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The thus-far horrendous Week 1 for the Pac-12 North reached new heights (or depths) with FCS Portland State knocking off Washington State 24-17 in Pullman. The Cougars saw a 10-0 halftime lead disintegrate in the second frame as Portland State ran up and down on the Cougars. Though WSU outgained the Vikings 411-294, a pair of turnovers proved costly and the Cougars inability to stop Portland State’s rushing attack was the difference. What the win means for Portland State: With an interim head coach (formerly offensive coordinator) and coming off a 3-9 campaign last year (which included a 59-21 loss to Washington State), the Vikings recorded their first ever win over a Pac-12 team. Having previously been 0-14 against Pac-12 programs and 2-32 all-time against FBS teams, this is one of the more significant wins for the program. They head to Idaho State next week brimming with confidence. What the loss means for Washington State: This one hurts … big time. The most damning statistic is the 233 rushing yards the Cougars gave up to the Vikings. There was plenty of discussion in the offseason that new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was going to bring improvement to a defense that allowed 38.6 points per game. Quarterback Luke Falk wasn’t bad -- completing 27 of 41 throws for 289 yards and a pair of scores. The Cougars even showed a little balance, rushing 30 times for 104 yards (though the rain probably contributed to that). But this is a monumental setback for a team looking to return to the postseason for the second time in three years. The game turned when: With the teams tied at 17-17 in the fourth quarter, Portland State strung together a fantastic 14-play, 69-yard drive that not only ended with a 1-yard Steven Long run, it also ate up 6:46 of clock. That left Falk & Co. just 2:18 to move the length of the field. But Falk got hurt reaching for a first down and backup Peyton Bender was intercepted by Aaron Sibley with 42 seconds left in the game. Stat of the game: A total of 11 Cougars made a reception, but none went over 100 yards for the game. Gabe Marks and Keith Harrington both caught touchdowns.
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