Vanguard Blog

Bertrand named Pitcher of the Week

2010-04-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Freshman pitcher Anna Bertrand earned the Pacific Coast Softball Conference's Mountain Division Pitcher of the Week honor for the second time this season, according to a statement released today by the league.

Bertrand pitched 13 innings over the weekend, and contributed to Portland State's four-game sweep over Northern Colorado to open conference play. She recorded 20 strikeouts, including a career-high 12 in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, and is the only pitcher in the PCSC to have triple-digit strikeout numbers (123). Bertrand also leads the league with a 1.92 ERA.

Portland State is 14–21 on the season and 4–0 in conference play. Bertrand's is the seventh weekly honor for a Viking this season.

Play ball!

2010-04-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

Somebody buy this kid a tall glass of milk.

Women prepare for NCAA action

2010-03-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE—They may only be 180 miles away from their home court at the Stott Center, but the Portland State women’s basketball team is a long way from home at the NCAA Tournament.

The team makes its debut appearance in the Division I-level tournament later tonight at the University of Washington’s Bank of America Arena, but has been in Seattle since Thursday in preparation for the milestone event.

Yesterday was the team’s media day and featured open and closed practices, player and coach interviews and a press conference in front of the NCAA banner.

“It’s surreal,” said junior guard-forward Kelly Marchant, describing the atmosphere of the tournament.

For Portland State, the road to the March Madness in Seattle began in Cheney, Wash., exactly one week ago. It was there that the Vikings claimed the Big Sky Tournament title with a victory over Montana State, and with it the conference’s automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament.

As the fifth seed in the six-team tournament, the Vikings were underdogs then and remain the underdogs today when they face ninth-ranked Texas A&M.

“It’s just exciting to have another week to play, and staying alive another week,” said senior guard Claire Faucher. “Having this opportunity and knowing that we are the obvious underdogs and playing with the mentality that we have nothing to lose here.”

“We did not just come all this way to say we went to the tournament. We are here now and we want to make some noise, and not only represent Portland State, but represent the Big Sky (Conference),” she said.

Tip-off for No. 15 Portland State versus No. 2 Texas A&M in round one of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship is scheduled for 5:06 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

—All photos by Aaron Leopold, Daily Vanguard

Start your own Rec Club

2010-03-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Have you been sitting around thinking PSU is seriously lacking a lawn dart collective? Do you and your friends want to start a pinochle club? Would you like to form your very own football squad and challenge the PSU football team to a pickup game?

If any of the above is true, or if you just want to start your own rec club, you are in luck.

Campus Rec is now accepting applications for new student clubs for the 2010-11 academic year. The process is fairly simple, and all the information can be found here.

Don't sit on your keister and let this opportunity pass you by—applications must be turned in by April 9.

The road to San Antonio begins in Seattle

2010-03-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

The brackets are set for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, and in their first-ever trip to the Big Dance, Portland State is starting local.

The Vikings begin the tournament in Seattle as the No. 15 seed in the Sacramento Region, and are set to face No. 2 Texas A&M at 5:06 p.m. on Saturday at UW's Bank of America Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Portland State (18–14) is making its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament after earning the Big Sky Conference's automatic bid with Saturday's win over Montana State in the championship game of the conference tournament.

This year marks the fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament for Texas A&M (25–7). They won the Big 12 Conference Tournament for the second time in three years with a win over Oklahoma on Sunday.

A printable PDF of the complete tournament seeding is available here.

Women clinch Big Sky title

2010-03-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

PSU defeats Montana State in Big Sky Championship

The Portland State women’s basketball team is the newly crowned champion of the Big Sky Conference.

The Vikings defeated Montana State, 62–58, yesterday in Cheney, Wash., to win their first-ever Big Sky title, and with it the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Saturday saw several firsts. In addition to setting up PSU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, it was the first time in Big Sky history that two quarterfinalists met in the championship game, and as the No. 5 seed, the Vikings became the lowest seeded team to ever win the conference tournament.

Photo courtesy Portland State Athletics Department

“We did it the hard way, but we did it,” head coach Sherri Murrell said in a television interview after the game.

Not only will her team be competing in the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time, but this will also mark Murrell’s first time in the Big Dance.

“To be a part of history is something very special. It means a lot to the players who have battled hard,” she said. “It took me 20 years of my career to do it, so I’m pretty happy.”

Senior guard Claire Faucher, the Tournament MVP, broke the conference and school records in both three-pointers attempted and three-pointers made when she shot 8 for 16 from behind the arc.

“I always think before a game that I’m not going to shoot the three,” Faucher said in a statement released by the school. “Then I come out and start pulling up threes. I don’t know why it was all threes, but that’s the way it ended tonight.”

Faucher led all scorers with 26 points on the night, and she also recorded six assists, four rebounds and five steals. It wasn’t until there was only three minutes left in the game when Faucher finally hit a bucket that wasn’t for three points.

As the PSU players await the announcement of the final seeding for the NCAA Tournament at 4 p.m. on ESPN, the Athletics Department is set to hold a tournament selection party at the downtown Buffalo Wild Wings on Monday.

The party is set to begin at 3:15 p.m. Buffalo Wild Wings is located as 327 S.W. Morrison Street in Portland.

2010 Big Sky Conference

Women’s Basketball Championship

Scoring	1st	2nd	Final
Montana St.	24	34	58
Portland St.	29	33	62

Team stats	MSU	PSU
Field goals	22-55	22-66
FG shooting	.400	.333
3pt field goals	7-19	11-30
3pt shooting	.368	.367
Rebounds	46	35
Turnovers	20	9

All-Tournament Team

MVP Claire Faucher, Portland State

Iaona Iacovita, Idaho State

Eryn Jones, Portland State

Kelli Valentine, Portland State

Sarah Strand, Montana State

Erica Perry, Montana State

Let the postseason begin

2010-03-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

The Portland State men's basketball team just began their quarterfinal game of the Big Sky Tournament against Montana State, and there are three ways to catch the postseason action. The game can be followed via live stats, audio or video.

Will PSU make it to the semifinals? Follow the game to find out.

Portland State, BABIP and ISO

2010-02-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

by James MacKenzie
Vanguard staff

A quick introduction: I'm James MacKenzie and I write for the sports section in the Vanguard. This is what I hope to be the first in a running series of posts that will analyze the Portland State softball team through sabermetric analysis, a field in which softball is sorely lacking.

Sabermetrics are so absent from softball, that when you type it into Google it asks, "did you mean: football sabermetrics?" Which is a pity, because really, doesn't softball in all of its similarity to baseball, deserve to be picked apart, scrutinized and analyzed with every stupid number one can throw at it in the same way that baseball is? I would answer that it does and that's the aim here.

I would, however, like to add the caveat that since sabermetrics are absent from softball in most available statistical archives, I have derived most of the statistics used here from my own work provided by the raw statistics available at goviks.com. That being said, I'd like to say that I am an amateur statistician at best and as always when you read things on the internet, take it with a grain a salt.

Through twelve games, it's safe to say that Portland State's offensive production has been nothing short of putrid. The raw slash line of .212/.290/.260 is rough, as is the .550 OPS it amounts too. Portland State ranks second to last in batting average and slugging in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference ahead of only Santa Clara and ranks third to last in on-base percentage. Quite simply, the Vikings aren't hitting.

The question than after twelve games and two early season tournaments, is what to expect from the Viking lineup heading forward. Coach Echo-Hawk is confident that the record isn't indicative of the talent level of the club and there are a couple of advanced metrics that suggest that even if the offense peaks at mediocre, that it should be sufficient given the caliber of the pitching staff this year.

Batting average on balls in play (BABIP), as defined by "The Hardball Times," is "a measure of the number of batted balls that safely fall in for a hit (not including home runs). The exact formula we use is (H-HR)/(AB-K-HR+SF)." When used against a league average, BABIP is useful in determining the amount of luck, or lack thereof that a team (or player) has encountered when hitting.

Since BABIP nearly always hovers between .290 and .300 in professional baseball, it can be assumed than in that environment a player that hits .330 on balls in play will regress to the mean BABIP and that vice versa, when a batter hits .270 on balls in play, that this will regress upwards as well. There are of course exceptions, as line drive hitters consistently have higher BABIPS, as line drives fall for hits more often and other random events can affect BABIP (growing old, losing power and sucking the chief among them).

With the run scoring environment of softball significantly more volatile than baseball, (infield hits go for singles more often, the shorter base paths cause quicker plays leading to more errors, etc) it shouldn't come as a big surprise that the 2009 league average BABIP in the PCSC was approximately .311.

I determined league average as the mean of nine of the ten PCSC teams (three teams 2009 stats are currently unavailable), so this is by no means a hard league average. With nine teams contributing to the average however, it's a quick and dirty way to figure out a point of comparison.

In 2010, the Vikings have a BABIP of .262. Against a 2010 league average of .300, it's clear that Portland State has experienced a fair amount of what could be called bad luck. This is in part true, as Portland State has already faced three top-15 ranked teams in UCLA, Arizona State and California and fared poorly in all three. In those three losses combined, Portland State had four hits, seven walks and an eye-popping twenty strikeouts.

Those three losses (.125 BABIP), combined with two losses to Cal Poly where the offense failed, explain Portland State's low season BABIP quickly. It'll be a matter of time until we see if Portland State can hang around with those teams competitively, but it's fairly obvious that those three games heavily impact Portland State's poor offensive performance. Given Portland State's 2009 BABIP of .316 and the league average rate which right now seems to hover between .300 and .310, Portland State should continue to regress toward the mean in BABIP, dragging with it other stat categories.

However, while quality of competition and bad luck in part explain Portland State's inability to score runs thus far, it doesn't quite explain why Portland State has such a low BABIP and such an ugly raw batting line. Despite Portland State's poor hitting, in part fueled by a low BABIP, the Vikings have still managed to reach base at a .290 clip, which although bad is certainly understandable in context to a .212 batting average.

Portland State has gotten runners aboard but when they get on, they haven't been able to score.

A large part of this inability to score runs has been a decided lack of power displayed by Portland State this season. It took nine games for the team to hit their first home run (a two-run shot by Daniell Lynn against UC Davis) and through twelve, Portland state has only eleven doubles.

Five of those doubles belong to Becca Diede, who with Brandi Scoggins and Daniell Lynn has accounted for the majority of Portland States extra base hits. Isolated power, a stat which measure's a batter's raw power through extra bases per at bat, shows just how little Portland State has hit for power so far in 2010. In 2010, Portland State's ISO has been a barely visible .048.

Prior to the season, much was made of the Viking's losing five starters from last year’s club and thus far in 2010, those fears have been somewhat justified as Portland State has yet to replace the production of Jackie Heide (12 HR, .248 ISO,), Jenna Wilson (13 2B, .158 ISO) and Jana Rae Slayton (7 HR, .166 ISO).

A lot than rides on Portland State regaining some semblance of the power stroke they had last year. Thus far, Portland State hasn't shown that they can replace that lost production, but the season is only twelve games old. Portland State will most assuredly not have a .048 ISO come year’s end, and the clubs batting line, despite the loss of last year’s big bats, should at the very least regress to league average due to Portland State's low BABIP.

Portland State has played some of the toughest competition it's faced in a long time in its two opening tournaments and as play moves forward and conference games against teams of similar talent levels resumes, Portland State should have just enough offense for their pitching to pull them through.

Vikings football names D-line coach

2010-02-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

The Portland State Athletics Department announced today that Legi Suiaunoa will join the PSU football team. Including the addition of Suiaunoa, first-year head coach Nigel Burton has now added 10 assistants to his staff.

A complete breakdown of the coaching roster and the press release in its entirety is included after the jump.

Straight from the press release:

VIKING FOOTBALL NAMES LEGI SUIAUNOA AS NEW DEFENSIVE LINE COACH

Legi Suiaunoa (LENG-ee SOW-uh-NO-uh) has been named the new defensive line coach at Portland State, replacing Inoke Breckterfield, who has left for a similar position at Montana. The addition of Suiaunoa completes new Head Coach Nigel Burton's staff.

Suiaunoa comes to the Vikings after spending the 2009 season as the defensive coordinator at Eastern Oregon. He ran the same 4-3 defense that Portland State will employ this coming season, and has also worked with it in past stops at Western Washington and Nevada.

"Legi brings experience as a defensive line coach in this system previously, but also as a coordinator in this system. He'll be able to offer a unique perspective since he has already coached it and coordinated it," said Burton.

"He has coached defensive line, linebackers and secondary. He has recruited up and down the west coast from San Diego to Los Angeles to Hawai'i to the state of Washington. Legi is a very valuable addition to this staff."

Suiaunoa has eight years of coaching experience following a playing career as a linebacker at the University of Nevada. Prior to working at EOU, he was a defensive line coach at Western Washington for four seasons. Suiaunoa was a graduate assistant at Nevada in 2004 after spending his first two years coaching linebackers at Palomar Junior College.

A native of Oceanside, CA, Suiaunoa won a junior college national championship in 1997 while playing at Palomar. He went on to compete at Nevada from 1998-2001. Suiaunoa earned a degree in General Studies Administration in 2002.

THE LEGI SUIAUNOA FILE
(LENG-ee SOW-uh-NO-uh)

Hometown: Oceanside, CA
Alma Mater: Nevada, 2002, General Studies Administration
Playing Career: Palomar JC, 1997, Nevada, 1998-2001, linebacker
Date of Birth: November 21, 1978
Family: Wife, Rose; first child due any day

COACHING EXPERIENCE
2009 Eastern Oregon, Defensive Coordinator
2005-08 Western Washington, Defensive Line
2004 Nevada, Graduate Assistant
2002-03 Palomar JC, Linebackers

2010 VIKING COACHING STAFF

HEAD COACH: Nigel Burton, Washington, ‘99, 1st year
SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR/ASSISTANT HEAD COACH: Bob Simmons, Bowling Green, ‘71, 1st year
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Eric Jackson, Eastern Michigan, ‘87, 1st year
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bruce Barnum, Eastern Washington, ‘87, 1st year
RUN GAME COORDINATOR: Dave Brown, Central Missouri State, ‘03, 1st year
DEFENSIVE LINE: Legi Suiaunoa, Nevada, ‘02, 1st year
LINEBACKERS: Ahmed Zarrugh, Oregon State, ‘07, 1st year
RUNNING BACKS/RECRUITING COORDINATOR: Kevin Emberton, Illinois State, ‘01, 4th year
OFFENSIVE LINE: Brad Davis, Oklahoma, ‘03, 2nd year
OFFENSIVE ASSISTANT/TIGHT ENDS: Steve Cooper, Portland State, ‘09, 2nd year
ASSISTANT DEFENSIVE LINE: Alvin Smith, Oregon State
--

Mike Lund
Assistant Athletics Director - Media Relations
Portland State University

Death reported at Olympic Games

2010-02-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

The opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics has not yet taken place, and the BBC reports there has already been a death at the games.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year old member of the Georgian luge team, died today during a training run at Whistler Sliding Centre in Vancouver, Canada. Apparently he crashed his sled during one of the turns and hit an unpadded steel pole.

The Olympic Games officially begin tonight, and competition in the men's luge is scheduled to begin tomorrow. Whether that schedule will be affected has not been determined.

Riding in style

2010-01-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

Feel like taking a quaint bike ride this Saturday? Why not join dozens of others at the Skidmore Fountain at 11 a.m. for the First annual Tweed Ride. The ten mile ride will have a few planned stops, including sipping tea, and ending with a picnic with your fellow riders. Lets just hope for some sun!

–Wendy Shortman

Portland Mercury to co-sponsor benefit concert for Haiti

2010-01-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

I think it goes without saying that we are all devasted by the recent event in Haiti. There have been many recent efforts internationally and nationally to bring help to the people of this country (despite some hateful words from some). Locally, there has also been a lot going on in the way of charity. One of my favorite, and recently announced events is being co-sponsored by the Portland Mercury:

"The Mercury is co-sponsoring a just-announced benefit show this Thursday, January 21. The show, co-produced by former Merc arts writer Stephen Marc Beaudoin, aims to raise upward of $25,000 for Mercy Corps' relief efforts in Haiti.

WHEN/WHERE: Thursday, January 21, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, Portland.
Call 503-234-9694 for more information. Tickets go on sale 10 am Tuesday, January 19
WHO: Featured artists include pianist Thomas Lauderdale (of Pink Martini), hip-hop artist Cool Nutz, Portland Cello Project, Grammy-nominated pianist Janice Scroggins, Oregon Symphony concertmaster Jun Iwasaki, singer-songwriter Holcombe Waller and the legendary Storm Large, among others.

TICKETS: $30, all seats (general admission). Call 503-234-9694 or go to aladdin-theater.com for more information — tickets go on sale 10 am Tuesday, January 19."

Not only is this line up amazing, but the money is going to a great cause. I would highly suggest sucking it up and forking over $30 for what promises to be a very enjoyable evening with a seriously powerful message.

A serious bummer

2010-01-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

2010 has claimed its first celebrity (though this time it's someone I'm actually sad about). As my friend Nick put it in a facebook post: "r.i.p. jay reatard. may you punch people out for unplugging your guitar in heaven." He and his music will be missed.

Here's his video for "It Ain't Gonna Save Me." This may be a somber day, but that's all the more reason to enjoy his awesomely upbeat music:

Lindsay Lohan continues to be a complete moron

2010-01-11T09:56:00.001-08:00

So apparently Lindsay Lohan filmed a documentary about human trafficking in India. I seriously thought this was a joke when I first heard about it, but apparently it actually happened. As proof of this, here's a lovely little snippet from the film. In this one minute video, we're treated to some of the most vapid and obvious observations on the state of human trafficking I have ever heard. Lind
You can thank the Superficial for the 200 brain cells you just lost watching that video.

Islands "No You Don't"

2010-01-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

I'm not really into Islands and Michael Cera is just kind of played out at this point, but this video is kind of entrtaining:

Viks earn twin honors

2009-12-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

Two Portland State Vikings have been selected today as Big Sky Basketball's Players of the Week.

Junior guard Kelly Marchant was selected as the women's basketball honoree, while senior guard Dominic Waters shares the men's basketball honors with Weber State's Damian Lillard.

Read more about Marchant and Waters after the jump.

From the press release on Marchant:

A local product from Oregon City High School, Marchant helped the Vikings go 2-0 last week with wins over UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. She averaged 18.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.0 spg, while shooting 59.1 percent from the field.

This is Marchant's first career player of the week award. A junior guard, she is averaging 12.4 ppg while shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range and 94.4 percent from the line, both of which lead the team.

From the press release on Waters:

Waters averaged 23.0 points and 8.5 assists as the Vikings defeated 25th-ranked Portland, 86-82, at the Chiles Center on Wednesday, then Eastern Washington, 98-75, at the Stott Center on Saturday.

Waters, from Portland's Grant High School, hit 14-22 shots from the field, 3-6 from three-point range and 15-15 at the line in the two wins. His Player of the Week honor is the second in his two seasons at Portland State.

Waters currently leads the Vikings in scoring (18.4) and assists (5.6). He is shooting .548 from the field, .556 from three-point range, and .944 at the line this year. Waters leads the Big Sky in assists, ranks second in free throw percentage and three-point percentage, and ranks third in scoring.

Does PSU football have a new head coach?

2009-12-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

The Portland Tribune is reporting that an announcement is expected tomorrow declaring Nigel Burton the new head coach of Portland State's football program.

Despite the Tribune's report, the Portland State Athletics Department remains tight-lipped on the decision. Director of Athletics Torre Chisholm called the report "premature" and said that, while nothing has been made official, Burton is among the top candidates to become the new leader of Vikings football.

Read more about Burton after the jump.

Burton, who served as Portland State's secondary coach and special teams coordinator in the 2001 and 2002 seasons under Tim Walsh, is currently in his second year as defensive coordinator for the Nevada Wolfpack. For the five years between his time with Portland State and Nevada, Burton coached the secondary at Oregon State and was named one of the best recruiters in the Pac-10 by rivals.com.

The 1999 graduate from the University of Washington was a three-year starter at safety for the Huskies, helped the team make three straight bowl game appearances and was a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic Team selection.

Portland State receives $3.9 million for computational science

2009-12-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

Donation for math and statistics department
by Virginia Vickery, Vanguard staff

Portland State President Wim Wiewel announced a $3.9 million investment for computational science in Portland State’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics from alumnus Fariborz Maseeh at an event this morning. Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Portland Mayor Sam Adams spoke at the event honoring Maseeh for the contribution made through his Massiah Foundation.

Adams thanked Maseeh and said, “The nation’s best urban university just got better.”

The department will be renamed the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The donation, which comes from Portland State's largest individual donor, will support upgrades in the department's facilities and will add three new faculty positions in computational science, five annual research fellowships, a lecture series and symposium, according to a university press release.

Maseeh previously made an $8 million gift to the College of Engineering and Computer Science, which was named in his honor. He has also been supporting scholarships and seminars at the Mathematics and Statistics Department for the past four years, according to the press release.

In addition to renaming the department, new faculty positions supported by his gift will be named the "Maseeh Distinguished Chair in Computational Mathematics" and the "Maseeh Professors in Computational Mathematics." The graduate research fellowships will be known as the "Eugene Enneking Fellows," after one of Maseeh's mentors at Portland State.

"With significant global competition facing us, now is the time to contribute to our educational institutions,” Maseeh said. “Investments fostering collaboration between academia and business will lead to useful and practical breakthroughs in the future.”

Computational scientists create computer simulations and data analysis tools that predict the behavior of extremely complex systems that shape everyday life, such as the atmosphere, oceans, tectonic plates, airplanes, freeways, cells and genes.

"Once again, Fariborz Maseeh is setting an example of excellence," Wiewel said. "His generosity shows the way to making [Portland State] the internationally competitive urban research university that Portland needs."

A first-generation American born in Iran, Maseeh received both his B.S. in structural engineering and M.S. in mathematics from Portland State, an M.S. in engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and has earned a doctorate of science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Maseeh founded, and later sold, one of the world's first and fastest-growing companies specializing in the custom design, development and manufacturing of tiny, micro-mechanical chips used in products ranging from cardiac pacemakers to aircraft landing gears. He serves on the advisory boards of a number of universities including Portland State, Michigan Institute of Technology, University of California Irvine and University of Southern California, according to the press release.

(Left) Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski (right) Portland Mayor Sam Adams.

TOP PHOTO: (Left to right) Kulongoski, Donor Dr. Fariborz Maseeh, President Wim Wiewel and Adams.

Photos courtesy of Rodrigo Melgarejo, Portland State Vanguard

For more information, visit: http://www.pdx.edu/insidepsu/

Yeasayer is creepy and weird and totally awesome with "Ambling Alp"

2009-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

So Yeasayer has an album coming out in February called Odd Blood, which is pretty cool but an awful long ways off. To tide you over till then though, the band has released "Ambling Alp," the first single off said album. You can download it for free here, but there’s also a video that is very worth checking out:

Yeasayer "Ambling Alp" from Team G on Vimeo.

The whole thing is pretty surreal. Mirror faced people fighting each other, naked folks running through the hills and some really beautiful shots of a guy beating the living hell out of a drum on top of some rocks. Definitly one of my favorites as of late.

Warning, there is some nudity so this one’s probably a little NSFW.

Vikings Volleyball: Battle Tested – Battle Ready

2009-11-28T19:40:00.000-08:00

by J. Logue, Vanguard staff

As the night begins to set in over Spokane, I can barely contain my excitement. While everyone walks around doing their holiday shopping, I know there is a battle that is about to take place right outside town.

Crossing paths with head coach Michael Seemann today, I could feel his intensity and it was clear he was ready to play. Speaking on last night, he noted how Montana brought an intensity that caught the Vikings off guard.
He also noted how they responded.

With a player from the Grizzlies literally sacrificing her finger in the initial stages of the match and her sub playing like she was possessed, Portland State dropped the second set and were put in a place they had yet to be in heading into the half.

Coming out of the locker room after the break the Vikings responded by matching Montana’s inspired play and showed why they deserve to be in the Championship game, something Seemann noted as a good indication of how good this team might be.

Talking to senior setter and league MVP Nique Fradella, that intensity was again resonated.

“Were excited to play. We didn’t really want one team over the other last night [in the Eastern Washington vs. Northern Colorado game] to win,” Fradella said. “Were ready to play [in the championship game] no matter what.”

And they will need to be.

Facing a Northern Colorado team that also had to handle adversity and went five sets against the home team, the Bears have the weapons across the net to not only matchup with Portland State but also to win.

So while I begin my trek to Reese stadium tonight, the Vikings will be preparing themselves for a match that will determine who is ready and who is just talking.

This time they hope to be confronted with something foreign. This time they want to be Big Sky champs.

Vikings Volleyball: One wish

2009-11-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

by J. Logue, Vanguard staff

After two thrilling games in Cheney, Wash., the dust has finally cleared and the teams have been decided for the championship game.

With both games going extra sets and the latter going five sets, Portland State and Northern Colorado have emerged as the top contenders for the Big Sky Tournament Championship and still have the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament.

Despite strong pushes in each match by their opponent, the Vikings and Bears were able to hold off their respective teams and grab the win in semi-convincing fashion.

Read more after the jump.

Taking little positives away from their game, the Vikings had trouble getting their offense going and turned in a lowly .138 hitting--their worst since playing Washington earlier this year. However, Portland State did perform like a playoff team and had inspired play on defense with 15 blocks on the night.

"I think we were shell-shocked for a little bit, said head coach Michael Seemann. "But we got contributions from Lindsey Steele once again and she got us out of a few holes. Whitney took some big swings when we needed it and I think our blocking also improved as the match went on and that was a big key for us."

With the championship game coming tonight, the Vikings should have there hands full with a Northern Colorado team that has bested them once already this year and possesses the players to match up with them across the net as well.

Taking a look at the numbers it’s easy to tell how the winning team will get it done tonight.

In there last two matches this season, the winning team has always hit above .200, while the losing team hit under .200. Even more telling is that the winning team both times has out dug the other making this final game more about the defensive end and less about the offensive--Portland State's calling card thus far.

One thing is for sure: With neither team able to rest on there past successes, both teams will be ready and equally as confident in their abilities against the other. In what should be the game of the season, you count on the winner being the one who outlasted the other, both physically and mentally.

Note: Coverage for tonight's game is again available at www.goviks.com in the Live Events tab on the home page.

Vikings Volleyball: Ready and Focused

2009-11-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

by J. Logue, Vanguard staff

With the first game of the conference tournament looming, the Vikings are keeping an even keel. Despite playing in front of what should be a mostly hostile crowd, the Portland State women's volleyball team appears to be ready for whatever the Big Sky Tournament has in store for them.

Considering the last two years, it’s hard to argue with them.

Playing in the Big Sky postseason in every year head coach Michael Seeman has been at the helm, the Vikings have enjoyed their time in the tournament.

Never finishing worse than second, and winning last year’s tournament championship, the Vikings have put up together an amazing 3 – 1 record--with their only loss coming to Sac State in the 2007 championship game.

What’s even more amazing and only adds to the significance of the numbers is the vastly different ways Seemann has gotten his teams there.

Looking at the numbers over the last two years, it doesn’t take much to notice the difference in the 2008 Vikings versus the squad from 2009.

Back in 2008, Portland State averaged 12.9 kills per set and 17.2 digs per set in what was clearly a mistake-free and defensive-minded team. In contrast, this year’s team averages 14.3 kills per set and 14.8 digs per set in what has turned into an offensive renaissance this year for them.

Despite all this, the Vikings continue to win and enjoy one of their best records in conference, going 14-2 against Big Sky competitors--proving that rather than rebuilding, Seemann simply remodels.

As Portland State heads into tonight’s matchup against the Bobcats, the Vikings look to continue their success over the last two years, taking their rightful place as one of the best teams in the land.

Note: Live stats and coverage of this weekend's tournament is available on www.goviks.com. Simply click the tab labeled LIVE EVENTS and sit back and enjoy the game.

One beat makes you larger and one beat makes you small

2009-11-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

The best part about Canadian rapper turned Portlander Josh Martinez is that he never takes himself too seriously. You can tell if you ever listen to his music or get the pleasure of talking to him that he's a silly dude who's having a lot of fun. In the new video for his song "Underground Pop," featuring Moka Only, the two hip-hoppers channel the late and great Hunter S. Thompson on a Fear and Loathing style trip. The video is directed by Stuey Kubrick, the lesser known and very reclusive nephew of Stanley Kubrick:

This song is pretty rad and the direction is decent, but it's Martinez's acting that completely steals the show. Who knew his legs were so bendy or his eyes so shifty?

Peter Broderick is still amazing and always will be

2009-11-24T17:41:00.001-08:00

A long time ago, Peter Broderick used to live in Portland and was a member of folk outfit Horse Feathers. Now, he's living in Europe, collaborating with some incredible musicians and producing his own solo work.

Broderick is one of those artists I will never tire of hearing and, recently, I came across this video for "Below It," a song off his 2008 album Home:

Peter Broderick Below It from Ralph Etter on Vimeo.

Thank you to Local Cut and Michael Mannheimer at Willamette Week for reminding me just how breathtakingly gorgeous Broderick's music is.

This week's "This Week..."

2009-11-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

The final edition of "This Week in Big Sky Football" is up and ready for your listening enjoyment.

Typically, as we've done in week's past, we would also have the weekly teleconference with the conference's football coaches and the media.

However, this week was unlike others for Portland State football. Why, you ask?

That's why.

Sports satire of the day

2009-11-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

From our friends at the Onion:

Improv comedy show tonight at the Brody Theater!

2009-11-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

by Wendy Shortman

The Corporate Headquarters Improv group performs every second Thursday of every month. This month, they will be introducing a new blend of improv comedy that will be even more predictable then before. Check out the Facebook event page here.

Here's a video of a previous performance. The clip is of a game where three bakers are in the process of baking while interpreting a fast-paced play list of popular songs. There's a bit of a slow start, but it does pick up around the 2:40 mark though when Outkast's "Hey Ya!" comes on. Now that's some funky bread:

Solange Knowles covering Dirty Projectors

2009-11-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

Holy crap. This sounded cool when I first read about it but, after listening to it, Solange's cover of "Stillness is the Move" may just be my new jam. Pitchfork has it here. This what they have to say about it:

"If Solange Knowles isn't sampling Boards of Canada or getting Jay-Z and Beyoncé into Grizzly Bear, she's jamming out to Dirty Projectors. She's been bumping DP so much, in fact, that she decided to go ahead and cover the Brooklyn band's Bitte Orca standout "Stillness Is the Move", which always sounded like a monster R&B track in disguise anyway."

Thanks Pitchfork (jeeze it was hard to type those words).

"This Week in Big Sky Football"

2009-11-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

Another installment of "This Week in Big Sky Football" is available for your listening pleasure. Guests this week are Idaho State coach John Zamberlin, Northern Arizona running back Alex Henderson and David Coulson, executive director of FCS Football for the Sports Network.

The weekly conference call with members of the media and Portland State head coach Jerry Glanville is also up.

Enjoy!

Eco-art happenings this week in Portland

2009-11-09T21:59:00.000-08:00

by Bianca Blankenship

As part of National Sustainability Education Week, some events are being held on and off campus this week that should be fun.

This Wednesday at Ivy School in northeast, you can take a West African dance class from 6-7:30 pm and/or a West African drum class from 7:30-9 pm. The dance class asks for a suggested donation of $10-15 and the drum class asks for $15.

If you're not feeling the African rhythms, you can head out Thursday to Bagdad Theater and Pub where the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival is happening at 7 pm. Doors open at 5:30, tickets are $8, and the event is 21+. Check out the trailer below:

PSU hockey: Live blogging to earn our keep

2009-11-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we here at the Vanguard are forced to earn our cheap plastic media credentials by doing some crazy thing called reporting. Personally, I find it rather presumptuous and demanding, but I really like the pass. It's shiny, and I'm easily amused.

So, tonight we're at the Valley Ice Arena in Beaverton, bringing you, our dear readers, a live-blog glimpse of the second in a two-game series between the Portland State hockey club and the team from the University of Oregon.

Last night's match-up ended in favor of the Ducks, who ran away with the game early with a 5-2 lead after two periods. Halfway into the third, two PSU goals in under a minute made it an interesting 5-4 game, but the Viks couldn't get the puck into the net to tie it up and Oregon skated off the ice with a 6-4 win after an empty-net goal with 10 seconds left.

Read more after the jump!

Pre-game

I can't say enough about how these games differ from the traditional (read: sponsored by the Athletics Department) sports. The hockey club doesn't have a staff to keep stats, or do any of the various other behind-the-scenes tasks.

The players themselves haul their own gear around, and they have volunteers and parents to help keep stats, run the scoreboard and do the announcing. There's a sense of community here. This is how sporting events should be!

I was just informed they do not sell alcohol here. I retract my above statement.

1st Period

5:06, Tied 0-0
It looks like last night's loss lit a fire under the collective ass of the Portland State squad. As soon as the puck hit the ice, they have come out with strong, physical play. A PSU major penalty for what I'll call "punching an opposing team's player in the back of the head" negates an early power play.

12:47, 1-0 Oregon
Oregon strikes first. Derek Wolfson scores unassisted on a 5-on-4 power play.

15:24
The Ducks are keeping pressure on Portland State goalie Ryan Stanchfield. Two intense, diving saves by Stanchfield keep a barrage of Oregon shots from increasing the lead.

17:02
I love this game. Oregon's Erik Brody completely misses a board check behind the PSU net. As Brody approaches to make the hit, the Portland State skater slides out of the way, leaving Brody to eat the boards all by himself. He slams into the boards, bounces back and falls flat on the ice. Great skating Brody.

End of the 2nd period, 1-0 Oregon

2nd Period

6:41, 2-0 Oregon
Oregon's Kevin Trihey grabs a rebound and slips the puck past Stanchfield for the Ducks' second goal. My fingers are getting cold.

8:47
This game is getting Physical, with a capital-P for Punching.

9:53
Portland State's Tucker Dougherty makes a great deke move to glide past the Oregon defense, but can't get the angle on the net. He wraps around the back of the net, but the Ducks' defenders break up the play before it can develop.

10:08
PSU is called for "roughing," but the call could just as well have been "slamming into the goalie after the whistle." I disagree with this. I think it's the goalies fault he didn't get out of the way.

11:56, 3-0 Oregon
The Ducks do not heed the advice of Emilio Estevez and fail to use the Flying-V formation, but still get the puck past Stanchfield. In what I assume was his way of reminding the U of O squad to ALWAYS listen to coach Gordon Bombay, Stanchfield shoves the Oregon scorer when he goes to celebrate.

Side note: Wasn't the fat, black guy on SNL the fat, black kid in the Mighty Ducks?

16:18
Oregon goalie Wren Arbuthnot (who's parents apparently love bird watching) makes a save, but has the puck drop behind him. As the puck inches toward the net, he swipes it away from the red line to keep his shutout alive.

17:01, 4-0 Oregon
Stanchfield slips coming out of the crease when he goes to chase an approaching puck. The Ducks score on the empty-net opportunity.

17:52, 5-0 Oregon
Another Oregon goal. This game is starting to feel like a repeat of last night's. Oregon has the momentum and Portland State can't seem to set up any solid plays in the Ducks' zone.

End of the 2nd Period, 5-0 Oregon

3rd Period

4:32
Portland State came out strong in the third. Good open-ice hits and pressure on the puck are going to bring this game to life.

5:03, 5-1 Oregon
Portland State's Hunter Levengood wrists the puck past Arbuthnot to get the Vikings on the board.

7:43, 5-2 Oregon
Oregon's Erik Brody drops to the ice. I would explain why, but I didn't see it. I was too busy trying to thaw my hands. Portland State takes advantage of the moment and score. Emilio Estevez would not be happy.

Side note: It's surprising how much warmth you can feel coming off a laptop keyboard.

11:40
Portland State is on the power play and keeping the pressure on the Ducks' net. They don't appear to have any problem setting up plays now. PSU's Anthony Libonati takes a one-time shot, but it doesn't find the net.

13:47
Oregon goes on the power play again. Portland State's penalty kill is about to be tested.

14:24, 6-2 Oregon
Stanchfield stops four shots in less than 30 seconds, but the fifth bounces off his pads and Oregon's Tom Stocklin guides the puck around him, wristing it in the net.

17:56
The physical play in this game is beginning to make things interesting. Libonati is removed from the ice for a late-game roughing penalty.

18:16
And Portland State's Ryan Ellis is also escorted off the ice by the refs after a late-game whistle.

19:11
In front of the PSU net, Oregon's Justin LaCasse uses his fist to remind a Portland State defender that violence is the answer in hockey. The ref's whistle is apparently too cold to be used, and play resumes with no call made.

End of game, 6-2 Oregon

If anyone needs me, I'll be warming my hands by the burning, overturned cars in the parking lot after the impending riot breaks out.

Next stop: Soccer championship

2009-11-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

Call them hard working. Call them efficient. But whatever you do, call them the regular season conference champions.

That's the title the Portland State women's soccer team earned after closing the season out with a 4-1-2 conference record, and 10-6-3 overall. The Vikings continue into the postseason as conference champs for the second time in school history this weekend, when they will host the Big Sky Championship at PCC-Rock Creek.

The first semifinal match will feature Idaho State against Eastern Washington at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. The first-placed Vikings will then square off against fourth-seeded Northern Arizona at 4 p.m. in a rematch of last year's semifinal. In that meeting, Northern Arizona trumped the Viks with a 1-0 victory.

The winners of each semifinal will have a day to rest before facing off in the championship match on Sunday at 11:00 a.m., with the winner earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

This marks the third consecutive postseason appearance by the Vikings' soccer squad--a first in school history. In both 2007 and 2008, the Viks fell in the semifinals. The last time Portland State won the conference title was in 2004 with a record of 4-1-1. That year they lost to Weber State, 2-0, also in the semifinals.

Hockey Fight Friday

2009-10-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

We're going to keep this going. Why, you ask. Because we can, that's why.

This Week in Big Sky Football

2009-10-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

The weekly audio from the conference call with the media and Portland State football's head coach Jerry Glanville is up and ready for a listen.

Sacramento State's head coach starts off the file, and after Glanville is Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton.

Glanville, who's birthday was today, also appears on this week's edition of "This Week in Big Sky Football."

Joining him on the bill are Sacramento State offensive lineman Clint Lessard and David Coulson, executive director of FCS football for the Sports Network.

Enjoy, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JERRY! Can I call you Jerry? Coach? J.G.?

Thoughts on the Northern Colorado football game

2009-10-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

by Allison Whited, Vanguard staff

I'm going to continue my new tradition of providing personal commentary about the week's football game in a very relaxed way. I apologize for missing last week, but it was a hectic weekend with family coming in.

At the two practices I was able to attend this week, there was a different tone than that of weeks past. It was as if everyone had a chip on his shoulder, which I suppose they really should.

Offensive coordinator Jim Craft was ripping into his guys for a variety of reasons, mostly I think, because of some poor execution and failed follow-through.

One of the more interesting things I saw was a skirmish between receiver Ray Fry and defensive back Daniel Kinney. Fry was angry about a hit Kinney put on a receiver along the sidelines, and he definitely let Kinney know about it.

In the end, they had to be separated and I noticed Fry missing from practice the next day.

Click below to read more after the jump

I didn't notice anything new at practice, but there did seem to be an emphasis on execution. If something wasn't done properly, it seemed like it was repeated until it was—and then it was done again. I was glad to see this, because it is symbolic of how I feel about the team: All the talent is there, but the job doesn't get done.

Injuries are going to hurt the team this week. Without linebacker Erik Pedersen, someone is going to have to deliver in a big way. I think Jermaine Jacobs could have a big day, especially against a flimsy Colorado offensive line that has given up 16 sacks in their five games —the most in the Big Sky.

Northern Colorado doesn't have much of a running game, but Sac State didn't either and they gained 142 yards. On this week's conference call with the media, Glanville repeatedly said how much he likes what Bears quarterback Bryan Waggener is doing. He's almost to 1,000 yards on the season.

I found it amusing that, during the call, Glanville stated he was glad Waggener wouldn't be able to play next year, since he’s exhausted his eligibility.

The Viks and the Bears are on fairly even footing in the conference. They are within one place of one another in conference statistics in the following categories: kickoff returns, field goals, interceptions, scoring defense, rushing offense and both third and first down conversions.

The teams also enter with the same records of 1-4, both 0-3 in Big Sky games, and have identical turnover margins with eight takeaways and eight giveaways.

The one thing they differ greatly on is passing offense versus passing defense. Portland State has the top-ranked passing offense in the conference, and is second in the nation. Meanwhile, Colorado has the conference's top-ranked pass defense. When it comes down to it, I think the Portland State offense will come out on top.

To me this game has an atmosphere of desperation surrounding it. The game is the halfway point for the season, and both teams need a win now to keep their season together. A loss here will surely be difficult to recover from.

Hockey Fight Friday

2009-10-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes weekends just need a good kick-start to get them going. Other times, they need vintage footage of one of the best parts of hockey--the fights.

So, to help start your weekend off with a BANG, POW and a KA-BLAM-O, here's a classic brawl from the 1989 NHL playoffs between goalie Ron Hextall and Chris Chelios.

And remember kids, goalies are to be feared! There is something inherently wrong with a person that allows others to shoot hard rubber pucks at them for 60 minutes.

"This Week in Big Sky Football" and coaches conference call podcast, Oct. 7

2009-10-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

The weekly conference call with Portland State football's head coach Jerry Glanville is available. This week he's the third coach on the podcast after the head's of Eastern Washington and Sacramento State.

The newest installment of "This Week in Big Sky Football" is also up. The guests this week are Northern Arizona's coach Jerome Souers, Montana State safety Kevin Retoriano and David Coulson, the executive director for the Sports Network.

Enjoy!

Deep house with SNL

2009-10-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Everything about this video feels kind of wrong but so, so right at the same time:

Anna Ternheim at the Doug Fir

2009-10-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

Swedish musician Anna Ternheim played the Doug Fir this past weekend to an eager crowd, instilling a sense of quiet reverence from her audience. Her delicate voice, coupled with a solid backing band comprised of members from Loney, Dear, balanced out into sheer perfection as Ternheim crooned into the dimly lit venue.
Her third studio album, Leaving On Mayday was released on Aug. 11 and showcases her talent not only as a musician and singer, but also as a lyricist. On “Damaged Ones,” she painfully draws out the lines “what keeps you from moving / are you afraid to be loved? / See how my hands shake / I was raised on it like a drug.”
Her expressive voice tugs at your heart, compelling the listener to stay riveted to the sound of her voice sings out over intricate baselines, delicate string parts and atmospheric percussion.

Lenny Kravitz made cooler with the power of Justice

2009-10-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

So this is kind of cool. I'm not a huge fan of Lenn Kravitz and his work, but Justice seems to have jazzed this song up enough to make it more interesting. The video is pretty funny too Reminds me a little of Twin Peaks meets West Side Story. I couldn't embed the video, but you can find it here.

The hots for Romero

2009-10-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

Forget about Zombieland. I'm excited for the Crazies. A remake of Romero's original 1973 flick, it takes several of my favorite things (infectious diseases, violence and zombie-like creatures) and wraps them all up into a bloody, messy package. The writing will probably be less than amazing (we can't all be 28 Days Later, now can we?), but man the trailer looks creepy:

Introducing Gwen the homeless doll

2009-10-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

That’s right. In a move of art, er, toys, imitating life, Mattel has released it’s newest doll, Gwen Thompson, a homeless doll. I knew times in America were hard on a lot of folks, but now dolls too!

According to the book that comes with Gwen, her father lost his job and then left the family. Eventually Gwen and her mom were unfortunately evicted, and now have to sleep in a car.

I suppose this is a good thing. Since homeless populations are on the rise in the country, and unemployment hitting all-time highs, there should be a doll that speaks to the homeless children of our nation. Oh, wait … the Gwen Thompson homeless doll cost $95! I guess then, Gwen is a great tool for educating rich kids about those folks they see on the street, as they ride by in their stretched limos.

Hey, if rich kids can afford to buy a homeless doll, why not take it a step further, and just rent a homeless person to play with until they get tired of it.

Live blogging: PSU hosting Sacramento State

2009-10-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

It's an October afternoon at PGE Park and we are ready to see some college football. The crowd is bundled up and--well, sparse to say the lease. But that--and the fact that we here at the sports desk maintain the Internet is a fad--aside, I'm going to try and give live blogging the game a shot.

As we get ready for the coin toss and kickoff, I'll provide a little background. Portland State, 1-3 on the season and 1-1 at home, is coming off a disappointing last-minute loss against Weber State, and Sacramento State, 0-3, is still looking for their first win this year.

Coin flip:
Portland State wins and elects to receive.

More after the jump.

1st Quarter-12:10
Sacramento State held the Vikings' first drive to a 3-and-out. PSU's Thomas Duyndam punts it to the Hornets, who get a holding on the return. Hooray for penalties by the opposing team!

1st Quarter-11:00
The Portland State defense is having trouble stopping the Hornets, who are steadily moving the ball down the field. On 1st-and-10 Sacramento State keeps it on the ground to take it to the Viks' 21 yard-line.

1st Quarter-8:57
The Hornets strike first!

At the PSU 15 yard line, Hornets' quarterback Jason Smith passes to receiver Brett Willis in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown. The point after kick is good. Hornets 7, Vikings 0.

1st Quarter-4:35
It looks like that touchdown woke up the Viks offense. Since the kickoff they are moving the ball down-field with a decent mix of ground attacks and passing. Receiver Lavonte Kirven snags a couple of 20-ish yard passes during the drive.

PSU has the ball at the Hornets' 20, but is held to 4th-and-3. Zach Brown's 36-yard field goal is up...high and dead-center. It's good! Hornets 7, Viks 3.

1st Quarter-2:35
Sacramento State keeps trying the deep attack, but PSU's secondary holds strong. The Hornets are forced to punt.

1st Quarter-1:47
PSU quarterback Drew Hubel splits the secondary with a 44-yard pass to Kirven. First-and-10 at the Hornets' 37.

Hubel tosses to Kirven in between the hash marks, and after a rolling, tumbling and bumbling the ball he somehow comes up with the catch. Where are video crews when you need 'em? That would have made a highlight reel.

End of First Quarter

2nd Quarter-14:04
The Vikings are held to 4th-and-10 and turn to Brown for the 38-yard field goal attempt--it's up, and good. Hornets 7, Vikings 6.

2nd Quarter-10:01
Portland State holds Sacramento to 4th-and-10 at their 39-yard line, forcing the punt. Woods returns it to around midfield, but two offsetting penalties bring about a re-kick. Mulligan anyone?

Hubel's pair of 10-plus passes in a row bring the ball to midfield.

2nd Quarter-9:47
A Portland State tight end gets a reception. The press booth is stunned!

2nd Quarter-8:05
After the encouraging mix of play calling that brought the tight end into the game, the Viks are forced to punt. A bouncer takes the ball down to Sacramento State's 8-yard line.

2nd Quarter-4:05
Portland State can't seem to stop the Hornets. Runs up the middle and passes to the outside are keeping the Viks from stopping the chains.

2nd Quarter-3:17
I eat my words. The Viks defensive line holds two on fourth down. Turnover on downs at the Portland State 35-yard line.

2nd Quarter-2:47
As Hubel said last week, the Viks are shooting themselves in the foot once again. A long pass attempt by Hubel is picked off by the Hornets, who takes the ball down to midfield.

2nd Quarter-0:57
Hornets have the ball in the red zone and strike in the back corner of the end zone...again. Touchdown Hornets. After the point-after the Hornets now lead 14-6. Somebody buy the Vikings' secondary an alarm clock--they need to wake up.

End of First Half
Hornets 14, Vikings 6.

In the first half, the Viks have chalked up 168 yards of total offense, and the Hornets earned 163. Hubel has completed 13 of his 20 pass attempts and has thrown one interception. Kirven leads receiving with seven caches for 123 yards.

3rd Quarter-11:22
The Hornets get the ball at the start of the half and quickly storm down-field. After 8 plays, they cover 80 yards and top it off with a five-yard touchdown reception. Hornets 21, Vikings 6.

3rd Quarter-10:12
Portland State fails to move the ball and punts. The Hornets take the ball at their 28-yard line.

3rd Quarter-9:02
The Vikings' defense must have had some coffee during half-time. They hold the Hornets to a three-and-out, forcing a punt. Woods breaks loose on the return and brings the ball to midfield. Portland State has momentum.

3rd Quarter-6:33
A reception by Nevin Lewis gives Portland State the first down, but they fail to move the ball in the three consecutive downs and punt the ball.

3rd Quarter-5:20
Sacramento State wastes no time in moving the ball down the field. For the first time in my life, I hear a referee say "Simultaneous catch."

3rd Quarter-2:49
A pair of receptions brings Portland State around the 30-yard line.

3rd Quarter-2:35
Vikings' running back takes a pass inside Sacramento State's 20-yard line, and fumbles when he's hit on the tackle. Portland State has seen no lucky breaks go their way this game.

End of Third Quarter
Hornets 28, Vikings 6

Fourth Quarter-13:38
The Vikings' defense hold up and forces the punt. Hubel's pass to Woods on the right side brings the ball out to Portland State's 38-yard line. On a third-and-three attempt Hubel tosses to Kirven for a 20-yard reception. First-and-ten inside Hornets territory.

Fourth Quarter-12:17
And the Vikings' momentum stops.

Held on third-and-long, the Viks punt. But someone needs to remind the punter that putting the ball through the uprights on a punt attempt does NOT count for points. Hornets' ball on their 20-yard line.

Fourth Quarter-8:17
The game continues it's back-and-forth action as Sacramento State punts. The Vikings take the ball at their 18-yard line.

Fourth Quarter-8:09
Hubel's pass is picked off at the 33-yard line. Once again, Sacramento State has the ball. While the Hornets have the ball in the red zone, it might be good to note that Portland State has not scored since the second quarter.

Fourth Quarter-5:44
Sacramento State boots a 27-yard field goal. Hornets 31, Vikings 6.

Fourth Quarter-3:00
Portland State scores their first touchdown of the game off a 22-yard touchdown pass from Hubel to receiver Nevin Lewis. The only way to make that catch look any better would involve a DeLorean and Doc Brown.

Fourth Quarter-1:29
After an unsuccessful onside kick, Portland State's defense held the Hornets, who held the Vikings, who then punted the ball. I think it's safe to say we are out of this game.

End of Game
Final score is Sacramento State 31, Portland State 14.

Public Service Announcement: Demon's Souls

2009-10-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Attention:

North American servers for Demon's Souls will not be up and running until October 6th. So, if you happen to get a copy of the game early, you will not be able to start playing online until launch day. After that it should be fine, however.

The good folks at Atlus just wanted you all to know; that is all.

Weekly media call and "This Week in Big Sky Football"

2009-09-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, it's that time of the week!

Audio from the conference call with Portland State football's head coach Jerry Glanville is up. The file starts off with the end of Eastern Washington's Beau Baldwin taking questions, but then includes the head coach from this Saturday's game--Sacramento State's Marhsall Sperbeck--before Glanville fields questions.

Guests on "This Week in Big Sky Football" include Sperbeck, Idaho State wide receiver Jaron Taylor and David Coulson, executive director of FCS football for the Sports Network.

Enjoy.

Viking recognized nationally

2009-09-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Portland State wide reciever and kick returner Aaron Woods was named as both the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week and the Sports Network's National Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Saturday's game against Weber State.

The press release says it best:

Woods returned five kickoffs for 202 yards and a 97-yard touchdown to keep Portland State close in its 36-29 loss to No. 11-ranked Weber State at home. His kickoff return for a touchdown helped the Vikings climb back from a 28-10 deficit late in the third quarter. Woods had five catches for 128 and two TDs, his second scoring catch on a 15-yard pass from quarterback Drew Hubel gave the Vikings the lead with 1:15 remaining.

Woods finished with 330 all-purpose yards. Woods leads the Big Sky Conference with an average of 192.8 all-purpose yards per game, ranking third in the nation in that category. This season, Woods has jumped all the way from 10th to second in career kickoff return yards (1,387) at Portland State. Woods set a school single-season record with 908 kickoff return yards last year.
Mike Lund
Assistant Athletics Director
Portland State University

It Came Down to One Play

2009-09-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Vikings fall to Weber State, 29-36
by Allison Whited, Vanguard Staff

Sad. Deflated. Empty. All of these describe the looks on the faces of the football team after the game Saturday against the Weber State Wildcats.

They should have been proud. They lost by only a single touchdown to last year's conference title holder. They kept running back Trevyn Smith, the conference's current rushing leader, to 30 yards when he came in averaging 115.7 yards per game. They played well after the Montana game, something they have struggled with historically.

Head coach Jerry Glanville said it all after the game: “No comments, just disappointment.”

So what happened?

As the clock wound down to 1:12 in the fourth quarter, the Vikings were ahead by one point, 29-28. Less than twenty minutes before the Vikings had been down 10-28. It had been a scrappy comeback, with special teams, defense, and offense scoring to edge out the Wildcats by that one single point.

All day, Wildcat quarterback Cameron Higgins had been picking on the left side of the secondary. Glanville had originally lined up cornerback DeShawn Shead, who is almost always lined up on the right side of the field, against receiver Tim Toone, but, as Glanville put it, “he kept getting into trouble.”

When Shead couldn't answer the call, Glanville put him back on the right where he's comfortable and called Tracy Ford's number to replace him. According to quarterback Drew Hubel, Ford is a team leader who practices more than anyone else on the team and is heavily laden with heart and soul.

When the Wildcats began their run that would eventually lead to a victory, they did what the defending champs would do. In six plays and 47 seconds, they drove from their own 16 to the Portland State 38, aided by a Vikings' pass interference penalty.

After a Viking timeout, Higgins hit Toone in the end zone for a touchdown. That pass looked like a pick to everyone; Ford jumped up to the ball, was in perfect position, and somehow, someway, the ball sailed through his hands.

“I thought we had a pick,” said Glanville.

Even the Wildcat head coach and quarterback thought it was an interception.

With 55 seconds left in the game, the Vikings were emotionally and physically done. The game ended on an incomplete pass to Aaron Woods.

In a game with so many positives, including Hubel going 17 of 26 for 353 yards and two touchdowns, Ray Fry tearing it up for 196 receiving yards, and freshman fullback Ben Bowen rushing for 100 yards and garnering a gaudy 6.7 yards per rush average, the only thing Glanville's men will be thinking about today is that last play.

Like Hubel said after the game, it shouldn't have come down to that one play to win the game. Bowen had fumbled on the goal line and lost possession. Kicker Zach Brown missed two field goals. The team was penalized ten times for a total of 104 yards. Adjust just a few things, and that's the game.

But sometimes it does come down to just one play. It's a lesson that the Vikings and the Wildcats would do well to learn.

Game Thought About Weber State

2009-09-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

by Allison Whited, Vanguard Staff

Not that my opinion means much, but from now on, before Saturday's football game, I'm going to write a brief article about how I think the game is going to play out. I will provide some analysis of the opponent and mention what I think will be the key aspects of a Viking victory.

This week's opponent is Weber State. They shared the conference title with Montana last year, so this game is a biggie. In his media call this week, coach Glanville sounded a little bitter about this week's match up. He again and again reiterated that the Vikings have never played well in the game following last week's opponent Montana. Traditionally, the schedule has seen Glanville's men face Montana State after Montana, so this year Glanville asked for a change. This adjustment to the schedule leaves Portland State playing the two conference title holders from last year in consecutive weeks. Ouch.

Weber State has a record of 1-2 with their sole win coming over Big Sky competitor Idaho State. They entered the season with the league's top returning rusher, passer, and receiver.

Opponent Analysis

It will be all eyes on No. 25, running back Trevyn Smith. He is currently fifth on the Big Sky Conference's all-time leading rushers board. He needs just 110 yards tomorrow to move into third. He enters the game averaging 115.7 yards per game. He has also racked up 117 receiving yards so far.

Receiver Tim Toone will be quarterback Cameron Higgins's main target, but I would look for Cody Nakamura to have a good day. He has only 79 receiving yards less than Toone's 263, but twice as many touchdowns. I believe he will have to step up because the Viking secondary is going to put the squeeze on Toone.

The Wildcat defense doesn't strike me as overly stiff. They give up 373 yards of offense per game, and have only registered five sacks on the season. Their strong man on defense, at least statistically, is middle linebacker Taylor Sedillo who has 24 total tackles on the season. That's a respectable, but not mind blowing, 8 per game average, and he has not had a game in which he made more than 10 tackles.

Their secondary also seems a little thin with only three interceptions.

Viking Analysis

Enough can't be said about run defense in this game. If you take away Smith, there is no Wildcat running game. The next leading Weber State rusher is Bo Bolen who has had ten carries for a net 35 yards on the season. The run defense did look good at practice this week, I have to say.

Taking away the run would also force the Wildcats to the air where Higgins does make mistakes; he has thrown seven picks. I've said it many times, but I really like the Viking secondary. It is steady and has big play ability on every snap.

Offensively, the Vikings need to just play their game. Weber State allows an average of 221.7 yards through the air and 151.3 rushing yards per game. I don't want to say specifically what I saw the offense doing this week at practice, but I will say I don't like it. If you have a quarterback you can trust, and I think Hubel is certainly trustworthy, I say take the training wheels off and do it often.

The offensive line will stay strong, despite Moses Punzal's absence and Adam Kleffner's undetermined status. Kyle Ritt did a good job filling in this week, but Manual Rojas missed some stuff and was chastised on a couple of occasions. Lucky for them, the Wildcats don't appear, at least numerically, to have a severe pass rush.

In the End...

For the Vikings to win, they have to play perfect football, something they have not as of yet showed an ability to do. I'm more hopeful than Glanville seemed this week during the media call, but, at the end of the day, it will probably go the Wildcats. Their offense has all three parts working together like a machine.

Tonight's the night...at the Stott

2009-09-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

As a part of new student week, Campus Rec is hosting their annual Night at the Stott event this evening from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The event is free and features a shrimp boil as well as a laundry list of activities, including rock climbing, personal training, yoga, basketball and soccer.

As part of the fun, the aquatics program is sponsoring a "Dive in Movie," where they will project Yes Man on the two-story wall of the pool.

So, bring your Speedo and feed your Zooey Deschanel addiction while getting your swim on.

Summer Game Awards

2009-09-24T15:10:00.000-07:00

Now that Summer is drawing to a close and the Fall season of games is practically upon us, it's a good time to look back on the last few months and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. But please note: these are not the ‘best of summer’ game awards, nor are they the worst. Think of them as more of a smattering of lesser known and not-so-lesser known releases that all won (or in some cases, won by losing) various awards of my choosing.

So, without further ado, let’s get this show on the road.

Best game destined to fade into obscurity:

Knights in the Nightmare
Atlus
Nintendo DS
4 out of 5 stars

Only Atlus could bring a game like Knights in the Nightmare stateside. The concept almost sounds like parody mish-mash of everything that screams hardcore Japanese—take the stat-based complexities of a strat-RPG, throw them in a real-time setting (sorta) and add a hefty dose of touch screen schmup action (no, I’m not joking) and you’ve got the basic genetic makeup of Knights.

See the little blue thing? You have to keep those bullets from hitting it. And that's an easy monster.
You play a wisp that’s been awakened to revive the dead spirits of knights from a fallen kingdom. In battle, your royal army of shades is controlled by the wisp, who issues orders to the knights by zipping around the screen, arming them with weapons, collecting gems (which refill your character’s MPs) and—wait for it—dodging projectile bullets from monsters. Despite its seemingly at-odds genre amalgamations, though, Knights works rather well. Recruiting the souls of dead knights to join your army is fun, the job classes interesting and the gameplay experience is pretty much unlike anything else out there. It's so niche, in fact, that it’s probably already passed from store shelves into the gloom of a withering retail dusk. If you’re looking for something very unique, Knights is definitely worth tracking down.

Worst reboot:

King of Fighters XII
Ignition Entertainment
PS3, Xbox 360
3 out of 5 stars

Some people may argue with me when I say that King of Fighters XII is the worst retooling of a series to hit stores this summer (especially given the hype it received). That’s fair. At its core, there’s solid design behind KoF XII. Characters contrast and complement each other, the three-on-three bouts and fighting mechanics work well, the game doesn’t resort to being too cheap and the difficulty is balanced. But that’s not the real problem. See, KoF XII is one of those rare cases where less actually is less (as opposed to being more). To put it more bluntly, the game only has a single arcade mode, and it’s entirely bereft of any kind of story or variation.

Sure, KoF XII is pretty, but...well, that's almost everything it has going for it.
Arcade mode is, in fact, nothing more than a time trial; pick your three favorite fighters (from a sadly diminished roster—seriously, where the fuck is Mai?), fight five timed bouts and, uhm, compare your scores. There’s no resolution, other than an HD cutscene telling you that you’ve won. No boss. Nothing. Outside of arcade mode, there’s you can play multiplayer matches head-to-head or online, leaving you with a game you can wholly experience in ten minutes. I’d advise waiting for the bargain bin. It might be a fine fighter at its base, but for what you get, KoF XII is just a disappointment. Pick up Blazblue instead.

Best Superhero game that isn’t Batman:

InFamous
SCEA
PS3
4.5 out of 5 stars

The genre of original superhero titles may not exactly be spilling over with a constant influx of new games, but the InFamous Vs. Prototype debate brought the concept to the fore this summer, before Bats wowed us all with the deliciously dark Arkham Asylum. And as much as I (surprisingly) enjoyed the hell out of Alex Mercer’s uber violent, nonsensical rampage through Manhattan, InFamous edges Prototype out with superior design, art direction and one hell of a polish. As Cole, an ordinary courier imbued with lightening powers after a bomb detonates in the center of Empire City. After a government quarantine kicks in, you have the option to either use your powers for good or evil. What ensues are a lot of superpowered shenanigans, double crosses, twists, etc.

The draw distance isn't even remotely close to the most impressive thing about InFamous.

The GTA-style open world works well for the game, but where InFamous really shines is in its fluid platforming and animation. The frequent combat is great, as well, but there’s just as much of an emphasis on clambering up buildings and across areas as there is with pumping your enemies with electricity. And did I mention this game is gorgeous? The only downside to InFamous is that it seems clearly geared towards playing as a good guy, since Cole’s motivations for being evil, should you choose to do so, are slim to none. Sucker Punch’s PS3 debut has been long awaited, but it was well worth it—this is one of PS3’s best.

Worst movie-tie in:

Up
THQ
PS3, Xbox 360
2.5 out of 5 stars

Movie tie-in games are almost always bad. Really bad. For some reason, I thought that Up might not be. I guess I had been thinking about the overwhelming pathos of the film, and how cool it could have been if it had been translated into game format. Think about it. How great would it be to have played as Carl in the opening stage, simply sitting on a park bench, or walking contemplatively along a deserted waterfront thinking of his recently departed wife Ellie? Rendered with something akin to Capcom’s MT Framework engine, which brought us the likes of Dead Rising and Lost Planet? I don’t have to tell you how awesome it would’ve been. Instead we get an opening fighter plane level with Dug trying to shoot down Charles Muntz’ evil henchdogs in something a PS2 might have rendered if it crapped all over itself.

Don't expect THQ's Up game to look anything like this.

Then we’re forced to a plodding, forced co-op (and worst of all, boring) platformer with poorly programmed enemies and the like. I know this is supposed to be for kids, but even kids like to have fun. While there technically isn’t anything wrong with the gameplay, it’s too ho-hum to be anything more than utterly forgettable. Not even pretty significant involvement of the cast can save this one from the dredges of mediocrity, and quite frankly, Christopher Plummer, you should fuckin’ know better. Pass.

Best “able to live up to the hype” game:

Ghostbusters
Atari
PS3, Xbox 360
4.5 out of 5 stars

This is a no brainer. After almost (possibly) never seeing the light of day, Ghostbusters clawed its way to the top of heap to become one of the best games of the summer, and certainly the best movie tie-in without an actual film behind it. Basically Ghostbusters is the third film in the series, just minus the celluloid, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. Taking place two years after Ghostbusters II (that’s 1991 for all you kids keeping track) Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis co-wrote a stellar script with enough scares (inasmuch as the films have scares, which is to say none), laughs, familiar faces and science jargon for any self-respecting ‘Busters fan to keep ‘em from rioting in the streets, which very well might’ve happened had the game sucked.

Aykroyd and Ramis pulled out all the stops to make Ghostbusters an entertaining experience.

Surprisingly, you don’t even play one of the original four—rather instead a rookie the boys hired to essentially do their dirty work and test new proton pack modifications. Missions generally involve splitting off and teaming with one or two of the crew at a time; “Lassoing” spooks into ghost traps is a surprising amount of fun, and even when you’re using one of Egon’s new proton pack toys, a lot of which have different gun-style effects, the classic Ghostbusters tone and feel never goes away. In short, this is about as close to being as Ghostbuster as you’ll ever get. Oddly, despite Bill Murray’s insistence on only doing the game if everyone had an equal part, Venkman’s part in the game seems somewhat limited, which is a goddamn shame (since Bill Murray is in fact a god among men). Still, the anticipation had been building so much for Ghostbusters that it could have ended up a total disaster. Thankfully, it didn’t.

Best use of Tokyo:

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Atlus
Nintendo DS
4.5 out of 5 stars

Ahh, Tokyo. Next to New York and, uhm, Neo-Tokyo (or some approximation thereof) it’s probably the town most often used in games as a site for plague, famine, nuclear war, post-apocalypitca and of course, demons. Devil Survivor, unlike most MegaTen games, is set inside central Tokyo, or more specifically within the Yamanote line circle that encloses the area. Basically, if you’ve ever been to the Tokyo, the gang of COMP-packing teens you play is going to be running around in all the hip places you’ve likely spent time in, from Shinjuku to Roppongi. Only there’s a cataclysmic event that’s going to happen in a number of days, everyone’s walking around with a death clock and there are demons everywhere.

That's Omotesando in the background, in case you were wondering.

In the gameplay department, Devil Survivor takes a different tack than Persona or Digital Devil Saga, (though it’s closer to the former) by acting as a strat-RPG more than anything else. Battles are set up in a fashion similar to Front Mission, meaning you move your units (consisting of a demon handler and up to two demons in their possession) and enter old-school Persona-style battles upon enemy contact, rather than simply trading blows a la Final Fantasy Tactics (additionally this means health items and special summoned demon abilities can be used outside of skirmishes). Like any Atlus game, it’s challenging, the art style is great but you’ll have to grind a lot. The story, characterizations and localization are, as usual, up to Atlus' extremely high standards, however. And who doesn’t like saying, “Hey, I’ve been there,” when they’re playing a game?

Best idea that didn’t quite come together:

Cross Edge
NIS America
PS3
2 out of 5 stars

Cross Edge seems like it started out as a good idea. It has characters from Disgaea (Prinnies!) and Darkstalkers, as well as the, uhm, more obscure Ar Tonelico, Mana Khemia and Spectral Souls games. All mished mashed together, like an ultra-hardcore-niche version of Namco X Capcom (whose import-only status should tell of its own decidedly less-than-mainstream appeal). Still, for fans of these RPG (and…fighting?) series, seeing your favorite characters join forces together should be exciting. Right? Maybe. But then you start playing. What might tip you off first is that despite being HD as hell, Cross Edge looks like a damn PS2 game. The sprites are tiny and don’t show much movement. Even the character portraits aren’t terribly exciting, with only one major expression to each character. The story revolves around everyone from their respective universes getting amnesia and ending up in a magical realm where there’s an evil force trying to destroy all existence. In any case, you’ve heard it all before.

What a fucking nightmare.

Then the battles start. Oh, lord, the battles. Cross Edge has, without a doubt, one of the worst battle systems of any RPG I’ve played. And I’ve played a lot of RPGS. It’s kind of like a four-ally quasi-real-time system similar to Valkyrie Profile or Xenogears, on a broad level. But then the nitty gritty basics start. There’s a gauge for taking actions. All actions take AP (even using items). You’re only allotted a certain amount of AP per turn, and there’s a gauge that measures it. In addition to basic moves mapped the Dualshock’s face buttons, you can also perform EX moves, but they take as much AP as three regular attacks do. There’s a level measuring that. On the defensive side, there’s overkill and guard break meters, as well as no less than four different measurements of defensive power that are depleted with enemy attacks. Then there’s combo attacks. Following all this? I sure as hell can’t. After about hour you’ll probably give up—between the nuclear physicist degree prereq and the tepid story and gameplay, Cross Edge just wants to be too many things for too many people, which ultimately ends up destroying any fun you might have had with it to begin with.

This Week in Big Sky Football

2009-09-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Another edition of "This Week in Big Sky Football" is up on the Interwebs. Guests on the show this week include Weber State running back Trevyn Smith, Montana State coach Rob Ash and Big Sky Conference Assistant Commissioner Jon Kasper.

Portland State head coach Jerry Glanville's conference call with the media is also available. Sacramento State's Marshall Sperbeck is on the call before Glanville, so unless you want to hear about the Hornets' bye week, fast forward to the half-way point.

Enjoy!

It's (almost) game time!

2009-09-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Portland State @ Montana, 12:05 p.m.

Weekly conference call with Jerry Glanville

2009-09-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

This week's conference call with the media and Portland State football's head coach Jerry Glanville is up.

There's also a new edition of "This Week in Big Sky Football" with Commissioner Doug Fullerton, Northern Colorado's head coach Scott Downing and David Coulson of the Sports Network.

Enjoy.

OMG More about bikes!

2009-09-17T02:27:00.000-07:00

So, in a crazy turn of events, the Flaming Lips are apparently filming a music video in Portland and they want YOU to be in it. BikePortland.org had this to say:

The plan for the shoot makes Portland’s annual naked bike events sound fairly run of the mill. “I’m having one of my giant space bubbles covered in fake fox fur,” [Wayne] Coyne said. “Its going to look like some giant fur egg, and the people on bicycles are gonna sort of be born and erupt out of this fur, vaginalistic thing.”
Coyne in a “giant space bubble.”

...The video is being made for the final song, called “Watching the Planets,” on the Flaming Lips’ upcoming album appropriately titled Embryonic. The song is “an epic…march, almost. It goes on this hypnotic groove,” Coyne said. The video’s concept is still emerging: “Maybe I’ll even get naked for the video, too. I don’t even know how it ends — maybe it ends with them all getting clothed and making me get naked and shoving me back into the giant fur egg. I just came up with that right now.”

The shoot is from 10am to 10pm on Wednesday, September 23rd. Participation is on a drop-in basis. The sign-in table will be the basketball courts near the top of Mount Tabor.

Giant fur egg? Simulated birth? I'm there...

I went to the naked bike ride. It was amazing. Getting the Flaming Lips and a camera involved could only make that kind of situation more epic.

Bladen Country showcase at MFNW!

2009-09-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

I love Bladen County. They put out good music by good people like Y La Bamba and Alan Singley. For this reason, I am pretty excited for their ginormous showcase at Musicfest NW this Saturday. It's taking place at Rontom's at 2:30 and won't be over till late into the night. Sixteen bands, zines, and a whole lot of love. In preparation for the showcase, Bladen County has put together this dandy little compilation album for free. I suggest you go here and download it immediately.

Biking and beer? Yup, welcome to Portland...

2009-09-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

In typical fashion for a city filled with bike enthusiasts and brewers, Hopworks Urban Brewery is hosting a free, all-day bike-in Oktoberfest on September 19. The March Fourth Marching band will be playing some sick jams and the Sprockettes, a bike dance troupe, will be there too. I have no idea what a bike dance troupe is, but it sounds both entertaining and dangerous (two things that generally make for a good performance).There will also be a plethora of other bike related activities for the whole family, some more live bands on a "keg-supported stage" and two new organic beers being unveiled. It's a little overwhelming just typing all of that. Bring your bike, grab a beer and try not to crash on your way home.

Ride Oregon has more information here.

Fradella earns fifth Player of the Week

2009-09-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

For the second straight week, Vikings' setter Nique Fradella has been chosen as the Big Sky Player of the Week.

Press release, take it away:

Portland State’s Nique Fradella has claimed her second straight Big Sky Player of the Week award for matches played the week of Sept. 7-14.
The Vikings won the Circus Circus Invitational in Reno, Nev. last week and Fradella was tabbed the MVP after notching 11.00 assists per set, and hitting .429 over the tournament. Portland State defeated Sam Houston State, UC Davis and host Nevada to take home the title. Earlier in the week, the Vikings took No. 12 Oregon to four sets before falling on the Ducks’ homecourts.

The senior setter notched 151 total assists, 28 digs and seven blocks on the week. She averaged 10.07 assists and 1.87 digs per set. In a 3-1 win over UC Davis on Saturday afternoon, Fradella recorded her third double-double of the season with 43 assists and 10 digs. She connected on 5-of-7 attempts for a .571 hitting percentage, and added three blocks and two service aces.

Fradella followed that up with 46 assists on Saturday evening as Portland State closed out the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Nevada. She started the week with 30 assists against Oregon. On Friday, she had 32 assists, two blocks and five kills as Portland State shut out Sam Houston State.

The native of Lake Arrowheard, Calif. has won the weekly award five times in her career. She was also honored twice in 2007 and once as a freshman in 2006.

Autumn L. Wehr
Big Sky Conference

Brown earns Big Sky recognition

2009-09-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Vikings' kicker Zach Brown was chosen today as the Big Sky Conference's Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Saturday's game against Southern Oregon.

Straight from the press release:

Brown, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound freshman from Keizer, Ore., booted field goals of 52 and 46 yards in Portland State’s 34-10 victory over Southern Oregon. Brown’s 52-yard field goal came in the second quarter and put the Vikings up 17-3. It was the longest field goal by a Portland State kicker in 22 years and was 3-yards shy of tying the school record. Brown added the 46-yarder in the fourth quarter. Brown was also 4-for-4 on extra points and finished the game with 10 points. This is the first Player of the Week honor for Brown.
Jon Kasper
Assistant Commisioner/Media Relations
Big Sky Conference

Also nominated for this week's honors were junior quarterback Drew Hubel and sophomore linebacker Ryan Rau.

Success at Home

2009-09-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Viks pull off overwhelming win over Southern Oregon
by Allison Whited
Vanguard Staff

PGE Park on a warm Saturday afternoon in September was meant to be home to a football game. Head coach Jerry Glanville seemed to think the same thing as he led his team to a 34-10 victory over the Southern Oregon University Raiders.

Though it seems to be a strong win and therefore a good indicator of the team's ability, Glanville had no problem finding fault with his team, and justifiably so.

First, there were the six turnovers. Quarterback Drew Hubel threw two interceptions in the third quarter and wide receiver Aaron Woods had three fumbles on punt and kick returns.

Next was the lack of a score coming from the red zone. Last year, the team ranked last in the Big Sky Conference in red-zone offense.

Penalties? Nine flags for 85 yards, including a boneheaded roughing the kicker penalty on a punt that returned possession to Raiders.

Lastly, according to Glanville, the freshmen played like freshmen. Evidence of this came on the Raiders' only touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, outside linebacker Joel Sisler blew his coverage and allowed a 75-yard pass to speedy receiver Vance Beach.

Despite the obvious negatives, plenty of positives came out of this game.

The first, as Glanville agrees, is the performance of kicker Zach Brown. Last year he traveled listed as an emergency punter, but after this game, it seems like kicking is his niche. He hit field goals from 52 and 46 yards today that would have been good from several more yards out. He also barely missed a 42 yarder.

“We found our kicker today,” Glanville said.

Second would have to be the overall performance of the defense. They stifled the opposing offense and allowed them to complete just 16 of 41 attempted passes. Seniors Erik Pedersen and Jermaine Jacobs had six and five tackles, respectively, assisted and unassisted, while fellow senior Ryan Pedersen racked up five solo tackles, including two tackles for a loss.

The defense also kept a Raiders rushing attack that garnered 242 yards in their season opener to a miserable 12 yards despite 34 hand offs.

When asked about how he felt the defense performed, Erik Pedersen replied that “[they] did pretty good” considering they had to play through 75 offensive snaps. The defense also allowed the Raiders to only convert on six of their 22 attempts at third down.

Another bright spot in the Vikings' game plan was the ability to convert third downs. Though last year they ranked last in the conference with just a 33 percent success rate, in this game they converted on six of 11 attempts for a healthy 54 percent rate.

Last but not least was the explosive play of the defense. On the first possession of the first quarter, Hubel threw a 96 yard touchdown pass to Woods. On the very next one, he threw a 91 yard touchdown pass over the middle to receiver Lavonte Kirven, who showcased soft, beautiful hands throughout the game.

Next week will be a true test of Glanville's Vikings. They will compete against Montana in Missoula in their first conference game.

Glanville says he will inform the squad on Monday that preseason is officially over and that the one-and-one record they have amassed so far doesn't mean anything.

Erik Pedersen, for one, is happy to be getting such a big game out of the way so early in the season.

Montana is "a team that gains momentum as the season goes along. We're still healthy and have a lot of guys ready to hit,” he said.

Montana is the team to beat in the Big Sky, considering they have won or shared the last 11 conference titles. In last year's match up between the two teams, the Grizzlies controlled the ball for a little over 43 minutes. For the Vikings to have any chance at winning, they will have to keep their defense off the field and have a solid day against the run, preventing another 300-plus yard rushing day for the annual conference favorite.

Senior Lavonte Kirven caught three passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's game against Southern Oregon, including this 42-yard touchdown reception.

Photo by Aaron Leopold,
Vanguard Staff

Vikings open at home with Family Day at PGE Park

2009-09-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Fans and families alike are invited to PGE Park on Saturday as Portland State football kicks off their 2009 home season against Southern Oregon.

Coming off last week's hard-fought loss to Oregon State on the road, the Vikings look to earn their first win of the season on their home turf as they face the NAIA-independent Raiders from Ashland. The last time the two teams met was in 1975, when Portland State was led by coach Mouse Davis to a 58-7 victory.

The game is scheduled for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff and will feature family-friendly activities and discounted ticket packages. As a part of Family Day at Portland State Football, two adult and two youth general admission tickets will be available for $25 and the Viking Family Fun Zone, featuring three inflatables from Portland Party Works, will be available for kids from noon through halftime.

To purchase tickets by phone, call 1.888.VIK.TIKS (1.888.845.8457) or 503.725.3307.

More information is available here.

Viking Athletics Program Teams With Bald Faced Truth Foundation

2009-09-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

The Portland State Athletics program and the Bald Faced Truth Foundation have announced a partnership that will allow PSU to aid the all-volunteer non-profit in support of area youth programs and activities.

The non-profit, created by local newspaper columnist John Canzano and KATU reporter-anchor Anna Song, has the stated mission of "inspiring joy and growth in area youth through the support of the arts, education and athletics." Portland State Athletics will work in conjunction with the Bald Faced Truth Foundation to restore funding to these critical youth activities throughout the Portland Metro Area.

The partnership begins with Portland State football hosting the Bald Faced Truth Foundation Day on Oct. 17 at PGE Park when the Vikings play Northern Arizona. Guests can make a donation to the BFT Foundation and receive a complimentary general admission ticket (min. $10 donation per ticket). Proceeds raised from the BFT Foundation Day will be used to fund grant requests for elementary and middle school programs in the area.

"This is a great opportunity for our program to be involved with a worthwhile organization," said Viking football coach Jerry Glanville.

For more details about the Bald Faced Truth Foundation, go to http://www.baldfacedtruth.org or email info@baldfacedtruth.org. The BFT Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your contributions are tax-deductible.

Mike Lund
Assistant Athletic Director
Media Relations

"This Week in Big Sky Football" and coaches conference call podcast, Sept. 9

2009-09-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

The first edition of “This Week in Big Sky Football” is up. On the show are Montana coach Bobby Hauck, Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones and Dave Coulson of the Sports Network.

Also, listen to the audio of this week's conference call with coach Jerry Glanville. Eastern Washington's Beau Baldwin and Sacramento State's Marshall Sperbeck take questions first, so feel free to fast-forward to the final third to hear Glanville.

Um, if you like art you really should go see this

2009-09-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

One of the best displays of innovative art that also has a broad appeal is Daniel Barrow's Everytime I See Your Picture I Cry currently at the TBA festival and being performed at the Art Museum. A story told by the artist with projections of comic-book like depictions, Everytime employs some really amazing imagery, full of symbolism, a little gore, and deep emotions.

The story does become a little stormy, especially by the last chapters, which is full of generalizations and simplistic understandings about love, death, suffering and art. However, overall it is a compelling narrative through the eyes of a janitor and art-school drop out while he creates a phonebook complete with visual representations of those included by sneakily drawing them in their homes.

The vocal story-telling by the Winnipeg artist is supplemented with Barrow's projections, gorgeously drawn with a little bit of peek-of-boo mixed in, complete with movement and symbolism of instances that are more abstract.

This is the LAST NIGHT to check it out. Highly recommended.

Northwest Film Center

Whitsell Auditorium at the Portland Art Museum

6:30 pm

$15

Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People- a study in dichotomy

2009-09-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Last night at the Winningstad Theatre marked the world premiere of Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People's Last Meadow. Some parts were rich with energy and subtext, others were downright atrocious. The best was about three-quarters of the way through when the three main players disrobe and break out into dance moves only seen in the most homosexual and best techno clubs, with a little ballet mixed it.

With trite statements from a mike/amp combination on stage such as "America is a disaster" and a break midway through, literally, the three performers stopped, commented that a moth was disrupting their stage presence during the performance, drinking water, and talking about pooping, it was mostly a discombobulated mess.

Some statements, such as "I wish my parents loved me the way I want to be loved"

(or something along those lines, and we can all relate, right?) showed hints of accessibility. Most did not. But I would be lying if the crazy dance moves to Madonna didn't make me smile.

TBA:09 is among us

2009-09-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is that time of year again. Time for T:BA 09, with its experimental and questionable art and performance, it has become a premier art festival in the Northwest, harnessing talent from all over the world.

Tonight's docket includes Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People's world premiere of Last Meadow. Here is what PICA has to say about it:

Last Meadow is set to an original score created by first-time composer Neal Medlyn and lighting by longtime collaborator Lenore Doxsee. Mining movement and text from James Dean’s East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant, Last Meadow creates a non-narrative collage of sensorial confusion, aka an America where the jig is up and the dream has died. Last Meadow is about the space of waiting, when things don’t move forward, don’t happen as they should, and mixed messages are the only ones we get.

I won't be able to give you my thoughts on it until tomorrow morning, cause I am going to what will probably be one of the highlights of the festival, the Explode into Colors performance with Janet Pants & Chris Hackett later tonight after Last Meadow.

Here are the deets if you want to come join in on the arty fun.

Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People

Fri. Sept. 4th 6:30-8pm

Sat. Sept 5th 6:30-8pm

Sun. Sept. 6th 6:30-8pm

Mon. Sept. 7th 8:30-10pm

$15-20

Buy tix at the door.

Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA)

Winningstad Theatre

111 SW Broadway

Explode into Colors with Janet Pants & Chris Hackett

TONIGHT! 10:30pm at THE WORKS- Washington High School

531 SE 14th Ave. Portland, OR 97214

All Ages, $8-10

Pod cast of Big Sky Conference football coaches conference call, Wednesday, Sept. 2

2009-09-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

Listen to the pod cast of today's conference call with Big Sky football coaches:

Sacramento State's Marshall Sperbeck
Northern Arizona's Jerome Souers
Weber State's Ron McBride
Idaho State's John Zamberlin
Portland State's Jerry Glanville
Northern Colorado's Scott Downing
Montana's Bobby Hauck
Eastern Washington's Beau Baldwin
Montana State's Rob Ash

PSU NEWS: Disability Resource Center is finally moving!

2009-09-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

The DRC is delighted to announce that we will be moving to the first floor of the Smith Memorial Student Union this month! We will be located in the Northeast corner of the building, just down the hall from ASPSU in room 116.

The new location will be more accessible for students and will allow us to share our work space with the Assistive Technology Center.

Moving all the DRC offices and staff will take a few days, so the DRC will be closed September 10-15. We'll do our best to check e-mail during this time, but may lose access to voice mail on Friday, September 11.

If you visit the DRC before September 10, you will probably see us packing and sorting through things. We hope you'll pardon our mess!

Rola Khouri

Receptionist

Disability Resource Center

TwitterTracker: PSU-related tweets

2009-09-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

On this edition of TwitterTracker, take an inside look at the new rec center from @psucampusrec.

Today via @psucampusrec: Truly the front welcome is just about done.

Today via @psucampusrec: Main lobby is 99% done!

Follow the Daily Vanguard on Twitter.

PSU/PORTLAND NEWS: Mayor Adams and PSU President Wiewel to officially open Cycle Track downtown today, 2-3 p.m.

2009-08-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

The official opening of a Cycle Track on SW Broadway marks a new phase in Portland's development as a world-class bicycling city and reaffirms Portland State's commitment to sustainability. A Cycle Track protects bike riders from downtown traffic by placing them in a buffered bike lane between the curb and on-street parking. This event will be celebrated with a press conference for the demonstration project.

Opening remarks will be given by Portland Mayor Sam Adams followed by Portland State President Wim Wiewel. Also in attendance will be Scott Bricker, executive director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

When:
Today, Monday, August 31, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Where:
Portland State University between Neuberger Hall and Smith Memorial Student Union

Scott Gallagher
Office of University Communications
503-725-8789
503-957-7545

Football practice: parting shots

2009-08-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard writer Allison Whited.

I have enjoyed my time at practice the past three weeks immensely. I watch so much professional football that it's easy to forget how important raw talent is and how some play the game just to play the game. I have been reminded how camaraderie can exist between two people striving for the same thing and how much we can learn from those teaching us if only we listen.

I'm very shy, so it takes a lot for me to get comfortable enough to talk to someone, but I would like to say that every time I have had contact with someone associated with PSU Athletics, it has been a very positive experience. I even met the athletic director one day and he was so genial that I instantly felt comfortable. I just want to say thank you to those few people I worked up the nerve to talk to between the beginning of spring ball and now. I have utmost respect for the coaching and training staff, the players themselves who work so hard and the folks who work in the athletics department.

Now just a few parting thoughts on what I've noticed in practice the past three weeks:
I love the secondary. The starters seem set to be Tracy Ford and DeShawn Shead at cornerback and Cody Worthen and Jordan Brown at safety. They are good, intelligent athletes and they create a stifling backfield for anyone under the gun. Even the players behind them in depth chart, guys like Mshaka Mitchell and Michael Williams and Denzel Davis, have shown plenty of skill, speed and intelligence. I like the way secondary coach Brandon Shelby coaches. He doesn't appear to be anyone's friend, but he's a great mentor. I really think this group will anchor the defense.

I think the quarterback position is solid in Drew Hubel's hands. His height is a great advantage over everyone else on the depth chart at that position. On some plays, and this happens more and more frequently, he has great—which is a word I try not to use frequently—touch on the ball. He puts it where it should be, softly, without letting it float dangerously. He will be called on a lot this year, but he seems confident enough to handle it. I also think Connor Kavanaugh is a good backup. He gives the offense an extra dimension with his scrambling ability and he seems to be settling into his internal game clock.

The freshman fullbacks have been such a pleasant surprise. We will have to wait for the season to begin to get a taste of offensive coordinator Jim Craft's play calling, but with backs like these as well as incumbent backs like Bobby McClintock and Nick Kalpin, it can't hurt to throw some more runs into the mix. Evans Okotcha and Ben Bowen have lit it up at times. The speed on both of them is great and they are good in pass protection. They are going to prove to be good investments in the future.

The linebacker group is solid. With senior linebackers Erik Pedersen and Ryan Pedersen returning as starters, it's a unit that gets things done. They have each spent at last a year under Glanville and know where they are supposed to be and what they need to do. There are rarely mental lapses and they really are too much fun to watch.

I still think the receiving corps needs another leader besides Aaron Woods. Woods is great to watch at practice. He is so aggressive and finds a way to the ball. I have the feeling he's going to get quite a bit of coverage this season and someone will need to show up to draw heat off of him. From all that I've seen at practice, I think Lavonte Kirven is the most likely. He has good hands and good field awareness.

The offensive and defensive lines have improved so much over just the past three weeks. It's difficult to tell what everyone playing those key positions is doing on every play and I know that I did not give those guys as much credit as they deserve. They work together well and the offensive line has gotten stiffer while the defensive line has gotten more punishing.

My final thought is one of thanks. I'm thankful I got to spend time watching such a talented group of athletes. I'm thankful no one trashed me for any negative comment I may have made. And I'm most thankful that anyone even read my drivel. I have to admit that I thought I was only writing for myself, but as time has worn on I have realized that more people read it than just me. Someone actually warned me that other teams could read this junk to scout out the team (do people really do that?). All I wanted to do was show my commitment to covering the team and give people an idea of what the team was doing. I hope that at the lowest level I have achieved that.

PORTLAND/PSU NEWS: Ice cream for bike lane builders

2009-08-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Bicycle Business League is an association of Portland businesses that are organizing to promote bicycling and livable streets as an integral component to healthy business and commerce. Www.bicyclebusinessleague.com.

We are kicking off our new program titled, "Ice Cream for Bike Lane Builders!"

The Bicycle Business League just received approval yesterday from PBOT's paving crew to deliver free ice cream treats to the crew on SW Broadway tomorrow at 1 p.m. Icicle Tricycles, a member of the BBL, will be donating free ice cream treats to show appreciation to the PBOT crew creating the new cycle facilities.

Please feel free to join us and witness our appreciation to these great workers who are improving Portland's safety.

The SW Broadway cycle track will improve cycling safety through PSU's campus with an innovative design.

The BBL and Icicle Tricycles feel that showing appreciation to these hard working crews is necessary to continue the cycle of support for transportation facilities that are safe for all users.

Ryan Hashagen
Portland Pedalworks
www.icetrikes.com
360-510-1818
portlandpedals@gmail.com

PORTLAND/PSU NEWS: MAX changes

2009-08-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

Beginning Sunday, August 30, MAX Yellow Line trains in downtown Portland will move to the new tracks on 5th and 6th avenues along the Portland Transit Mall. Also on Sunday, MAX Green Line trains will begin two weeks of test runs on the Mall and along I-205 before opening for service on Saturday, Sept. 12.

MAX service changes effective August 30

Yellow Line trains will operate on 5th and 6th avenues in downtown Portland between Union Station and PSU. The Yellow Line will no longer operate on SW 1st Avenue, Morrison or Yamhill. Outside downtown, the Yellow Line will continue to operate north to the Expo Center.
Schedules on all of the MAX Blue, Red and Yellow lines will be adjusted, with less frequent service in the early morning and late evening to offset a $31 million budget shortfall due to the continued recession.
Green Line trains will begin two weeks of simulated revenue service, running every 15-30 minutes on its planned schedule between Portland State and Clackamas Town Center, but will not pick up riders during this testing phase.

For complete TriMet schedules and trip planning, or to receive service updates by email, visit trimet.org or call 503-238-RIDE (7433) weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Green Line

In addition to Green Line trains operating in simulated service on the Portland Mall and along I-205, operators will be testing schedules, coordination with buses and other MAX lines, signals and other systems. Construction work is wrapping up that includes final bus and MAX station elements being installed.

Mall safety patrols

With MAX trains operating on the Portland Mall starting August 30, TriMet is stepping up safety patrols to educate motorists and bicyclists about the dedicated transit and travel lanes on 5th and 6th avenues. On Monday, August 31, officers will increase patrols on the Mall, focusing on the area between Burnside and Jefferson. Violators disobeying a traffic control device will be subject to appropriate enforcement actions including citations.

Opening Day Sept. 12

The Green Line opens Saturday, September 12, with opening ceremonies in the morning at Clackamas Town Center TC and PSU Urban Center as well as celebrations at stops along the alignment, including Pioneer Courthouse Square and Clackamas Town Center. Free rides on the Green Line begin at 11:30 a.m. and continue through the end of service.

About the project

MAX Green Line, TriMet’s fifth MAX line, will add 8.3-miles of light rail between Gateway Transit Center and Clackamas Town Center, and to 5th and 6th avenues in downtown Portland between Union Station and PSU. It is the first light rail extension into Clackamas County. It will serve the heart of downtown Portland and the busiest transit destination in the TriMet system—PSU. It will also help revitalize the Mall and poise the region for future rail extensions.

TriMet News

Contact: Mary Fetsch

503-962-6403

PORTLAND NEWS: Fourth Annual Portland Brain Tumor Walk, Sept. 12

2009-08-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Fourth Annual Portland Brain Tumor Walk Raises Critical Funds for Brain Tumor Research

Who: National Brain Tumor Society
East Coast Office: 124 Watertown Street, Suite 2D, Watertown, MA 02472

What: Fourth Annual Portland Brain Tumor Walk

When: Saturday, Sept. 12
Registration: 8-9 a.m.
Program and activities: 9 a.m. to noon.

Where: Willamette Park
6599 SW Beaver Ave., Portland, OR 97239 (on Nebraska off SW Macadam)

Fees: Free for ages 5 and under; $15 for ages 6-17; $35 for adults and on the day of the event. The registration fee includes an event t-shirt, food and beverages and full access to all event activities.

Register online at www.PortlandWalk.org or call toll-free at 1-866-455-3214.

Description: An inspirational fundraising walk and community day to support vital brain tumor research and patient services at the National Brain Tumor Society. All ages welcome. Form a team of family, friends, or co-workers and help make a difference in the fight against brain tumors! Optional 5K walk (wheelchair & stroller accessible) with food, music, prizes and more.

Why: Brain tumors have no boundaries; they affect individuals of all ages, ethnicities and health histories. Over 500 Americans are diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor every day. That’s more than 190,000 people per year. Brain tumor research is under-funded, and greater public awareness of the problem is needed. Brain tumors are a leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children and young adults. Brain tumors cannot be prevented because their causes are unknown.

Local: Hundreds of families in the Portland area have been affected by brain tumors. As patients, survivors or caregivers, these local residents comprise a community with a compelling story of survival and hope. Contact us to reach local spokespersons for overviews of their stories.

PSU/OREGON NEWS: September Oregon Archaeological Society Lecture

2009-08-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Dr. Cameron Smith is the featured lecturer at the September 1 Oregon Archaeological Society meeting. He will address the “Evolution of the Mind: An Overview of the Fascinating New Field of 'Cognitive Archaeology.’” How the physical brain evolved has been known for 150 years, but it has only been recently that archaeologists and psychologists are learning how the mind (what the brain does!) evolved. This presentation discusses how cognitive archaeology is different from 'evolutionary psychology', and what new discoveries have been made.

Smith, a prehistorian at Portland State University, has studied in England, Canada and the United States. His archaeological fieldwork extends from investigating the earliest hominids of Africa to underwater archaeology in coastal Ecuador. His publications include many scientific works, writing for magazines such as Scientific American MIND, and the book "The Top Ten Myths About Evolution", recently endorsed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The presentation is at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) at 7:45 p.m., and is free and open to the public. The talk is preceded at 7 p.m. by a general business meeting, which is also open to the public.

For more information:

www.oregonarchaeological.org

503-727-3507

Cameron M. Smith, PhD

Department of Anthropology

Portland State University

Portland, OR 97210

www.anthropology.pdx.edu

www.cameronmsmith.com

Football practice, Thursday, August 27

2009-08-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

by Vanguard writer Allison Whited

I found time to attend both morning and afternoon practice yesterday, so there's quite a bit to report. The basic setup for practice was what it has been all week. In the afternoon though, the first offense took on the first defense which provided a better way to gauge the progress made this week.

Lavonte Kirven has been more of a presence in practice this week than he has been previously. He has good hands and runs a clean route. He seems in synch with Hubel and Kavanaugh and this led to some very nice catches.

The defense looked solid today. They were getting good penetration and the pass rush was steady and thrilling. Linebacker Ryan Pedersen got a hand on a couple of balls and even garnered an interception.

Defensive end Dereck Jester stood out today in a couple of ways. On one play, he rushed the offensive line and broke through with little trouble and on drills looked like he had a good combination of strength and speed. He is one of the smallest guys on the defensive line at 240 pounds but he plays heavier than that.

The offensive linemen took turns taking each other on this morning, and it is without a doubt one of the most fun and most informative drills that can be watched. They go one-on-one until one of them puts the other on the ground. The team gets into watching it and there are a lot of cheers. And for the loser of the match, there are a few up downs.

One particularly interesting matchup was between centers Tyler Staley and Jackson Dallas, who outweighs Staley by 30 pounds. Staley is a veteran of Glanville's team, though, and Dallas is a first year transfer student. This gap in experience allowed Staley to get one over on the bigger man. Dustin Waldron also had a good looking match up against Cole Giandomenico which he won.

In the heat of afternoon practice, everyone seemed a little more irritable. There was a bit of admonishment coming from coaches Glanville and Shelby. Cornerback DeShawn Shead got in some hot water for making too hard of a stop and cornerback Matt Ford was strongly chided for not staying with receiver Ricky Cookman and allowing a touchdown.

On red zone drills from about ten yards out, the secondary was everywhere. The quarterbacks had to run with more than a few balls because none of the receivers could shake his defender. When they switched to the long field, safety Cody Worthen had two of the best plays I've seen him make. On two back-to-back plays, he broke up passes from Hubel and one of them was even to receiver Aaron Woods, who is difficult to cover.

Kavanaugh further proved he is adjusting to the speed of the coach Craft's game today by throwing two consecutive bombs up the middle of the field to Woods.

One thing that stands out in comparison to the first week of practice is the decrease in mental mistakes, the biggest of which being off sides/false start penalties. There were more than a few during the first couple of weeks, and the linemen could often be heard grumbling about their mistakes on the sidelines, but that no longer seems to be much of an issue. This speaks to the discipline and commitment that the team has been working so hard.

Football practice, Wednesday, August 26

2009-08-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

Football practice followed the same structure that it has all week with the first team taking on the opposing second team, yet there has been a shift in the routine from last week. It seemed like last week the focus was really on fundamentals, but this week the focus is clearly on what to do after the snap. It really seems to be making a difference. With so many freshmen on the team, it might be impossible to give them enough looks across the line of scrimmage before the season opens.

Receiver Lavonte Kirven was on his game today and ran two beautiful routes up the defense's left side with a reception each time. He has a good sense of timing and looks for the ball at the right moment. Receiver Ray Fry dropped two balls that had his name all over them. He can be good when he's on, but for the moment, he doesn't seem consistent enough to be counted on.

Defensive lineman Siasu Matagiese got a piece of two balls today. One pass he simply reached up and hit, breaking it up beyond repair. On yet another pass that was low, he caught the ball that the quarterback threw. He is keenly aware of where the ball is after the snap, a skill that makes it difficult to believe that this will be his first year playing at the collegiate level. He is coming from Hawai'i with several accolades and he could become an important part of the line.

The punt/kick return drills today were more involved with more players taking part in them. Linebacker Jaycob Shoemaker was in on them as he was yesterday. On one return, he got to the receiver very quickly and the receiver let the catch go right through his hands and knees. Shoemaker covered it up and if it had been a real game, it would have given his team possession with great field position. It's this quickness and ability to react that would make him a key part of the return team.

Football practice, Tuesday, August 25

2009-08-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

This morning, in the rain, the first offense and the second defense carried out 11-on-11 drills again and vice versa, just like yesterday.

The first offense is getting better at creating running lanes. Bobby McClintock had plenty of room to run and he had quite a few productive carries. Evans Okotcha and Nick Kalpin, who, in his second year, should see more playing time than Okotcha and fellow fullback and freshman Ben Bowen, both had space to make things happen.

Receiver Ray Fry looked good today, so it can be assumed that a nagging hamstring injury is no longer bothering him. Drew Hubel threw some balls his way and he had a catch for around 20 yards. He also caught a beautifully thrown pass from third string quarterback Nick Green.

Quarterback Connor Kavanaugh showed some progress in his game play patience today. Even under pressure, his internal game clock seemed to slow down and he patiently waited until he found an open receiver in Kalua Noa. Generally in a situation such as this, he scrambles and it was heartening to see him sit in the pocket and wait it out.

Freshmen defensive linemen David Gertson and Dereck Jester played the run fairly well. They pulled together for a great stuff of Kalpin.

Against the first offense, receiver Nevin Lewis had some good catches and even better yards after the catch. He repeatedly burned the defense's right side. Receiver Justin Monahan managed to find a rare hole in the middle of the field and made a great play on the ball.

It seems that there are two players guaranteed to do some blocking down field on kick and punt returns. Linebackers Jaycob Shoemaker and Colton Russi were the two constants during today's special teams drills. They seem to compliment each other well. Shoemaker seems a little quicker all around, but Russi seems to have the big hit capacity. Linebacker Kevin Takeno and fullback Kalpin alternated rounding out the group of three working this particular drill.

I try to keep my opinion out of these accounts, but there is something I have to get off my chest. I really, REALLY want to see a receiver, besides the very talented Aaron Woods, step up and tell Hubel he's the guy. The receivers all work hard at practice and most of them have decent hands and speed, but overall, besides Woods, they lack aggressiveness. I want to see them fight for the ball and push just a little harder to get everything they can out their catches. The offense will greatly benefit should anyone decide to make it happen.

Football practice, Monday, August 24

2009-08-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

The cold temperature this morning really brought it home that football season begins in just 12 days. On cold, cloudy mornings like this one, it's hard to believe there is another place as beautiful to watch football practice as Stott Field.

The first offense took on the second defense and vice versa in this morning's 11-on-11 drills. The first defense and certain members of the second defense are making progress. They move together and help each other out when it's needed. The offense still appears to be a little patchwork at times, but, in all honesty, there is marked improvement from both spring ball and just two weeks ago when practice began.

Currently, safeties Cody Worthen and Jordan Brown are deemed to be the starters and it looks like a good combination. They seem to have very different styles of play. Brown is on the move quickly after the snap whereas Worthen employs more of a wait-and-see strategy. Brown is a constant presence in the ball's vicinity, but Worthen sticks with whomever he's covering.

Both seem to be holding back a bit at practice, which doesn't seem like a bad thing given the smattering of injured players on the sidelines. I have heard Worthen described as the "future of the defense" and Brown as a "team leader"—these two working together for the first time should be an anchor point for the defense.

Also on the defensive side of things, cornerback Denzel Davis did a good job of staying on his receiver, particularly on a pass to Nevin Lewis. Linebacker Ryan Rau also did a good job impeding receivers and had a strong stop on receiver Justin Monahan.

Punter Thomas Duyndam and his presumed back up Zach Brown had good practices. It's difficult to tell how strong their feet are as they only kick for a few moments and from a specific, constant range, but they both looked to have good control of the ball with decent hang time. Duyndam for the most part averaged about six seconds of hang time over a distance of 30-40 yards. He kicks the ball fairly high and seems to be able to put it where he wants it.

Drew Hubel threw a beautiful pass to Lavonte Kirven. On a long field, Hubel's pass was textbook. He put it out in front of the receiver, where only Kirven could get it. It was perfectly placed between the numbers and it came down soft, but didn't for a moment float dangerously. Perfection.

There are still errors made and there is no mistaking that this is a young team, but there have been some good practices recently that left little that was negative to report.

Football practice, Friday, August 21

2009-08-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

There seemed to be heavy emphasis on the running game Friday morning, both from the offensive side and the defensive side. Early on, the offensive line repeatedly set about creating running lanes after the snap. The offense overall is pass happy and through other practices, the running game hasn't looked threatening.

That is beginning to change a bit though. There are a couple of freshman backs that will compliment returning starter Bobby McClintock very well. Evans Okotcha and Ben Bowen show good field awareness and an ability to make small cuts to gain a few extra yards on each play. They are also fairly adroit when called on to block for the quarterback.

There were two defensive plays that have to be mentioned. Ryan Pedersen is an intelligent linebacker and plays as much with his brain as he does his body. On one snap, the coach handling the ball as the quarterback created some misdirection that looked as if it fooled the entire defense, and, while everyone on his side of the ball went one way, Pedersen went the other and made a beeline to the "quarterback".

Another impressive play was made by linebacker Erik Pedersen. In an 11-on-11 drill where the run was being pushed, Pedersen patiently waited for a hole to open, which the defense created in just a couple of seconds, and drove straight to the running back with the ball. It was a strong defensive play and it showed the entire defense’s ability to follow through.

On the special teams’ side of things, the Vikes look good. There are two competing kickers, Robert Truax and Wade Penner. Both have a pretty good foot and both are usually on target. It seems like they take turns every day looking like the better option. On the whole, they both look good and give depth at a position that can make or break a game. The long snapper is Braedyn Eagle and he is consistently on target with his snaps. He is fairly imposing and should hold up well under pressure.

review: Battlestations: Pacific

2009-08-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

Battlestations: Pacific is a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, the game has an interesting take on both the usual generic limitations of WWII as well as a unique approach to fairly limited offerings of available console strategy games. You can decal the nose of your favorite fighter with swell period pin-up girls for use in online dogfights. Taking command of a massively powerful battleship like the South Dakota class (armed with a full battery of 16” guns) feels undeniably bad ass.

On the other hand, the grainy, real-life film footage shown before each mission begins is, sadly, a little misleading. Pacific’s tactical-yet-arcadey combat may reach the tracer-saturated fever pitch depicted on the back of the box from time to time, but seemingly just as often the chaos of the Pacific theater’s large-scale naval, air and infantry battles (the last of which isn’t playable here) seem strangely muted.

Dive-bombing is often a key component to a successful aerial assault.
The game throws numerous scenarios at you in which you control, say, one or two cruisers or a destroyers, but rarely allows you access to the entire naval armada, instead seeing fit to dole out command of ships one to three at a time (and even then only as replacements for any vessels you may have lost). Carriers, which act as RTS-style bases, can produce fighter planes to help you maintain the offensive or defensive upper hand, but only allot one four-plane squadron each. The result is a campaign of island hopping support that, while enjoyably strategic, isn’t necessarily spread evenly and can feel somewhat sparse at times.

What’s baffling about Pacific is that despite a serious graphical overhaul and boost in available units, in some ways it’s a step backward from its predecessor, Battlestations: Midway. Covering the earlier part of the war in the pacific (including the battles of the Solomon Islands—where there’s some over lap with Pacific—and, clearly, Midway itself) Midway used a full blown narrative and the ability to choose which tactical maneuvers to utilize in order to crush the Japanese resistance.

Torpedoes can be tricky to use, but devastating to the enemy.
Aside from offering virtually no story aside from a spotty approximation of historical events (brought to tepid life by a cast of either bored or far too overzealous voice actors) Pacific has a penchant for tactically shoehorning you into using certain air or seacraft to accomplish various tasks (though it should be noted that additional units can be unlocked as you progress). The trade-off is that Pacific has a little over twice as much gameplay as Midway, complete with a full, alternate history Japanese campaign; beating both campaigns and unlocking everything will be more than enough to keep some of you coming back to this one.

Thankfully, despite a bit less tactical wiggle-room, Pacific’s arcade combat is still fun. Though controls and tutorials for the game’s dual sea and air fleets may seem a little daunting at first (the game even uses the two letter call signs actually used during the war to identify different types of air and sea craft), they’re streamlined so that even novice tacticians can enjoy the game. Letting off a volley of AA or dual-purpose guns is as easy as firing a gun in an FPS, and the intuitive targeting and formation systems can make even the most overwhelming battles manageable. Although you technically control units one a time, the game (mostly) lets you simultaneously carry out naval and air-based actions, issuing different commands while you control your preferred unit. This gives Pacific gives the overall feeling of a more hands-on RTS, which is pretty swell indeed.

Learn to love the tactical map; it'll save your ass on more than one occasion.
Pacific also has its fair share of moments that are a tremendous rush. Laying waste to an entire fleet of Japanese warships in minutes with a bombardment of long-range guns (not to mention actually watching the explosion of twisted metal from a damaged hull or magazine) never gets old, and dodging through an intense hail of AA fire to successfully deliver a torpedo or bomb payload is exhilarating. In short, these are the moments that will make you want to keep playing. The sheer number of different units is a great touch too, although in order to really use them effectively you’ll likely have to take some prep time to familiarize yourself with the catalog.

At the end of the day, Pacific earns its wings as a more than competent strategy-action hybrid. There are times when it may feel a little too straightforward and, let’s be honest, the story and presentation generally come off as worse than a History channel re-enactment. Despite some setbacks, if Eidos Hungary can learn from their mistakes I have faith they can really put out the complete package with their next Battlestations effort. Give it a shot if you’re in the mood for a different kind of war game. At the very least, it beats the hell out of yet another tired period shooter.

Battlestations: Pacific
Eidos
Xbox 360
$59.99
3.5 out 5 stars

review: Bit.Trip Core

2009-08-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

Let’s face it: outside of clans, forums and fan communities, significant cultural memes sprung from the collective consciousness of gamers generally aren’t things you hear about every day. “Popular” modes of expression are usually limited to pop-culture commercialism, and even original projects (like, say, fan-made sequels to popular games) are often subject to intense cease-and-desist litigation.

On the other hand, I would argue that chiptunes don’t follow general modes of gamer expression. Using hacked Game Boys, Nintendo’s and the like, chiptune artists combine “chip” sounds, utilizing archaic hardware to compose electronic bleep-bloop melodies that hearken back to gaming’s infancy, creating a sound that is uniquely retro and modern at the same time.

Having stated this, I shouldn’t have been surprised when I learned that chiptunes play a central role in Bit.Trip Core. As the second of four Bit.Trip titles to hit WiiWare from Gaijin Games, Core (much like its B.T predecessor, Beat) revels in its hybridization of old and new.

Ostensibly, the game looks and feels like a cross between a multi-directional shooter and DDR, with a serious aesthetic fetish for all things Atari. Looking at it in terms of arcade history, it’s a natural progression from Beat, which basically reconstituted Pong, juiced it up and added a really crazy difficulty curve (as well as trippy chiptunes and visuals) for a unique retro-modern arcade feel.

Welcome to your Bit.Trip.

Continuing on the idea of gaming progress, Core then fully embraces the conceptual lineage of arcade shooters, mimicking tube shooters like Tempest, only on a 2D plane. The screen is marked with what amounts to a diamond targeting reticle—from the center of the reticle you can aim bars of light up, down, left and right. Your objective is to shoot the various dots, lines, arrows and boxes that fly across the screen when they intersect the path of your light beams. The more hits you get in row, the higher your combo chain and score.

Aside from its shooter-esque mechanics, Core also functions as a rhythm game—a notion
directly linked to its evolutionary ideology. Each successful shot produces an in-key tone, which accompanies the background beat or baseline of the level. As your combo chain grows higher, the music you create evolves from flat, static chipped sounds to full-bodied notes that compliment each track’s (and level’s) musical growth.

Screw up, though, and you’ll fall back down to “nether” status (the game measures your hit rate on four point-based tiers)—a stark, black and white (and one would assume, tongue-in-cheek) representation of the game featuring only the metronomic skeleton of the level’s track. On the flip side, should you actually reach “super,” (the highest) you can flex your musicality muscles by improving notes in the background to go along with the beat. Each note while in this mode nets you 1000 points, so it’s a good way to rack up high scores.

See where all those lines and vertices intersect with the cross hairs? You have to hit ALL OF THEM.

Not that it’s all that easy to stay in super. Core may start off by throwing relatively slow moving patterns of dots at you, but by the time you’re hurtling through the last level the visuals—and challenge—can be quite ridiculous. Patterned dots, lines and others will split off, multiply, rotate around the center of the targeting reticle, jump off in odd places, shift patterns suddenly, seemingly break the rules by traveling diagonally…you get the idea.

It can be quite a madhouse. (For more proof just click here ). The game does afford you one screen-destroying bomb per game, (I'd save it for the boss patterns, which can obviously be very tricky) but given the extremely limited availability of these, you'll mostly have to rely on your own wits and pattern memorization skills.

Pay no attention to the 3D geometric shapes behind the curtain.

But everything is meticulously calculated, and nothing is impossible. In the long run, it makes for a game you can beat based on repetition and perfection, such as throwbacks like Contra or Gradius. But with the obsession that’ll soon take hold in chasing each level's elusive perfect score, (not to mention the game’s fantastic tunes), this isn’t one for simply playing through once and then walking away. And for six bucks, how can you really go wrong?

Now, that just leaves me with one question for Gaijin: when do we get the soundtrack?

Bit.Trip Core
Aksys Games
WiiWare
$6
4.5 out of 5 stars

Football practice, Wednesday, August 19

2009-08-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

This morning, the team was divided into offense and defense at opposite ends of the field. On the offensive side, it looked pretty good. The offensive line, without the formidable rush from the defense on every snap, was able to work together to keep the quarterback safe and create lanes for the running backs. Ben Bowen and Bobby McClintock benefited from this and as a result were able to get some good runs in. On one particular play center Adam Kleffner got a great block in on his man and gave McClintock miles to run.

Watching the offensive line practice can be challenging at times. There always seem to be numerous occasions when, if they could just stay with their man or get that block in, the whole offense would have the opportunity to run more smoothly. It's just little things here and there that would make a world of difference. Kleffner's block is an example of just what good can come about when there is complete follow through after the snap.

One of the new quarterbacks, Hank Taylor, had a relatively good morning. As I have previously written, he has a problem seeing the field. This morning he was able to find receiver Daniel Wolverton twice in a row on different routes. He did, however, botch a hand off to full back Nick Kalpin.

Punter Thomas Duyndam had company this morning. Coach Glanville had receiver Zach Brown punting with him. Currently, Duyndam is the only punter on the roster, and he is also currently the only international player. Brown was last year's back up punter and will obviously continue in that role this year. Brown did a fine job, but he can certainly benefit from watching Duyndam.

Offense met defense towards the end of practice where third down situations were played out. Quarterback Drew Hubel had a couple of beautiful bombs to receivers Zach Brown and Daniel Wolverton. He retained presence of mind in the pocket and patiently waited for them to get down field and he was rewarded with about 100 passing yards on the two completions. He certainly looked every bit the starting quarterback. Presumed third string quarterback Nick Green had a nice pass under pressure to receiver Ricky Cookman.

The pass rush was successful and relentless. Outside linebackers Ryan Pedersen and Ryan Reardon and defensive lineman Siasau Matagiese all had notable rushes that ended the offense's progress. Rearson and Matagiese are both freshman, proving that Glanville did a remarkable job of recruiting his freshmen defensive class.

The ball wasn't safe when it was out of the pocket either. Kavanaugh was picked by cornerback Tracy Ford and during Ford's return, he lateraled it to fellow cornerback DeShawn Shead and then threw a block for Shead so that he might continue to advance the ball. Teamwork at some of its finest.

In the counter teamwork file, there was some grumbling on the sidelines by the receivers about defensive end Travis Beckley's tendency to get a hand on the face mask. On one play where Beckley slapped a face mask, someone even yelled out, “That's 15 yards number 92!”

On a final note, there are a lot of players on crutches and with boots on. Receiver Ray Fry and offensive lineman Moses Punzal are the latest to walk the sidelines.

PSU NEWS: PSU hosts US Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Senator Ron Wyden and Governor Kulongoski

2009-08-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

A round table discussion regarding Veterans Affairs took place today, involving US Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Senator Ron Wyden, Governor Ted Kulongoski, ASPSU President Jonathan Sanford and numerous student veterans and retired veterans.

Sanford and other panel members discussed the current GI Bill, PSU's role in better serving student veterans, what veterans need and the other ways in which veterans can receive assistance.

Photos and more details to follow in the Vanguard's Orientation Guide, out Sept. 14.

Football practice, Tuesday, August 18

2009-08-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

The offensive and defensive lineman practiced single man coverage this morning and it was intense to watch. Going against each other one-on-one, the defensive lineman would attempt to push his way past the offensive lineman to get to where the quarterback would hypothetically be.

During these drills, a couple of players really stood out on the defensive line. Freshman Shea Prince was lined up against center and fellow freshman Jackson Dallas. There is a 90-lb. disparity between these two in Dallas' favor, but to watch them you wouldn't have known it. Prince put himself in great position and got under Dallas' pads. From there, Dallas didn't have a chance and Prince just walked him backwards and out of the way.

Another standout on the defensive line was Conrad Davis. On one drill, he made contact with the opposing lineman and then gave a great spin move and got away. This all happened in a matter of seconds. Currently he is listed third in the depth chart at defensive end, but his abilities should garner him more playing time than that.

A standout offensive lineman this morning was Kyle Ritt. He looked strong through spring training and he continues to perform at a high enough level that he should start. Time again, regardless of his opponents size, he matched up perfectly and held them at bay. With him on the line, the quarterback should be able to breathe a bit easier.

While the lineman were sparring, the rest of the offense and defense set up against each other in mock 11-on-11 drills. The secondary was in top shape with two near interceptions by safety Jordan Brown and two back to back picks of Drew Hubel by DeShawn Shead and Tracy Ford.

One of the new quarterbacks who showed up last week is still having trouble seeing the field. Most of the time, he winds up running with the ball, but without passing, he's not gaining anything. Receiver and obvious team leader Aaron Woods took him aside and threw the ball back ands forth with him after one mean looking play. Hopefully this encourages him to keep progressing in the offense.

Speaking of Woods, what a great day he had. Towards the end of practice, with the team taking on the long field, he was Hubel's go-to guy. Two catches in a row, right up the middle, each for 20-plus yards. The thing that is evident when watching Woods on his routes is that he wants the ball. Whereas some of the receivers run their route and wait for the ball, Woods finishes the route, finds the ball, and then goes to it. This aggressive attitude is part of what makes him so dangerous to opposing defenses. He will without a doubt be exciting to watch this year.

Football practice, Monday, August 17

2009-08-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

Coach Glanville was running punt/kick return drills again this morning and time and time again, wide receiver Aaron Woods shined. He always keeps one eye on the ball and the other on the approaching defenders and manages to make this level of multitasking look easy. The ball always falls between the numbers and upon reception, he puts on a burst on speed and moves that make your head swim. He should continue to be an important part of special teams like he was last year.

It was not a great day for the Vikings' quarterbacks. Both starter Drew Hubel and the team's presumed number two, Connor Kavanaugh, left a bit to be desired in today's 11-on-11 drills. The drills were conducted on the short and long fields today with much the same results on both.

Hubel consistently overthrew his receivers all morning. One might be inclined to think the routes weren't finished or the defense was getting some good bumps in, but that just wasn't the case. Any receiver he threw to was too far away from the ball to make a genuine attempt at it. There were times when the ball was too low or too high. A well-positioned ball was nary to be seen.

There is no doubting Hubel's talent and this was apparently just a bad morning. He also has some timing issues to work out with his new group of receivers. Seven of the thirteen wide receivers on the roster are new to the team this year.

Kavanaugh didn't fair any better than Hubel at today's practice. However, where Hubel made some mistakes on the physical side of things, Kavanaugh made errors from a mental standpoint that were far more egregious than Hubel's errors.

It seemed as though Kavanaugh kept seeing things that just weren't there. On one particular play, the offensive line was very stiff and gave him plenty of time to find an open receiver and complete a pass. There was no pressure being applied to him, but all he managed was a weak, wobbly pass to receiver Daniel Wolverton that was only a completion because of Wolverton's athleticism. Time in the pocket like that only happens once in a blue moon and Kavanaugh must learn to make the best of it when it happens.

By far the most unnerving situation with Kavanaugh at the helm played out on the short field. All of his receivers were covered and instead of taking off with the ball like he is apt to do or being patient until someone came loose, he threaded the ball through a wall of defenders and wound up with an incomplete pass. If the secondary had been so inclined, it would have been an easy interception. A mistake like that at the goal line has the potential to lose a game.

Kavanaugh is a good athlete and imbues the Vikings' offense with a scrambling ability, but he has a bit more to learn about the game management side of things. It will without a doubt come with time.

Cornerback Michael Williams was a bright spot in the secondary today, breaking up several passes. He never takes his eyes off of the receiver and stays physical throughout the play. Fellow cornerback Denzel Davis also had nice coverage and broke up a pass. Both of these freshman players from Texas, and both at 5-9, look like they could offer some relief during the season to help everyone else at the position stay healthy.

Two a day practices start tomorrow and it will be interesting to see the progression of the team as practice becomes more concentrated.

Football practice, Friday, August 14

2009-08-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

Today's 11-on-11 drills were conducted on a shortened field. It looked as though the team was practicing the red-zone offense. Last season, the Vikings were last in the Big Sky Conference in red-zone offense. Opportunities for progress are minimized in the red-zone. A good combination of running plays and passing plays were called.

It is noteworthy to mention the quarterback situation at practice. With Tygue Howland's injury, the Vikings have less depth at the position, with just Connor Kavanaugh and Nick Green on the roster. At practice all week there has been another quarterback working with the team and today there was yet another. It is obvious watching them that they aren't nearly as experienced as the other three quarterbacks, but offensive coordinator Jim Craft has been very patient with them. After every snap he pulls them aside to explain what went wrong. Time will only tell if they find themselves on the roster, but so far it doesn't look too good.

After a week of practice, it is impossible not to have tremendous respect for what secondary coach Brandon Shelby is doing with the team. He's a quiet presence--he can't be heard yelling like the other position coaches. Though he only joined the team in February, his presence can be felt all over the line. It doesn't hurt that the secondary is heavy with talent, but his impact is undeniable.

When the defense lines up, Shelby comes up behind his players and will slightly move them or point something out to them. With these small tweaks, he sets them up for success. Almost without fail, every time he does this, whomever he was speaking with is either responsible for or in on the stop.

The players buy into his coaching too. After they receive an adjustment from him, you can see them looking for key things indicative of what the offense is doing and they become more productive. The secondary consistently looks good and under Shelby's guidance it seems posed to continue to impress.

PSU NEWS: Summer commencement and traffic warning

2009-08-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 15, 2009
11:00 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m.
South Park Blocks, outside of SMSU, rain or shine
Ceremony for Summer 2009 and Fall 2009 graduates.

Schedule
9:45 a.m. All graduates report to Hoffman Hall
10:30 a.m. Deans begin forming procession
10:45 a.m. Procession moves outside
11:00 a.m. Procession begins
12:30 p.m. Procession ends

*NOTICE*: All I-405 Southbound lanes and ramps will be closed Aug. 15-16. Plan accordingly.
View the detour plan here.

Contact commencement@pdx.edu or 503-725-4422 or visit their Web site for more information.

Also, read the Vanguard's full story on this year's summer commencement here.

CONGRATS GRADUATES!

PSU NEWS: Locker painting and odors

2009-08-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Today and Saturday, the lockers on floors two and three of Neuberger Hall, and floors one and three of Cramer Hall will be painted. The work is part of the Go Oregon! stimulus projects.

Painters are using low VOC paint, but the work does have odors associated with it, and there may be some lingering odor for a day or two. If you have allergies or other sensitivities, avoid this area.

Francis McBride
PSU Facilities & Planning
503-725-8944

via PSU Disability Resource Center

OREGON NEWS: Oregon Coast Aquarium announces new president and CEO

2009-08-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

Newport, Oregon—The Oregon Coast Aquarium announces the appointment of Gary Gamer as its new president and chief executive officer. Gamer, who currently resides in Eugene, Ore., will begin his new position September 8.

Gamer brings approximately 25 years of leadership experience with statewide, national and international nonprofit organizations. This includes serving as president and CEO of Holt International Children's Services, based in Eugene, Ore. He has lived and worked also in Portland, New York City and in a number of countries outside of the United States.

“I am thrilled to be joining a talented and committed group of staff and volunteers at the Oregon Coast Aquarium,” said Gamer. “My family has been coming to the aquarium for years and I can personally attest to the impact it has on understanding, appreciating and conserving marine and coastal systems. This is especially true for young people. The aquarium's mission is vital for Oregon’s future and provides great opportunities for building relationships regionally and internationally.”

The position has been open since September 2008, when former President Dale Schmidt accepted the position of assistant zoo director and chief operating officer at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio. Carrie Lewis, aquarium director of marketing, has been serving as interim president while the search for a new president was conducted.

"We are excited to welcome Gary to the Aquarium," said Lewis. “His strong leadership background, his passion for the Aquarium and belief in our mission is a perfect fit for our organization."

Cindy Hanson

Public Relations Manager

Oregon Coast Aquarium

PSU Vikings vs. OSU Beavers fan bus & tailgate!

2009-08-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

Join PSU alumni and friends as they travel to Corvallis to watch the Viks take on the Pac-10 Beavers.

Saturday, Sept 5
Departure from PSU - TBD
Kickoff: 11:35 a.m.

$48.00 per person includes:

Roundtrip transportation to OSU on a deluxe Raz motor coach (personal food and drink allowed on bus)
Tailgate lunch with hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, softdrinks
Access to private No Host bar (beer $4/wine $5)
Reserved private Green & White party area

Game tickets are NOT included in the price.*

Register for the fan bus and tailgate at www.pdx.edu/alumni

*Need a game ticket? Contact Jim at 503-725-8210 or e-mail jhturner@pdx.edu

TwitterTracker: PSU-related tweets

2009-08-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

On this edition of TwitterTracker, take an inside look at the new rec center from @psucampusrec.

July 16 via @psucampusrec: Ceiling tile makes cardio area look great.

Aug 10 via @psucampusrec: The lines on the mac court. Dasherboards are next!

Aug 10 via @psucampusrec: Track is actually getting installed.

Today via @psucampusrec: The pool is getting lane lines.

Follow the Daily Vanguard on Twitter!

Changes for 2009-10

2009-08-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The State Department!

With a lull before daily, fall printing and new editors taking over, please sit tight while we make some changes to this blog.

In the meantime, check out the Renter's Guide, on newsstands now.

Coming up:

Orientation Guide: Due out Sept 14
First fall issue: Sept 29

Also check out our Web site for stories from summer issues you may have missed, or follow us on Twitter @psuvanguard.

In the fall, check us out for the latest news affecting Portland State students.