A win is a win. Does that comfort PSU fans?

Vikings stud Bobby McClintock dives for the endzone.

Wow that was ugleeeee! Portland State kicked off its second season under Jerry Glanville with a 31-14 win over Division II bully Western Oregon. Overall, it was a pretty disheartening win, if such a thing exists. The Vikings had three times as many penalty yards as rushing yards and spent the entire first half looking confused, disinterested and finally, just plain frustrated. Vikings starting QB Tygue Howland didn’t even last a half. Many of the others looked as if they wished they could join him on the sidelines.

After skulking back to the locker room with a tenuous 7-0 lead, the Vikings let back-up QB Drew Hubel (he of the 9 TD performance against Weber State last year) take the reins, and the kid did alright. He went 28-40 with 305 yards and a pick, and did enough to matriculate the ball into the redzone, which is where bruising Bobby McClintock took over and punched in three second-half TDs to go along with his first-quarter score.

Let’s be clear, Vikings: play this way against UC Davis in two weeks and risk being absolutely embarrassed. There’s lots wrong, starting with the team’s mental discipline and ending with the brewing quarterback controversy. Personally, I don’t see that there’s even a real choice—Tygue Howland is through, which is sad because the dude’s only played in four career games.

But if the Vikings think they have a real shot at doing ANYTHING productive this year, then they must let Hubel continue to start. The offense looked crisper and much more comfortable with him behind center. I was on the field to snap some shots, and I could hear no panic in Hubel’s voice as he directed four workmanlike second-half scoring drives. Howland is probably going to have to Tonya Harding Hubel if he hopes to reclaim his starting role. One guy got the job done. The other guy didn’t. Sorrrrry.

The Vikings take next week off then travel to Davis, California. They are 1-0. Enjoy it.

Back at it

Former PSU star Shaun Bodiford.

Portland, Ore. – Standing composed and confident on the Stott Community Field following Portland State’s short walk-through Friday morning, the glimmering smile on Tygue Howland’s face was tough to miss.

The beaming grin that the junior quarterback owned followed a few short words that encapsulate his more than three years in the South Park Blocks.

“I’ve been waiting three years for this,” Howland said.

The this Howland is referring to is, of course, the Vikings’ matchup with Western Oregon Saturday at 1:05 p.m. at PGE Park.

The Vikings are back in action Saturday afternoon with a must-win matchup against Western Oregon to kick off the 2008 season. Vanguard beat writer Nate Hellman has the scoop, which apparently is that Vikings starting QB Tygue Howland still has a lot he must prove, especially since he’s only thrown 13 completions in just three career games.

If you’re a Vikings fan, that isn’t heartening news. I’m not usually a hater, but there are few things that cause me more pessimism than Portland State football. We all know Jerry Glanville isn’t going to put a decent team on the field until at least next year, and we all know that there are huge problems with everything from the O-line to the itty-bitty running backs that Mouse Davis is trying to turn into receivers.

The Oregonian picked the Vikings to go 5-6 this year. They’re going to be lucky if they win four games, and that is being generous. Let me put it this way: lose THIS game, and the program will be destroyed for years to come. Actually, I think Vanguard sports editor Skyler Archibald put it this way: lose this game and it will literally ruin your program for a bit. Agreed.

Beat Western Oregon, then we’ll worry about confidence and dreams fulfilled. If Howland can keep his knees intact, that’ll be a victory in itself.

Note: The dude about to score a TD is former Vikings player Shaun Bodiford, a good guy with a motor mouth who is now, I believe, a kick returner and wide out with the Green Bay Packers.