The All-Whites is a good strategy in the late August north Oregon heat (noon kickoff).

For all those in town Friday night up in Portland - there is a get together at Steeplejack SW Pizza and Beer. It's located just east of Raleigh Hills on the SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy off of SW 45th Avenue. Nice place, great food, they make their own beer, recommend the Oregon Gold Lager. 5:00 pm Friday August 28. Get there!

The Viks logo is fresh. Looking good.

They'll be giving up 50 ppg over their first 4.....but they'll be looking fly

Does no one good to be the cocky one. Old Irish saying. Better, it will be a great game. Respect your opponents.

A quick reminder: https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401634055/uc-davis-portland-st

If I remember correctly, Plough stated the main reason this happened was that PSU completely redid their defensive gameplan from scratch leading up to our game and that caught us pretty off guard in what we had prepared offensively. They had gotten walloped 4 games in a row leading up to that point in the season. I don't think Plough will go into this game expecting anything in particular. Prepare for anything and everything.

PSU was really REALLY bad last season and Fisk has a lot of work to turn things around there. He's a good coach so I don't expect them to be pushovers, but Davis has the talent to put a beat down on them if we play up to our potential.

Less than 2 weeks away from the start of the season! Here's just some PSU stats at a glance.

PSU passing game

The Vikings last season averaged just over 200 passing yards per game and split time between 2 main QBs, both of whom are returning for their 2026 campaign. John-Keawe Sagapolutele was their main "passing" QB who completed 148 of 261 attempts (56.7%) for 1623 yards with 4 passing TDs and 16 interceptions (WOOF). Tyrese Smith complimented Sagapolutele as their "running" QB. While he did complete 40 of 69 passing attempts (58%) for 551 yards with 2 TDs and 4 interceptions, he was more impactful as the teams 2nd leading rusher where he ran for 475 yards on 98 attempts with 6 TDs.

The Vikings also have rostered QBs Gabe Downing, Jackson Presley, and Hunter Herrera. As far as I can tell a starting QB has not been named by Fisk.

PSU receivers

The Vikings return several of their main receivers from last season. While they did lose their statistical leader in receptions in Zachary Dodson-Greene, they return a larger percentage of their reception yards leaders. They return WR Terence Loville who had 517 yards on 33 receptions with 1 TD, WR Cru Newman who had 302 yards on 29 receptions, and WR Jaylen Lynch who had 250 yards on 20 receptions with 1 TD.

PSU run game

Outside of the aforementioned Tyrese Smith, the Vikings relied heavily on a singular RB, Delon Thompson, to carry their run game. Thompson returns for another season after a 2025 campaign where he rushed for 741 yards on 191 attempts with 7 TDs. Their 3rd leading rusher was actually previously mentioned WR Cru Newman who rushed for 72 yards.

PSU defense

The Vikings last season allowed 42.7 points and nearly 450 yards per game and will look to turn things around under Fisk. The Vikings lost their team leader in tackles DB in Isaiah Green, interception leader in DB Carsten Mamaril, sack leader DL Spencer Elliott, and 2nd leading tackler DB Pierce Walker. They do return LB Jaxton Helmstetler who had 2 sacks and 6.5 TFLs last season.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad thing that they basically lost all of their statistical leaders from last season. On one hand, their defense was atrocious so maybe some new guys will do them some good. On the other hand, unless they start all new transfers and freshmen, the guys on the field would be guys who couldn't win the job last season on a absolutely horrendous defense.

Like I have noted previously, we can't take them lightly and seemingly have a good guy leading the program now, but the Aggies should clean up here as far as I'm concerned.

Their whites look clean, and trendy with the symbols and the airport code PDX. Pacifico-approved.

Considering their past traveling expreriences, perhaps a Greyhound logo would be more appropriate than an airport code.

Is downtown Portland peaceful these days, struggling, normal?

several years ago while attending a conference in Portland I saw a guy wearing a shirt that said “make Portland normal” as opposed to “keep Portland strange”. Made me chuckle. Best thing back then was Powell’s bookstore. Had a “regular” and “technical” store.

Yes all of those. There are a lot of great things, there are also forlorn blocks with tents and sketchy looking characters. It is improving slowly since the depths of the covid abandonment.

You ever notice how Greyhound stations are always in the absolute worst part of most towns?

i’m old enough to remember when the part of town around the Greyhound stations weren’t at that time a bad part of town, and the Greyhound station was similar to the airport, with lots of connections on the board and fairly clean. For example San Fran, with the Greyhound station near UN plaza, and a federal court house

The ride from Davis to the City was interesting. Davis' "depot" was a temporary office near the tunnel, on a dirt lot. I took one once from Redding back to Oakland around 2000, there was a depot where there appeared to be released ex cons, with tattoos covering their whole face. That was a bit startling.

Powell's takes up an entire city block now. :strong: Just visited last week.

Downtown Portland looked fine to me--no weirder or dirtier or more dangerous than downtown Seattle (also visited on this trip). *shrug

As somebody who has lived in Portland- the downtown area can very very dangerous- especially near the bridge and the Portland sign area.

That city has a serious drug problem, and don't leave anything of value in your car if parking in most parts of Downtown. There's a lot to like about Portland, but the downtown area is dangerous and full of homeless.

Hillsboro- or anywhere west of the ridgeline is like a different place altogether and way safer and no bums.

Portland would be a great city if they could just crack down on the methed out bums.. but they don't so..

A conference I attended in 2014 featured a takeover of Goths on the light rail and city parks. 2016 featured homeless in the sidewalks with “permits” sort of making official a right to live on the sidewalk. I was never impressed with the core downtown area with these issues. Going several blocks outside was generally fine. Spent hours in Powell’s bookstore.

Friend of mine left Portland PD because they wouldn't, and this is a direct quote, "let me crack heads on the bums and hippies." Guessing hippies were more the ANTIFA types, this was at the height of all that business

Portland recovered from COVID in terms of people returning, but it hasn't recovered the old downtown economic model. COVID accelerated several things that probably aren't going back:

Before COVID:

Office workers > lunch > shopping > happy hour > restaurants > downtown businesses

Now:

Remote/hybrid workers > fewer daily commuters > less weekday foot traffic > less demand for downtown retail/food/office space

As someone who lived in downtown Portland and now visits regularly, I will dispute that downtown is "dangerous" but I guess that depends on what you compare it to. If you are used to urban areas and keep your normal wits about you, you will be fine. I can't imagine the violent crime rate against tourists or normal people going out to dinner is much above zero. Yes your car might get broken into if you park on the street but I don't know if the risk is higher there than other west coast cities. If you are used to quaint suburbs, yes some of the street people can be disturbing but 99.9% of the time they don't pay any attention to you.

I bet Portland was the absolute best place to live in like the 50s-80s.. I should have mentioned that I haven't been back to Portland in about 15 years, so my experience is dated and things of course have changed, but back before I left "pre-covid" the crime and homeless all over the place were too much for me.

What is sad is Portland has such potential with a great geographical location, nice climate, great architecture, nice houses and neighborhoods. But, almost everywhere you go you run into some methed out bum or tents taking up an entire sidewalk they do nothing about that kind of ruins it.

I'm just looking at Google Street view right now and it looks like the usual tents over much of east downtown and the same drugged out people lurking around.. Too bad too, because that could be one of the best cities in America, but they sadly let the bums be junkies and ruin the place.

Anyway, outside downtown there's some great stuff- The Pittock Mansion is great, the St. John's bridge is a special spot.. there are a lot of really great neighborhoods Ladd's Addition and many others There is a really cool side to that city.

They just need to get serious about some stuff (the bums) and it would be a great place to live and visit.

Seattle, Portland, Oakland, San Francisco all have to have bleeding budgets. They'll wait out a change in WH leaders before actually making substantive change. (i.e. more play money.) I have to believe the new supercharged marijuana plays a role (schizophrenia), as do the cartels trafficking serious drugs which can lead to serious mental health issues.

I listened to a recovered drug addict from Vancouver who said the "housing first" plan was a lark. Apparently Vancouver follows the same playbook, free needles, paraphernalia, victimless crime, etc. Folks here correct, the internet, smart phones, delivery drivers and remote work filled the gap. But I see people as disconnected, often isolated, young kids addicted to vaping and gaming. Another reason why wineries and brew pubs struggling. I'm affected, will more likely see a game in Utah than Portland. I asked a friend to join me in Portland and he declined.

Is this thread still about the upcoming game against PSU

Neil Lomax their most famous alum?

Also @ movielover- Most famous guy from Portland (not alum, but used to be around Providence Park all the time) is of course the melancholy singer Elliott Smith.. He was a great artist. Used to live around them parts of Portland. His songs were used in the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. Very sad songs for sure, but good stuff if you want to get sad.

That's before Portland State moved out to the Boondocks though.. Back when it was in the 'hood.

Didn't know Elliott Smith was a long time Portlander, I know he grew up rough out in Texas and graduated from university in Massachusetts. He must've met up with Gus Van Sant during the My Own Private Idaho and Drugstore Cowboy years.



I honestly miss Portland State playing downtown...but as PA said, the whole economy of Portland changed and downtown just doesn't function like it used to - the Timbers took over that whole stadium because they sell out, they make money, and they paid for the downtown stadium's upgrades.

The biggest problem with the program is much like every program, it needs money to flourish -- and without winning, the money seldom rolls in...and they don't have big daddy Phil Knight to cover the bill (pun intended) like they do down in Duckland. PSU is honestly just a redheaded Viking stepchild of UO and OSU...even UW in some respects.

I will say - Davis has had some routes in Hillsboro, and some extremely tight contests as well - the stakes are high, everybody's fresh, it's Big Sky football in Week 1, so I'll give the new look Vikings some credit and give them 20 points - but Davis scores 41.

Ags 41 - Viks 20

Will we have the Connors Brothers for game 1, and will they bring hot Mom Sarah?

FWIW: Bob Dunning notes that the large Lloyd Center shopping mall north of downtown has closed, once the largest mall in America?

If health is still in question for one or more of the Connors brothers - I could see us taking precautions until maybe SMU or Stetson. They've been working and practicing all August - should have a good plan in place on how the Connors are going to be rolled out.

I’m thinking we unleash Rex and Winston on Montana

I agree with that timeline. Porter will be ready for PSU