Portland State beats Western Oregon 21-7 for first win of season

Portland State quarterback Davis Alexander completed 23 of 37 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Western Oregon. (AP Photo/Darryl Oumi)
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The week started off with Portland State coach Bruce Barnum pledging to buy beer for fans. It ended with the Vikings’ first victory of the season.

Davis Alexander threw a pair of touchdowns and the Vikings overcame a barrage of penalties and miscues to beat Western Oregon 21-7 in their home opener Saturday afternoon at Hillsboro Stadium.

It was Portland State’s first home game since 2019 — the 2020 season was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic — and even though it was marred by rain storms and penalty flags, the Vikings (1-2) did enough to earn their first win of the season.

Things started well for Portland State as Alexander guided the team on a nine-play, 90-yard drive to open the game, finishing the series with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Beau Kelly. But the early success was short-lived.

In four more first-half drives, the Vikings would punt twice and miss two field goals, squandering a chance to take a big early lead against a Division II foe. At halftime, the teams surprisingly were separated by just one score.

Making matters worse was that penalty flags were more common than scores. The teams combined to commit 23 penalties for 197 yards in the game.

The Vikings, who drew 112 yards in penalties, finally overcame their missteps in the third quarter, scoring on their first two possessions of the second half. Malik Walker gave the Vikings a two-scored edge with a 1-yard touchdown run and Alexander pushed the lead to three scores with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Kelly in the back of the end zone.

That score, with 2:22 left in the third quarter, gave Portland State a 21-0 lead and quelled any notion of a Western Oregon (0-3) upset.

Alexander completed 23 of 37 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with six different receivers, including Darian Chase (eight receptions, 73 yards) and Nate Bennett (six receptions, 106 yards). Walker rushed 18 times for 89 yards and one touchdown as the Vikings finished their last tune-up before starting Big Sky play.

— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.

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