Search the Community

Wow -- this is just unbelievable...

North Texas is paying a hefty price for what was supposed to be an easy homecoming win this weekend. After a tough first few weeks of the season, UNT coach Dan McCarney and his players acknowledged that their 4 p.m. showdown with Portland State on Saturday doesn’t look nearly like the easy stroll to the win column it appeared it might be a few months ago. Portland State is off to a 3-1 start and beat Washington State earlier this season, while UNT has lost its first four games. The Mean Green were hammered 49-14 last week by Southern Miss and actually opened as a 1-point underdog in some betting lines against the Vikings, a member of the Football Championship Subdivison. UNT plays one step further up the college football ladder in the Football Bowl Subdivision. “I didn’t even know that we were the underdog,” UNT linebacker Calvin Minor said. “It bothers me a little bit. It puts a bit of chip on our shoulder.” Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20151006-north-texas-opens-as-underdog-to-fcs-portland-state.ece

Portland State is deep at several positions, particularly on offense where Barnum should have multiple candidates to choose from at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. ‘Cautiously optimistic’ could be the most apropos phrase describing the anticipation around the Vikings heading into the new season, even though Barnum is the first to acknowledge PSU is far from a perfect team and, like most teams in the Big Sky and elsewhere, has flaws. “We have holes at certain spots,” Barnum admitted. “But I also think we are pretty darned good at some spots. We’ll be competitive in the Big Sky. This game is 90 percent mental. Right now, the attitude of our guys will get us to the fourth quarter. I would be surprised if that wasn’t the case in every game.” Summer workouts will wrap up soon as the Vikings transition into preseason camp. Based on the feedback he has received, Barnum described summer workouts as ‘strong.’ “Our guys are doing well. The attendance has been very good,” Barnum said. “I have no complaints about summer workouts.” Little has changed regarding the quarterback position. Four signal callers (Kieran McDonagh, Paris Penn, Josh Kraght, Alex Kuresa) were locked into a spirited, ‘too close to call’ competition when spring practice concluded in late April. read more: http://psuvikingtales.com/vikings-aim-to-prove-skeptics-wrong/ Portland State message board is: http://www.bigskyfans.com/vikings/viewforum.php?f=2