There are probably two mistakes that can be made when looking at Portland State this week. The first is spending so much time on the opponent that we pretend Friday night is something it isn’t. Oregon has an enormous personnel advantage, the Vikings are an FCS program in the first season of a major rebuild and nothing in their first three games suggests that gap has suddenly disappeared. The other mistake would be assuming there is nothing worth scouting because Portland State may not be capable of winning this game under normal circumstances.
Chris Fisk isn’t experimenting with some new philosophy he hopes might work at Portland State. He brought a system with him. His final Central Washington team went 10-2 while averaging 43 points, rushing for 266 yards per game and allowing only 18.3 points. Defensive coordinator Grant Torgerson came with him after building one of the better defenses at the Division II level, and several other members of Fisk’s CWU staff made the move as well. Portland State isn’t trying to discover an identity as much as it is trying to install one with an almost completely reconstructed roster.
That distinction matters when looking at the first three weeks. Portland State’s overall efficiency profile is poor, particularly on defense, but there are pieces of what Fisk wants beginning to show up. The Vikings have also played No. 6 UC Davis, an FBS San Diego State team and No. 7 North Dakota before making Friday night’s trip to Autzen, which means they have been tested considerably more than the average FCS team three weeks into September.
