PORTLAND — Barney Ball? More like barn burner.
Portland State treated Bruce Barnum to a record-setting performance in his first game as full-fledged head coach.
The No. 17-ranked Vikings rushed for a school record 465 yards to beat No. 16 Montana State 59-42 on Saturday at Providence Park.
David Jones rushed for three touchdowns and 285 yards, the fifth most in Portland State history.
The Vikings scored touchdowns on their first eight drives. Not until quarterback Alex Kuresa lost a fumble early in the fourth quarter did a Portland State drive go awry.
One week after scoring 66 points against North Texas, the Portland State offense kept rolling. The Vikings gained 682 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per play.
“I like where we are right now,” said Barnum, who is no-longer an interim head coach after signing a five-year contract Wednesday. “The kids are right where we want them. We’re taking care of them and they’re paying us off with effort out there.”
In snapping an eight-game losing streak to Montana State, the Vikings improved to 5-1, 2-1 in the Big Sky Conference.
Kuresa was accurate and efficient. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 217 yards; many of those helped the Vikings convert 11 of 14 third downs. Of Portland State’s eight touchdown drives, six were 75 yards or longer.
“We’re not favoring anybody or putting a star by any team, every game is a big game,” Kuresa said. “We were supposed to win one game this year, so every game we’re trying to prove that we’re the real deal.”
Montana State (3-3, 2-2) entered Saturday averaging 42.6 points per game. The Bobcats set the tone on the third play from scrimmage when quarterback Dakota Prukop ran 61 yards for a touchdown.
Portland State answered with a 79-yard touchdown run by Jones on its first play from scrimmage.
Montana State counterpunched with an 11-play 87-yard drive capped by a nine-yard touchdown run by Prukop to go ahead 14-7.
But Portland State responded with its own 78-yard touchdown drive and made a statement in the process. Facing fourth-and-3 from the 5-yard line, the Vikings went for it instead of trying a short field goal.
By the end of the first quarter, the teams had combined for 400 yards of offense.
“If we would have kicked field goals, we would have lost this football game,” Barnum said.
Portland State didn’t kick field goals, punt or do anything besides score a touchdown on eight of its 11 drives. When Jones uncorked a 56-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, it gave Portland State a 49-28 lead.
Montana State pulled within 56-42 early in the fourth quarter and had driven to Portland State’s 11-yard line after Kuresa’s fumble. But the Vikings defense forced a turnover on downs. Prukop was tackled for no gain on third down and threw an incompletion on fourth down.
Portland State then drove 77 yards in 12 plays. The drive took more than five minutes off the clock before Jonathan Gonzales’ 29-yard field goal put Portland State up 59-42 with 5:06 to play.
