Boise State vs Portland State Week 3

 

#22 Boise State (-31.5) Vs. Portland State University

Date: Saturday, September 14, 2019

Time: 8:15pm MT

Stadium: Bronco “Albertsons” Stadium

TV: ESPN2

Know Thy Enemy

Norseman from Oregon plan to invade late Saturday night for a battle on ‘The Blue’. The Vikings of Portland State,from the Big Sky conference (FCS) are the next foe to come to town, in what will be the second of three straight home games for the Broncos. “Victor E. Viking” might not strike fear into the hearts of many this time around, but at one point in their history Portland State was a clan not to be messed with.

Back in the late 80’s early 90’s former Boise State head coach Pokey Allen, led the Vikings to five straight Division II playoff appearances, making the championship game twice in those five season. Portland State made the transition to Division I-AA in 1996.

Since 2007 the Vikings haven’t been all that effective having a below .500 overall winning percentage.

Current head coach Bruce Barnum is in his fifth year as head coach of the Vikings. Barnum believes that he is building something at Portland State. In 2017 the Vikings finished the season 0-11 and last season they improved their record to 4-7. The Vikings have had a promising start to the 2019 season. Portland State opened the season with a trip to Fayetteville to play the University of Arkansas. Now, Arkansas hasn’t been a top SEC team since the Darren McFadden days back in 2006, but regardless they are an SEC team. The Vikings gave the Razorbacks all they could handle, but ended up losing the game 20-13. Last week Portland State hosted The Clan of Simon Fraser a Division II school. The Vikings were down 7-0 early, but responded quickly and taking a 21-7 lead into halftime and ultimately defeated Simon Fraser 70-7.

The Broncos and the Vikings have faced each other 7 times in school history. Boise State leads the series 6-1 winning the last four games in a row. The only time Portland State has beaten Boise State was back in 1992 when Pokey Allen was the head coach for the Vikings. Allen was hired one season later by the Broncos.

What Happened Last Year  in 2005

Portland State and Boise State haven’t met on the gridiron since Bachmeier was six years old, with their last matchup coming in early October of 2005. Boise State escaped with a sloppy 21-14 win after trailing 14-13 late in the fourth quarter. Bronco quarter back Jared Zabransky threw two interceptions and ran for a score. Ian Johnson lead rushing attack racking up 78 yards on 16 carries. The Broncos had a tough time stopping Vikings running back Joe Rubin who rushed for 151 yards and a score.

Players to Watch

Portland State

JR., Davis Alexander, QB #6

Alexander a junior quarterback from Gig Harbor, WA is a dual-threat quarterback who has taken almost all of the reps for the Vikings the past two seasons. Alexander started 10 games a year ago and amassed over 2,000 yards of total offense. Alexander has major upside as shown last week against Simon Fraser where he completed 70% of his passes and threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns. However, in the season opener Alexander was under 50% with his completions percentage and threw two interceptions. Alexander will have to have a big day if he wants to lead the Vikings to a win.  

SO., Mataio Talalemotu, WR #81

Mataio Talaemoutu (muh-TIE-oh tuh-LALL-ee-MO-two) is arguably the Vikings top offensive target. As a freshman, the 6’-1” receiver started every game, becoming a key component of the offense. Talalemotu had 23 catches for 402 yards and two touchdowns. This year as a sophomore, Talalemotu has seven catches for 137 yards and one touchdown. Look for PSU to get the sophomore from Beaverton involved in the offense early this week.

SR., Denton Bartlett, DT #51

At Rev’s Rundown we always like to highlight local kids! Denton Bartlett is a senior defensive tackle from Boise, ID where he played at Centennial High School. Bartlett is one of the most experience players on the team, having started 24 games in his career and 14 games in a row. Last week against Simon Fraser Bartlett recorded four tackles and three sacks. The Viking coaching staff are looking to Bartlett to lead a defense that has some major upside.

Boise State

SO., Khalil Shakir, WR #2

First we had Jeremy “McWeapon” McNichols and now we have Khalil “Silent Assassin” Shakir. Shakir is one of those players where coaches try to find ways to get him the ball. Shakir is listed as a wide receiver, but the Broncos have lined him up all over field. Shakir and Bachmeier have formed a connection through the first two game with Shakir leading the team in receptions (13) and yards (173). Look for Shakir to continue being a vital part of the offensive attack and look for him to have a monster game against the lesser opponent in Portland State. 

Rs.JR., John Bates, TE #85

It’s been a long time since there was a tight end in The Players to Watch for the Broncos. Historically the tight end has been a major part of the Boise State passing attack until the last few seasons. Last season, the tight end group only made 33 of the 310 total possible receptions. This season however, it seems as though the tight end has become a primary weapon for the Broncos with none other than John Bates leading the charge. In 2018 bates had a total of 10 catches in 13 games. In 2019 Bates has 8 catches in two games. Bates is second on the team in receptions (8) and yards (114).

Rs.SO Tyreque Jones, S #21

Tyreque Jones is probably the one name on the Boise State defense that is the most unfamiliar. Jones, a red shirt sophomore out of San Bernardino, CA has been the backup to DeAndre Pierce the last two seasons. However, after an injury to Pierce against Florida State, Jones has received ample playing time. Last season, Jones finished with 33 tackles, broke up two passes, forced a fumble and recovered another. This season he has played in both games and started last week against Marshall. Jones has seven tackles, recovered a fumble, and has one tackle for loss on the season. With the uncertainty of when Pierce will return from injury, Jones will be holding down the back end of the Bronco defense.  

Focus Position Group: Quarterback

Hank Bachmeier seems to have already won over the hearts of Bronco Nation. If it isn’t with his boyish good looks, it’s with his toughness. The late 90’s dance-rock band Chumbawamba had a song entitled Tubthumping with lyrics that said, “I get knocked down, but I get up again, you are never gonna keep me down” and that has been Bachmeier’s theme the past two games. Some of the hits he has taken are from blown blocking assignments. Some are from slow or poor decision making. If Bachmeier wants to stay healthy all season, he will need to continue developing that internal clock that says when to run or throw the ball away and not take the unnecessary hit. Taking those unnecessary hits will shorten the life of the young QB. With that said, this kid is pretty tough, he stands in there, takes the hit, and still throws darts.

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1  Don't Give David the Rock

Oh, the underdog. Bronco fans love being the overlooked, outmatched, underdog. Playing with the “no-one-respects-you” mentality is what built Boise State’s brand. Well this week, Boise State is the bully and Portland State is the one who is overlooked, outmatched, and a 31 and a half point underdog. With that said, Boise State can’t do anything to give the Vikings hope on Saturday night. Boise State has been fumbling the football at an alarming rate in 2019. The Broncos have put the ball out the ground eight times in the first two games, but luckily they have only lost three of those fumbles. When asked about the fumble rate Coach Harsin said, “We’ve got signs in here that say ‘It’s all about the football’.”  It is all about the football and if the Broncos want to win this weekend they will have to take care of the football and not give Portland State any chance to build momentum with short fields and quick scoring opportunities.

 Ground and Pound

Football is a game that is won by winning the line of scrimmage. If your offensive line can push back their defensive line you usually can move the football. This week the big boys up front for the Broncos outweigh the Vikings defensive front by an average of 50 lbs. With the severity of Mahone’s injury still a mystery, the rushing load could fall to true freshman George Holani. Holani did shoulder the load last week rushing for over 100 yards on 22 carries. Boise State should show their dominance by running the football and totally wearing down the Portland State defense.

3  20 Is the Magic Number

Dating back to 2017 Portland State is 2-18 when they allow their opponent to score 20 or more points. Last week against Marshall, Boise State’s offense looked like they were still working out the kinks and never got rolling. In order to win this week the Broncos will need to strike early and often. Look for the Broncos to use some tempo as well as the quick to intermediate passing game to move the ball against the Vikings.

Editorial Note:

Over the past six quarters the Bronco defense has allowed 7 points. Boise State held a Florida State offense that scored 31 first half points to zero in the second half. That same defense held Marshall to a single touchdown a week ago. In the second half of last week’s game, the Broncos gave up zero points, zero first downs, and zero yards. This Bronco defense has been very impressive over the last six quarters and defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding has been great at making in-game adjustments. Boise States defense is going to be great all season. Let’s hope the offense finds their grove this week against Portland State.

I was WAY off last week, but I think the Bronco offense finds some consistency and the defense keeps the Vikings out of the end zone.

Boise State 31, Portland State 6