BYU Football kicks off the season with a home game against Portland State. Let’s take a minute to learn about the Vikings.
What a week we have in store. BYU Football is back on Saturday. The Cougars will be taking on the Portland State Vikings at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Portland State is coming off a frustrating 42-0 loss against powerhouse Tarelton State. It was their first time being shut out at home since 2003. Portland State will be looking to get back on track soon, but BYU is a formidable opponent.
Portland State University plays in the Big Sky Conference of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). They play their home games at either Hillsborough Stadium in Hillsborough or Providence Park in Portland. Their current record is 0-1, and they sit outside the FCS Top 25.
BYU and Portland State have met once before, and BYU won 20-6. BYU has a winning record against FCS teams, while PSU is 4-48 all-time against FBS foes. Against Tarerlton State, PSU played three quarterbacks, Sophomores Gabe Downing and John-Keawe Sagapolutele, as well as Redshirt Freshman Tyreese Smith. The trio went for 18-35 with 169 passing yards and three interceptions.
Overall, Portland State has problems. They missed a pair of field goals. The first one was from 54 yards out, which is understandable. The second one was a 37-yard field goal. Portland State would get drives going, but a turnover or penalty would snuff it out. PSU is vulnerable heading into Week One against BYU, and the Cougars should handle them relatively easily.
BYU and Portland State are set to match up Saturday at 6 PM MT. BYU is the heavy favorite and should win this game. Portland State will be coming into this game hungry for points after being shut out at home. It is still unclear who Portland State’s long-term quarterback will be, and that can make a team disjointed. BYU should pounce on this and go all in.
Portland State overall is a team with some stuff to figure out. They are trying to get everything figured out, especially at quarterback. I will give them some grace; they did play the number eight team in the FCS last week. Still, there is a lot to figure out, and this should be pretty easy for BYU.
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