Big Sky Opens, Portland Pours It On Matadors

The rain held and for a while, it appeared the Cal State Northridge defense might do the same.

Ultimately, however, it poured on the Matadors--penalties, interceptions, mistakes and, most notably, Portland State points.

Portland State defeated Northridge, 34-21, in a Big Sky Conference game before 10,153 on a chilly Saturday night at Civic Stadium. But the most painful burden for the Matadors was the reality that their chance for a Big Sky title and an at-large berth in the NCAA Division I-AA are history.

Portland State (8-2, 6-1 in conference play) moved into a first-place tie with Montana with one conference game to play. The Vikings, which defeated Montana, 51-48, in overtime this season, can clinch a share of their first Big Sky title with a victory Saturday at Northern Arizona.

Northridge (5-4, 4-3) dropped to fourth, a game behind third-place Eastern Washington.

“We made a ton of mistakes,” interim Coach Jeff Kearin of Northridge said. “And you can’t do that here against the Big Sky Conference champions.”

Kearin took the blame, specifically because of poor play calling and for his part in the Matadors’ collective loss of poise.

Northridge was penalized 15 times for 125 yards, including the usual handful of personal fouls. Kearin was a culprit, too, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for protesting various calls during a Northridge drive.

“The kids weren’t bad, I was bad,” Kearin said. “I lost my concentration early.”

Defensive back Chazz Moore of Northridge, who boasted to an Oregon newspaper this week that the Matadors would win, was the target of taunts throughout a game that included numerous vocal confrontations between players.

After the game, Moore was less than congenial.

“I think we lost to a mediocre team,” Moore said. “It’s just like I said in the paper. I said if we lose it’s because we’re going to beat ourselves. And that’s what happened.”

Although the forecast of rain likely accounted for about 9,000 no-shows, the skies remained clear. Things looked promising for Northridge in the early going, too.

The Matadors knocked the Vikings’ Charles Dunn, the Big Sky’s second-leading rusher, out of the game on his first carry. Brennen Swanson’s tackle resulted in a shoulder injury that kept Dunn sidelined throughout the first half.

Dunn returned to rush for 100 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries--all in the second half.

The Matadors led, 6-0, driving 71 yards on its opening drive to score on fullback Jaumal Bradley’s three-yard run.

But a collapse soon followed.

Quarterback Marcus Brady, limping noticeably from a sprained left ankle, had two passes intercepted, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Tyler Kemhus in the first quarter to give the Vikings a 14-6 lead.

Trailing, 21-14, in the second quarter, the Matadors nearly pulled even when Brady threw from the Portland State 48 into the end zone but a wide-open Aaron Arnold dropped the ball.

Another Matador march ended in a turnover in the third quarter when receiver Gil Rodriguez’s option pass intended for Arnold was intercepted in the end zone.

“We were driving the ball and I made a bad call,” Kearin said.

Jimmy Blanchard of Portland State extended to 310 his NCAA-record for consecutive passes without an interception. Blanchard, who has not thrown an interception since the first series of the season, completed 17 of 32 for 191 yards.

Dan Frantz kicked a 41-yard field goal, his 12th of the season, a Portland State record.