The Portland State Vikings got the first win of the Jerry Glanville era on Saturday, despite some protection problems both on and off the field.
While the Vikings were giving up double-digit sacks on the turf at Portland's PGE Park during a 35-24 comeback win over Sacramento State, thieves rifled through PSU's locker room, nabbing a number of personal items.
On the bright side, PSU at least temporarily seized first place in the Big Sky Conference with its initial win of the season.
Quarterback Brian White finished 26-of-37 for 363 yards passing and two touchdowns in his second start. This despite the fact that the Hornets defense touched him up to the tune of 10 sacks.
White's second TD toss of the game came a snap after his 10th and final sack of the day - a 42-yarder to Tremayne Kirkland that capped an 8-play, 76-yard drive and put the Vikings up 28-24 with 2:08 to play.
Linebacker Jordan Senn then sealed the win with a 76-yard interception return for a score with 30 seconds left.
PSU began the second half trailing 20-14.
Cats cool after romp
The Bobcats weren't overly impressed with themselves immediately following their 61-7 win over Division II Dixie State on Saturday.
New Montana State head coach Rob Ash characterized the effort as “sloppy,” and wide receiver Deon Toliver said the Cats still had to “work on a lot of things.”
Given a day to review the tape, things looked more encouraging on Sunday.
“We did better than I thought,” Ash told the Bozeman Chronicle. “It was the classic situation: Watching the tape, you're never as good as you thought you were and you're never as bad as you thought you were. Our execution on both sides of the ball was, generally, pretty good. That doesn't mean we don't have things to clean up.”
The Cats racked up 400 yards of offense against the overmatched Rebels, including 210 yards rushing. MSU also scored on every trip to the red zone, forced four turnovers, scored twice on special teams and once on defense.
Ash and Co. - ranked No. 18 in this week's Division I FCS poll - begin Big Sky play Saturday, hosting 0-2 Weber State.
Happy returns
The Wildcats' 47-19 loss at Cal Poly was not totally without positives - most notably, return man Bryant Eteuati.
Eteuati had 201 yards in returns (188 from kickoffs) and 73 receiving yards as Weber dropped to 0-2. He even got some props from Mustang fans as he jogged off the field after the game, according to the Ogden Standard Examiner.
“He's a stud,” coach Ron McBride said to the Examiner. “Eteauti's a ... gamer. What can you say about the guy? He plays every play.”
The 5-foot-7, 160-pound junior had an 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter and nearly broke another a minute later when he went 42 yards before being stopped at Cal Poly's 45-yard line.
Quarterback Jimmy Barnes hit Tim Toone for a touchdown on the next play.
“What Eteuati does is give you a chance to get back in the game,” McBride said.
Eagles rank
After a 41-31 win over UC Davis, Eastern Washington is back the Sports Network's FCS top 25 for the first time since 2005, according to a release from the school.
The Eagles are ranked No. 25, their first appearance since they finished the '05 season No. 13 in the TSN poll.
EWU and UC Davis combined to accrue nearly 1,000 yards of offense in a shootout at Woodward Field in Cheney, Wash.
The Eagles accounted for 478 yards of that and got second-half interceptions from sophomore Kevin Hatch and redshirt freshman Lonnie Hosley in the win.
Stiff competition
The Big Sky has played six games against Division I FBS opponents so far this season and lost them all.
Last week it was Idaho State falling 61-10 to Oregon State and the hits don't stop just yet.
As most teams close out nonconference seasons this week, Sac State is on the road against New Mexico and Portland State travels to San Diego State.
Eastern Washington will be the last Big Sky team to take a step up in class this season when the Eagles go to BYU on Oct. 13, two weeks after they venture into Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Montana is the only Big Sky team this season not to schedule a foe from the upper-tier division formerly known as I-A.
Players of the week
Offense: Portland State quarterback Brian White, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior from Mission Viejo, Calif., completed 26 of 37 passes for 363 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, leading Portland State to a 35-24 come-from-behind victory over Sacramento State. Defense: Portland State linebacker Jordan Senn, a 5-11, 225-pound senior from Beaverton, Ore., recorded a game-high 11 tackles in the Vikings' win over Sacramento State. Special teams: Montana State returner/cornerback Kory Austin, a 5-11, 184-pound senior from Sacramento, Calif., scooped up a blocked field-goal try and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown in the Cats' rout of Dixie State. He also returned a punt 85 yards for a score.
Game to watch
Eastern Washington at Idaho State, Saturday, 3:05 p.m. The Eagles are back in the top 25 for the first time in two seasons, while the Bengals look to rebound from a 61-10 loss at Oregon State. EWU has been gaudy on offense in its first two games and ISU should be a good measuring stick as conference play gets into full swing next week.
Power poll
1 Montana (2-0): Rested Griz get 1-2 Albany as final tune-up before BSC play.
2 N. Arizona (1-2): Jacks open confernce play with UNC. After Arizona and Appy State, they earned it.
3 Montana St. (1-1): Drubbing of Dixie St. has Cats primed for Weber, ISU in first conference games.
4 E. Wash (2-0): Will undefeated Eagles be 4-0 by Oct. 6 at Montana? Signs point to yes.
5 Portland St (1-2): Got win against UC Davis but faces daunting San Diego St.
6 Sac State (0-2): Already 0-1 in conference, Hornets get tough payday at New Mexico.
7 Weber St. (0-2): Should be a good test for MSU after tough nonconference schedule.
8 Idaho State (1-1): Win at home over EWU would have ISU climbing the ladder. Bengals need solid effort.
9 N. Colordao (0-3): Already lost easiest games against Chadron, San Diego. Schedule only gets tougher from here.
FCS poll
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The top 25 teams in The Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 16 and previous ranking:
Record Pts Pvs
1. Appalachian State (90) 3-0 2,250 1
2. Montana 2-0 2,055 2
3. Massachusetts 3-0 1,985 3
4. Northern Iowa 3-0 1,943 4
5. North Dakota State 2-0 1,843 5
6. McNeese State 2-0 1,763 8
7. Southern Illinois 3-0 1,662 7
8. James Madison 2-1 1,641 9
9. Youngstown State 2-1 1,626 6
10. New Hampshire 1-1 1,426 12
11. Delaware 3-0 1,344 10
12. Hampton 2-0 1,122 13
13. Wofford 2-1 1,053 11
14. Illinois State 2-1 971 17
15. Hofstra 2-0 794 19
16. Furman 1-2 728 15
17. Sam Houston State 2-1 693 16
18. Montana State 1-1 564 20
19. Western Illinois 2-1 505 22
20. Eastern Illinois 1-2 468 14
21. Yale 1-0 417 21
22. Lafayette 3-0 324 25
23. Alabama A&M 3-0 184 -
24. Cal Poly 1-2 160 -
25. Eastern Washington 2-0 155 -
Others receiving votes: Delaware State 154, Drake 99, Georgia Southern 98, The Citadel 87, Towson 85, Richmond 59, San Diego 58, Northern Arizona 57, Alabama State 40, Villanova 34, Portland State 33, South Carolina State 30, Jackson State 26, Missouri State 22, Tennessee State 21, North Carolina Central 18, Holy Cross 17, Dayton 13, South Dakota State 13, Southern 13, Lehigh 12, Grambling 11, Texas State 11, Albany 8, Prairie View 8, Gardner-Webb 6, Princeton 6, Stony Brook 4, Harvard 2, Liberty 2, Northeastern 2, William & Mary 2, Coastal Carolina 1, Cornell 1, Iona 1, UC Davis 1.
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