Document text
Portland State has offensive firepower The Associated Press PORTLAND -- Portland State may have one of the most powerful offenses in Division I-AA this season. The Vikings will need every yard and touchdown to compete for the Big Sky championship. With tailback Charles "Chip" Dunn, quarterback Jimmy Blanchard of Grants Pass and receiver Orshawante Bryant, Portland State led the Big Sky last season in total offense and scoring at 465 yards and 32 points per game. In addition to Blanchard, three other Rogue Valley players are with the Vikings, notably starting left guard Scott Casebeer out of South Medford. The 6-foot-2, 310-pounder is in his third varsity season. Junior transfer Dan Fenton from North Medford and Whitworth College is the deep snapper, and sophomore Ryan Wells from Grants Pass plays linebacker. Despite their offensive prowess, the Vikings went 5-6 because of a defense that gave up 404 yards a game, eighth in the nine-team conference. The Vikings lost their last three games, including a 43-27 loss at non-league Northeast Louisiana. "We just need to learn on defense that we can't give up the big play, that we have to battle," said seventh-year coach Tim Walsh. "We lost confidence last year as a defense, and we need to regain that confidence. Once that comes, I think we have good enough athletes to win a lot of games." Still, most of Portland State's best athletes remain on offense. Dunn gained 1,561 yards last season and scored nine touchdowns. The 5-foot-8, 185-pounder needs 1,442 yards to break the school career rushing record of 4,178 yards, set by Curtis Delgardo from 1986-90. Blanchard was sensational before a shoulder injury and mononucleosis limited him in the last five games of the season. He led the nation in quarterback efficiency (167.58), completing 112 of 169 passes (66 percent) for 1,512 yards and 14 touchdowns with one interception. "The guy we have pulling the trigger's awesome," Walsh said. "I can't say enough about Jimmy Blanchard's approach to the game. His preparation is even better than what he does on the field." Blanchard said the Vikings must score often to take pressure off the defense, which lost seven starters, including three from the secondary. "We want to approach every game like we have to score 50 points, no matter what," he said. "We feel there should be no defense in this conference that should stop us and keep us from scoring as many times as we want," 'Bryant added. Blanchard has plenty of targets besides Bryant, who had 68 catches for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. There's junior Cheo Angel, who had 458 receiving yards, and sophomore Terry Charles, a 6-4 player with great potential who lists sleeping as one of his hobbies in the team's media guide. The Vikings also are solid on the offensive line, with four returning starters. The only player lost was 315-pound first-team All-American Bobby Singh, who signed with the St. Louis Rams. Portland State enters its fourth season in Division I-AA after dominating for years in Division II. The Vikings have made steady improvement since 1996, going 3-8, 4-7 and 5-6. They lost to conference champion Montana 20-17 last season, two years after a humiliating 63-6 loss in Missoula. This season the schedule is on the Vikings' side, with three of the Big Sky's best teams -- Montana, Montana State and Eastern Washington -- visiting Civic Stadium. But first, Portland State opens at Fresno State, a Division I-A team favored to win the Western Athletic Conference. The Vikings lost 35-7 in Fresno two years ago, and they plan on a better showing this time. "Maybe we bit off a little more than we wanted to," Walsh said. "But I feel very confident our first team can play with their first. And if we can come away with the win, that'll give us great confidence for the rest of the year." FOOTBALL 99 Index Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.