total of 14 times, including three in 2006.
• OLD FRIENDS: Though she has been at Washington State since 2001 and recently was named Athletics Director, Anne McCoy spent five years in athletics administration at Portland State (1996-2001).
• OLD FRIENDS, PART TWO: Former Vikings linebacker Parker McKenna transferred to Washington State after the 2023 season. McKenna led the Vikings with 75 tackles and nine tackles for loss last season. He played in 27 career games for Portland State, making 26 starts with 197 career tackles, 15 tackles for loss and two sacks as a Viking… McKenna had 10 tackles for the Vikings in a game against Washington State in 2021.
PORTLAND STATE OPENS 2024 AT WASHINGTON STATE
The most potent schedule in Portland State history opens with a trip to Washington State this Saturday. The Vikings take on the Cougars of the Pac-12 for the fifth time in school history, and the second time in just four seasons. PSU comes off a 5-6 season in 2023 when it was 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference. The Cougars were 5-7 overall, 2-7 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Vikings return 41 letterwinners and 14 starters from 2023. Head Coach Bruce Barnum, now in his 10th season, has his largest roster ever with 114 players coming to camp on the first of August. Twenty-three redshirts saw some game action last year so there are over 60 players with game experience. The Vikings will be led by third-year starting quarterback Dante Chachere who had nearly 5,000 yards of total offense and 52 total touchdowns over the past two seasons. He will be bolstered by the running back talents of sophomore Quincy Craig and senior Christian Grubb, among others, and a veteran offensive line that returns three starters and eight letterwinners. On defense, the Vikings have a young and athletic group that is maturing, including 10 sophomores with significant experience. Sophomore linebacker Michael Montgomery was a freshman All-American, senior cornerback Tyreese Shakir is the most experienced, while defensive end starters Slade Shufelt and Kennedy Freeman return and are joined by four Division I transfers. PSU will attempt to strike gold in Pullman much like it did in 2015, the only other time it opened the season against Washington State. The Vikings upset the Cougars, 24-17, on the way to a 9-2 regular season, the FCS Playoffs, and a top-10 ranking. WSU went 9-4 that year, 6-3 in the Pac-12, and was Sun Bowl Champion. The schedule in 2024 is formidable. The game with Washington State opens a stretch of four out of five on the road. PSU plays two FBS programs (also Boise State), eight nationally-ranked FCS teams (with six ranked in the top nine), including six playoff teams from 2023.
LAST MEETING, Sept. 11, 2021: Washington State 44, Portland State 24
VIKINGS vs. FBS COMPETITION
Portland State is 4-46 all-time against programs at the FBS level dating back to 1968. The Vikings play FBS members Oregon (Pac-12) and Wyoming (Mountain West Conference) this season. Athletically, Portland State has competed at virtually every level of competition, except the FBS. PSU began as Vanport Extension Center – a two-year school – in 1946-47, but competed in the Oregon Collegiate Conference (NAIA) from 1950 to 1964. Portland State became a four-year institution in 1955 and competed at the NAIA level. PSU joined the NCAA in 1965 and competed at the College Division level (the fore-runner of NCAA II). PSU was an NCAA 1-AA member from 1978-80, then moved back to Division II in 1981, where it competed through the 1995 season. In 1996, Portland State moved to the Big Sky Conference and up to the NCAA 1-AA (now FCS) level. Below is a listing of all PSU games against members of the NCAA I FBS level of competition. PSU scored twice in the fourth quarter on Alexander TD passes. The first was a 39-yarder to Beau Kelly, the second on a three-yarder to Nate Bennett. Alexander ended the game 27-49 passing for 293 yards, two scores and one interception. Kelly had career highs of 10 catches for 152 yards and a score. Parker McKenna led the Vikings with 10 tackles.
Washington State Cougars (0-0)
Head Coach: Jake Dickert (Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 2007)
WSU Record: 15-16/4th year
• vs. PSU: 0-0
Career Record: 15-16/4th year
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
Last season, Washington State went 5-7 including a 2-7 mark in Pac-12 Conference play while finishing third nationally in the country in passing (336.8) led by quarterback Cameron Ward who was fourth nationally in passing (311.3) and sixth in total offense (323.3). Wide receiver Lincoln Victor was sixth nationally with a Pac-12-best 89 receptions and edge Brennan Jackson was fourth in the league with 12.5 tackles-for-loss. Head coach Jake Dickert owns a 15-16 career record and begins his third full season. WSU has won it’s last two season-openers; 24-17 vs. Idaho in 2022 and 50-24 at Colorado State last season.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cougars lead the all-time series with Portland State 3-1 after posting a 44-24 win over the Vikings in 2021. PSU opened the 2015 season with a 24-17 win in Pullman while the Cougars claimed the first two meetings of the series, 48-9 in 2008 and 59-21 in 2014, both meetings in Pullman. Portland State went 5-6 last season including a 4-4 mark in Big Sky Conference play.
Sat., Aug. 31 @ 6:30 pm ET
Idaho State Vandals (0-0) vs Oregon State Beavers (0-0)
CW: Thom Brennaman Max Browne Michael Bumpus
Idaho State Vandals (0-0)
Head Coach Cody Hawkins 3-8 overall (2nd season)
3-8 at Idaho State (2nd season)
No info available.
Oregon State Beavers (0-0)
Head Coach Trent Bray 0-0 overall (1st season)
0-0 at Oregon State (1st season)
Game Notes
Oregon State opens its 2024 schedule Saturday when the Beavers host Idaho State at Reser Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. PT.
The game will air live on The CW. Thom Brennaman (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst) and Michael Bumpus (sideline) will call the action.
The game will air live on the Beaver Sports Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, turn to page two of these notes.
Every game this season can be heard live on the Varsity Network, a free application available via computer browsers, smartphones and tablets. After downloading the application, search for Oregon State.
The game marks the debut for Trent Bray as Oregon State’s head coach. He is in his first season as head coach and 10th year overall at Oregon State.
Against Idaho State
Oregon State is 2-0 all-time against Idaho State, winning a 2007 matchup 61-10 and then picking up a 37-7 victory in 2016.
The Beavers tallied 607 yards of offense in the 2007 win, the ninth-most ever by Oregon State. The 61 points, meanwhile, were the 14th-most at the time. Oregon State, however, has eclipsed the 61-point mark four times since.
Season/Home Opener
Oregon State is looking to make it three consecutive wins to open the season for the first time since 2005, 2006 and 2007. The Beavers defeated Boise State, 34-17, to open the 2022 season, then won at San Jose State, 42-17, to open 2023.
OSU, meanwhile, is looking to make it four straight season-opening wins after defeating Hawai’i (45-27) in 2021, Boise State in 2022 and UC Davis (55-7) to open 2023.
OSU last won four straight home openers from 2014 to 2018 when doing so in five straight.
Versus The FCS
Oregon State, since 1999, has played 21 games against FCS opponents, going 19-2. OSU has won nine consecutive matchups.
The Beavers are averaging 44.3 points per game versus FCS foes, allowing 16.3. Oregon State has scored 30 or more points in 16 of those 21 matchups.
