The start of the 2024 Portland State football season is looming, with a trip to Washington State just a little over a week away for the Vikings.
"We're in the grind period, we need to play somebody," Portland State head coach Bruce Barnum said, seemingly licking his chops at the idea of finally getting out on the field.
Playing up a tier of football is business as usual for FCS programs, with the Vikings having started their 5-6 2023 campaign in Eugene against Oregon. That contest against Oregon was easily their tallest task of the season, but Washington State in 2024 has the potential to be their third or even fourth most difficult game.
The Vikings will run a gauntlet in both conference and non-conference play. Two of their opponents hail from the FBS in Wazzu and Boise State. Seven others — UC Davis, Sacramento State, South Dakota, Montana, Montana State and Chattanooga — finished the 2023 season ranked within the top 25 of the FCS. The Vikings' only three games of the year against teams that aren't from the FBS, weren't ranked or weren't a playoff team in the 2023 season will come against Weber State, Idaho State and Northern Colorado.
Barnum knows the task ahead of him is a tall one. But in his words, with so many powers on the schedule, it only takes seven wins.
"I want to see a team play their (butt) off for four quarters," Barnum said. "I want to see the effort. You never know what could happen. We are probably the underdog I would say in 10 of them. So what? We've got an opportunity, we've got an opportunity to be ranked."
Barnum went on to say that he doesn't want to lose games before they show up for it, meaning that he's wanting his players to be able to block out the distractions and the doubts from outside of the program.
The man tabbed to lead the Vikings is once again Dante Chachere, who's entering his fifth and final season of college football. The California-product is entering his third season with the reigns of the program, earning himself a nod for the 2024 Senior Bowl preseason watchlist. Chachere is a dynamic athlete who finished second on the team in rushing in 2023 with 623 rushing yards and 10 scores, along with 1,573 passing yards and 16 touchdowns through the air.
"He's a two-time captain, to me that means something," Barnum said of his senior quarterback. "He's a guy that when he's healthy and playing, he's hard to stop. I think we have the tools now for him offensively."
Those tools will come in the form of receivers, running backs and tight ends, with Barnum saying he's been impressed with all three groups as well as the offensive line.
The top receiving options are expected to be a pair of junior transfers from San Jose State in Branden Alvarez and Terence Loville, as well as sophomore in-house product Jaylen Lynch. Alvarez is the only one of the three to have a catch in their collegiate career with three to his credit, but Chachere mentioned all three of them specifically when talking about the receivers he's connected with the most.
Over on the defense, Michael Montgomery looks to be in line for another big season after being named a freshman All-American in 2023 and an All-Big Sky preseason selection this year. He played in all 11 games, starting five down the stretch and recorded 69 total tackles to finish second on the team in the category.
The shocking part is Montgomery himself said he was only playing at about 70% of his true ability in 2023 while still working back from an undisclosed injury he suffered his senior year of high school. Now he says he's playing at 100% and has even added 10 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame.
The biggest sleeper in Barnum's opinion is a redshirt freshman who only scratched the surface of what he could do before suffering a season-ending injury last year.
"Zach Wusstig at safety," Barnum said. "To me, (safety) is like the quarterback on defense. He's impressing me (after getting) hurt last year. He's showing me who I thought he was, he's a hell of a football player."
With just two games in the 2023 campaign, Wusstig managed 10 tackles and a pair of pass breakups. With him back at full health, the combo of Montgomery and Wusstig in the second and third levels of the defense could turn heads.
Portland State opens up its 2024 season at Washington State's Martin Stadium at noon on Saturday, Aug. 31.
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