Portland State Just Put SDSU on Notice

Photo Credit: Mike Dunning

San Diego State’s season opener looked pretty straightforward on paper: an FBS team at home against a Portland State program coming off a 1-11 season.

After Saturday, it deserves a little more attention.

Portland State opened the Chris Fisk era by taking a 21-0 halftime lead over No. 6 UC Davis before ultimately falling 31-24. The Vikings didn’t steal that lead with a series of turnovers or bizarre breaks, either. For 30 minutes, they legitimately controlled a team ranked sixth in both major FCS preseason polls. (Big Sky Conference)

Now they come to Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 5 for SDSU’s season opener at 6:30 p.m. PT on USA Network. (San Diego State Aztecs)

This isn’t the same Portland State team that went 1-11

That part is important.

Portland State hired Fisk after seven seasons as the head coach at Division II Central Washington, where he went 48-22 overall and 38-7 in conference play, won three conference championships and reached the NCAA playoffs four times. PSU then turned over a massive portion of its roster, bringing in 67 newcomers for 2026. (Portland State University Athletics)

There is still experience on offense. Portland State returned seven offensive starters, including running back Delon Thompson, receiver Cru Newman and three starters along the offensive line. Defensively, however, the Vikings returned only one starter from last season: linebacker Jaxton Helmstetler. (Portland State University Athletics)

Saturday was our first real look at what all of those changes actually mean.

And for a half, it was impressive.

Portland State outgained UC Davis 257-84 before halftime, held the Aggies to only four first downs and possessed the ball for 20:15 of the first 30 minutes. One touchdown came on a 78-yard Cru Newman punt return, but the offense also produced touchdown drives of 70 and 87 yards. The second was a 16-play march that ended with eight seconds remaining in the half. (Portland State University Athletics)

That is why simply looking at the 31-24 final score misses the most important part of this game.

For stretches, Portland State looked capable of moving the ball against one of the better teams in the FCS.

Tyrese Smith changes the scouting report

The first name SDSU fans should learn is Tyrese Smith.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound sophomore won Portland State’s quarterback job and finished Saturday 23-of-36 for 268 yards with one interception, while adding 33 net rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Both scores came from one yard out. (UC Davis Athletics)

The rushing total doesn’t fully communicate his threat as a runner. Smith rushed 98 times for 405 yards and six touchdowns in 2025 despite starting only one game. Against Montana last season, he ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard score. (Portland State University Athletics)

Against Davis, Portland State repeatedly incorporated Smith into the run game and trusted him in short-yardage situations. On the Vikings’ 87-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter, PSU converted twice on fourth down, including Smith’s fourth-and-goal quarterback run for the touchdown.

For SDSU, the assignment is pretty clear: keep Smith contained and make Portland State consistently win from the pocket.

He showed Saturday that allowing him to extend possessions with his legs can become a problem quickly.

Portland State has legitimate skill-position weapons

Smith also has more to work with than SDSU fans might expect.

Transfer receiver Devon Anderson immediately emerged as a downfield threat in his Portland State debut, catching six passes for 99 yards, including a 38-yard reception that helped set up PSU’s first touchdown. (UC Davis Athletics)

Then there is Newman.

The sophomore caught seven passes for 66 yards while also returning a punt 78 yards for a touchdown as the first quarter expired. Newman was already Portland State’s leading all-purpose player last season and earned Freshman All-American honors after transitioning from quarterback to receiver and return specialist. (UC Davis Athletics)

That makes special teams an obvious emphasis for SDSU. Giving Newman clean return opportunities is an unnecessary way to allow an underdog to manufacture points and field position.

Tight end Tanner Beaman added four catches for 39 yards, while Thompson had 48 rushing yards and another 33 receiving. Portland State spread its 268 passing yards among five different players. (UC Davis Athletics)

There isn’t one player SDSU can eliminate and assume the offense disappears.

So what happened after halftime?

This is where the blueprint for SDSU becomes clearer.

Portland State produced 257 yards in the first half but only 100 after halftime. UC Davis went the opposite direction, following its 84-yard first half with 290 yards over the final two quarters. Those figures are derived directly from the official final totals of 374 yards for Davis and 357 for Portland State. (Portland State University Athletics)

The collapse began with a disastrous special-teams play. A botched PSU punt resulted in a safety, cutting the lead to 21-2. Davis then drove 60 yards for a touchdown, forced another Portland State punt and went another 50 yards for a score.

Suddenly, 21-0 was 21-16.

Portland State responded impressively enough, putting together a 57-yard drive and kicking a field goal to regain a 24-16 advantage with 9:35 remaining. But Davis answered with a 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game with 2:19 left. Smith was then intercepted with 1:53 remaining, and UC Davis went 80 yards in 1:26, scoring the winning touchdown with 27 seconds left. (UC Davis Athletics)

So this wasn’t simply Portland State getting physically overwhelmed for an entire second half. The Vikings were still leading by eight with fewer than 10 minutes remaining.

They just couldn’t finish.

What should concern SDSU — and what should encourage them

The encouraging part for the Aztecs is that Portland State still showed some offensive limitations.

The Vikings converted only 5-of-16 third downs, averaged 2.4 net yards per rushing attempt and scored only three offensive points after halftime. Smith was also sacked twice and threw the late interception that gave Davis its opportunity to win the game. (UC Davis Athletics)

SDSU’s goal should be to force Portland State into those obvious passing situations instead of letting Smith operate in manageable downs where his legs, quick throws and fourth-down aggressiveness can extend drives.

But there is another number SDSU shouldn’t ignore: Portland State held UC Davis to only 87 net rushing yards on 26 attempts.

For a defense that entered the season with only one returning starter, that is an encouraging debut. Davis eventually found its success through the air, throwing for 287 yards, rather than simply lining up and running over the Vikings. (UC Davis Athletics)

That should temper any assumption that SDSU can show up, hand the ball off and automatically overpower Portland State because of the FBS-FCS talent difference.

The scout

San Diego State should win this game.

But after Saturday, calling Portland State a completely harmless tune-up would be ignoring what the Vikings just showed.

They led the No. 6 team in the FCS 21-0 at halftime. They finished only 17 yards behind UC Davis in total offense, 374-357, possessed the ball for 33:56, ran 73 offensive plays and converted three times on fourth down. (UC Davis Athletics)

For SDSU, three things stand out heading into Sept. 5:

Contain Tyrese Smith. Don’t give Cru Newman opportunities to change the game on special teams. And make Portland State prove it can play four complete quarters.

If the Aztecs do that, their FBS depth and talent should eventually become the difference.

If they come out flat?

Portland State already showed Saturday exactly how uncomfortable it can make a favorite.