Alex Kuresa

[forestgreen]

I didn't know about his previous neck injury. Makes his story even more amazing:

Portland State QB gets revenge on rival in stunning upset of Wazzu

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/portland-state-qb-gets-revenge-on-rival-in-stunning-upset-of-wazzu-090515" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A 31-point underdog? A quarterback who had never before thrown a pass in an NCAA game? A driving rainstorm?
None of that mattered Saturday for Portland State, which earned its first win in 15 tries against a Pac-12 opponent by stunning four-and-a-half-touchdown favorite Washington State, 24-17, in a driving rainstorm in Pullman.
According to ESPN, the Vikings entered the game with a 2.4 percent chance of victory, making the upset the third-most unlikely in the past 10 seasons.
It was a particularly special win for Portland State quarterback Alex Kuresa, who was making his first start at the NCAA level after transferring from Snow Junior College in Utah -- and was doing so against high school rival Luke Falk, the starting QB for Washington State.
The last time the two played, according to the Seattle Times, Falk’s Logan (Utah) team beat Kuresa’s Mountain Crest (Utah) squad 35-34 in 2010. This time, it was Kuresa who came out on top, and on a slightly bigger stage.
Kuresa was 7 for 12 passing for 61 yards but led all players with 92 rushing yards. Afterward, Kuresa was seen running into the stands to celebrate the victory with his wife:

Kuresa had one of the most prolific careers in Utah prep history; as a four-year starter at Mountain Crest, he went 751 for 1,154 for 10,951 yards and 101 touchdowns from 2007-10, all the second-best totals in the state. He started his career at BYU, but after redshirting as a freshman, he converted to wide receiver in 2012, suffered a neck injury that required emergency spinal-fusion surgery, opted to return to quarterback to try to minimize his risk of reinjury and eventually transferred to Snow Junior College, where he started last season.
His unusual route came full circle against Falk, who took a much more direct route to Wazzu after setting Utah high school single-season passing records with 330 completions and 562 attempts while averaging 328.9 yards per contest in 2012.
Before the game, Kuresa told the Seattle Times, “Luke Falk and I, we are high-school rivals from the same town. It’s going to be fun in that sense."
And for Kuresa, it certainly was.

 

[forestgreen]

Alex Kuresa post WSU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GDy97Bdy4M" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[forestgreen]

I like this Kuresa. PSU's QB willing to block Idaho State's Tyler Kuder #bigskyfb

https://vine.co/v/eF6Zbguglt1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

[forestgreen]

Already set my recording for this!:

PSU VIKINGS ‏@PSU_VIKINGS 3h3 hours ago
Vikings QB Alex Kuresa @Its_Rufio7 featured tonight on KPTV's Oregon Sports Final at 11 p.m. @NickKrupke #GoViks @viks_football #BarnyBall


https://twitter.com/PSU_VIKINGS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Viktorious]

In case you missed it:

http://www.kptv.com/clip/11914109/family-first-viking-qb-balances-marriage-and-fatherhood" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[forestgreen]

Look who is on the CFPA FCS National Performer of the Year Midseason Watch List:!:


http://collegefootballperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2015-CFPA-FCS-National-Performer-of-the-Year-Midseason-Watch-List.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[forestgreen]

Kuresa Fitting In As New Husband, Father, Quarterback

http://www.goviks.com/news/2015/10/20/FB_1020151930.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[forestgreen]

Nice article and videos from the big "O":

Running, throwing, leading, Portland State quarterback Alex Kuresa is the complete package

http://www.oregonlive.com/vikings/index.ssf/2015/10/leading_running_throwing_portl.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Viktorious]

Alex Kuresa tweeted out to Damian Lillard to come out to a PSU game and offered some free gear ... not the response he expected :lol:

http://www.standard.net/Sports/2015/11/03/Damian-Lillard-still-bleeds-purple-declines-offer-of-PSU-gear.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GreenGiant]

Alex Kuresa tweeted out to Damian Lillard to come out to a PSU game and offered some free gear ... not the response he expected :lol:

http://www.standard.net/Sports/2015/11/03/Damian-Lillard-still-bleeds-purple-declines-offer-of-PSU-gear.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I actually think this is great. Had Lillard played in another conference, or the Pac-12 I could see it. He played for Weber and shouldn't root for PSU just because he plays for the Blazers.

 

[bigskyconf]

Alex Kuresa tweeted out to Damian Lillard to come out to a PSU game and offered some free gear ... not the response he expected :lol:

http://www.standard.net/Sports/2015/11/03/Damian-Lillard-still-bleeds-purple-declines-offer-of-PSU-gear.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I actually think this is great. Had Lillard played in another conference, or the Pac-12 I could see it. He played for Weber and shouldn't root for PSU just because he plays for the Blazers.

Lillard wears the letter "O" and one of the reasons is for Ogden. He doesn't wear the letter "P". :lol:

 

[bigskyconf]

Great read on Kuresa from Christopher Kamrani of the Salt Lake Tribune (first appeared yesterday, 11-9). Kudos to Ken Goe of the Oregonian for providing the link.

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3156160-155/college-football-former-byu-qb-alex?fullpage=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[goviks2]

from the Cedar City Spectator


Southern Utah defensive end James Cowser may not have played Alex Kuresa in high school, but he knew the name. He heard about the star freshman quarterback at Mountain Crest, and for good reason. That freshman would go on to break multiple state records, but even after a prolific career, Kuresa had trouble finding a school that would let him line up under center.

That was until Portland State came calling.

It's hard not to be impressed by Kuresa's high school career. He set state records in total offense (12,917), passing yards (10,951), and passing touchdowns (101), and was the Utah Gatorade Player of the Year in 2010. In terms of numbers, it's hard to match. His storied career earned him a scholarship from BYU, but after a redshirt season he was moved to wide receiver, and it just wasn’t the same as the position he had mastered.

“That’s my love,” Kuresa said of playing quarterback. “That’s the first thing I wanted to play. That’s the first thing I did play, and I had a lot of fun playing receiver and a few other spots at BYU, but it was never as fun as being a quarterback.”

So following a LDS mission, Kuresa went searching for another chance to play the position he loved. He transferred to Snow College for the 2013 season, and he picked up right where he left off from his high school days. He threw for 2,374 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for 592 yards and another eight touchdowns, leading Snow to an 8-2 record. But still not many came calling — including SUU.

“I remember my junior college coaches had spoken with Southern Utah trying to throw my name out there and they weren’t interested in me at quarterback,” Kuresa said.

But, according to SUU coaches, it was never a question of ability.

“There’s two part of every evaluation,” Southern Utah head coach Ed Lamb said. “The first is is he good enough to play — and he certainly always was — but the second one is do we need him?"

The T-Birds had Ammon Olsen returning for his senior season, and Tannon Pedersen waiting in the wings.

“We looked at him,” offensive coordinator Justin Walterscheid said. “But we had Ammon, someone who is ready to play and someone we could really depend on this year. And we have Tannon Pedersen, so we didn’t really need a junior college quarterback. So it wasn't something we looked to hard into.”

But it wasn’t just SUU that didn’t think Kuresa filled a need. Other nearby Big Sky schools Weber State and Idaho State all turned a deaf ear to what the former Mountain Crest star was doing at Snow.

“I didn’t receive one letter, didn’t talk to anybody from any of those schools,” Kuresa said. “I couldn’t tell you why or the reasons. It just kind of how it ended up working out. They weren’t interested. They didn’t think I could fulfill a need for them, and that’s OK. I’m happy where I ended up. I’m happy that I get my shot to go at them.”

And Portland State isn’t feeling too bad about it either. So far this season, Kuresa has passed for more than 1,500 yards, ran for nearly 600 yards and has been responsible for 19 touchdowns. But more importantly, he has helped lead the Vikings to a national ranking, two victories over FBS teams and a likely spot in the FCS playoffs.

A conference title could still be a possibility for the Vikings if they can knock off Southern Utah this Saturday, but Kuresa has another form of motivation.

“I feel like I play with the same motivation and tenacity every week,” Kuresa said. “But I’m probably going to running a little bit harder this week, throw a little more accurate. I’ll be at the top of my game. I can promise you that.”

But in the end, both Kuresa and SUU are content with how things ended up.

“I think that’s a story line that he may find motivation in, that we didn’t recruit him,” Lamb said. “But there was certainly never an evaluation that he was never good enough to play at SUU. We think Ammon is good enough.”

Said Kuresa: "I pride myself in being a leader and having the game in my hands, and that’s what I wanted. I waited to get an opportunity to do that. And that’s what I got here at Portland State. And the rest is history."

 

[goviks2]

sorry...Cedar City Spectrum

 

[forestgreen]

College football: Former BYU QB Alex Kuresa winning big at Portland State

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3156160-155/college-football-former-byu-qb-alex?fullpage=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

After he'd convinced the security guard standing outside the BYU locker room that his last name meant something, the 8-year-old boy would beg players for their game gloves or dirty socks. When a young Alex Kuresa wasn't doing that, he'd hound Cougar quarterback John Beck for tips.

Kuresa was always going to be a quarterback. It was only a matter of when and where. He hoped it would be wearing Cougar blue and white. Following a record-setting career at Mountain Crest, it was obvious he possessed the tools, passing for 10,951 yards and 101 touchdowns. But a good quarterback also must change the play when he gets a look he isn't fond of.

That's what the 6-foot signal-caller from the small Logan outpost of Millville did in Jan. 2014. Kuresa blazed his own trail, leaving behind his dream of standing behind center in Provo, only to do so in Ephraim at Snow College.

Risky? Sure, but it paid off.

"Some guys will back down," said Snow coach Britt Maughan, "but he never does."

The proof lies in where Kuresa ended up, and what he's done since.

Now, the kid from Cache Valley is the starting quarterback in a city that takes pride in the peculiar, and he's doing it with style. Kuresa has led the Big Sky Conference's Portland State Vikings to a 7-2 start (4-2 in league play) while throwing for over 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns and running for seven TDs.

The Vikings play host to conference-leading Southern Utah Saturday in game that has title implications for both teams.

Like a portion of 20-somethings residing in downtown Portland, Kuresa sports an emerging beard with hair sprouting from the back of his matte black helmet. Despite looking the part, Kuresa is rolls with his own alternative lifestyle in a community dedicated to keeping Portland weird. In this case, married with a kid.

Kuresa wakes up every day at 6 a.m., tiptoeing around the house as his infant daughter, Kalisi Mei, sleeps soundly. The drive from his apartment in suburban Beaverton to the campus at Portland State University is about 15 minutes.

There are only two other players on Portland State who are married, Kuresa said. At times, it makes him yearn for the days at BYU, where wife Madison and Kalisi Mei could be part of the designated wives' club.

That's not possible in Portland. But something else is. The Vikings gave one of Utah's most-storied prep products a shot at his spot when no one else would.

"Every time I talk to him, I can hear him grinning through the phone," said older brother Jake, a former four-year starter on the BYU offensive line.

Odds stacked against him

The youngest of the three Kuresa children, Alex paled in comparison to older brother Jake and even older sister Jaicee, who played volleyball at Utah Valley. Jake recalls starting as a freshman at Mountain Crest as a 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman. And Alex? A 5-foot-7, 130-pound rail.

"On the genetics side, there's not a lot that's similar about us," Jake said.

But when BYU offered him a scholarship, he followed in his big brother's footsteps.

After redshirting in 2011, Kuresa moved to wide receiver in 2012. He wanted to play. And he did, appearing in 10 games where he caught four passes for 51 yards. Following that season, he left on an LDS mission to American Samoa. He returned early in Dec. 2013, and wanted one last shot at quarterback.

It wouldn't come. At least not in Provo. To move back behind center, Kuresa called an audible, moving to central Utah and backtracking through the junior college ranks.

"I was waiting to get an opportunity for four years," he said. "Waiting to prove myself. That's what I got."

Kuresa's 2014 season with the Badgers turned him into one of two Junior College All-American quarterbacks. He threw for 2,374 yards, 25 touchdowns and ran for another eight. scores

Steve Cooper called last November to inquire about two of Snow's tight ends. They had already committed elsewhere. Instead, he was told about Kuresa and got hold of the quarterback's tape. Cooper, heading into his first season as Portland State's offensive coordinator was shocked.

The highlight package was 120 minutes long.

"We ask the quarterback to run the football at times, and he showed that he was more than adequate in that department," Cooper said. "He even drew comparisons to 'The Johnny Manziel of the junior college ranks,' when we watched him. We saw he could fit right into what we're doing."

A perfect match

Jake Kuresa sees parallels between his kid brother and the Portland State program. Both are used to lengthy line of skeptics. The last time the Vikings matched their 2015 win total was 2011.

"They haven't been good before," Jake Kuresa said. "People doubt them. They travel to their games on a bus."

As for Alex?

"Nothing has been handed to him," he added.

Kuresa could be a skill-position player at a national powerhouse this year, if he wanted. Last fall, LSU, Auburn and Michigan expressed interest. Gary Andersen and Oregon State did, too.

But Kuresa couldn't envision continuing football without having the ball — and the game — in his hands.

Cooper has noticed the instant affect Kuresa's had on the program.

"Any time you've got a guy who has been around the block [and] has experience, he gets the game," Cooper said. "He understands those little intricate details to what makes sure the locker room works."

The payoff

On Sept. 5, weather rolled into Pullman, Wash., along with the Portland State bus. The Vikings, 32-point underdogs to Mike Leach's Washington State Cougars, were paid a reported $525,000 just for showing up.

Former Logan High quarterback Luke Falk and the Cougars jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Less than 11 minutes into the third quarter, Portland State tied it up. Less than two minutes into the fourth, the Vikings took the lead. Kuresa didn't need to throw much. He totaled just 61 yards through the air. The ground game was chugging and chewed up the Cougars for 233 yards, including Kuresa's 92 yards on 16 carries while methodically killing the clock.

In Kuresa's first game as a Viking, Portland State beat a Pac-12 program for the first time ever. Amid the postgame hysteria, he spotted Madison and sprinted after her. He approached his wife in the empty section of the bleachers and the two embraced — alone, in another strange place.

"That was the payoff moment for me and my wife," said Kuresa,.

That would be Alex Kuresa, the quarterback.

 

[forestgreen]

Former BYU quarterbacks rise to stardom for FCS playoff-bound SUU, Portland State

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865642266/Former-BYU-quarterbacks-rise-to-stardom-for-FCS-playoff-bound-SUU-Portland-State.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ammon Olsen and Alex Kuresa. Call them position mastery quarterbacks.

The college football season began as a year with quarterbacks in crucial roles and it will end with all of them under the spotlight.

Utah is trying to trust senior Travis Wilson to deliver, BYU has transitioned from Taysom Hill to Tanner Mangum and Utah State recycled Chuckie Keeton to get bowl eligible against Nevada.

In the meantime, some quarterbacks simply moved on and became stars.

For all that’s said about BYU, the old QB factory continues to churn out players for that position, even if they don’t stick with the Cougars, their original assessment checked out.

BYU’s had a run of these type athletes of late and it started with Brad Sorensen who left BYU for SUU during the Riley Nelson-Jake Heaps years then made the roster of the NFL's San Diego Chargers. The Cougars were lucky to get one back last season in Christian Stewart, after his detour to Snow College.

Then there are Olsen and Kuresa, two former Cougars. They left BYU, carved out their own niche, climbed to the top and delivered big time this season.

Kuresa can spend the holidays saying he helped do something six Pac-12 QBs, including UCLA's Josh Rosen, couldn’t: Beat Mike Leach and Washington State.

Former Alta star Olsen led Southern Utah to the Big Sky Conference title and will lead the Thunderbirds in the first round of the FCS playoffs at Sam Houston State this week.

“He’s extremely competitive outside of the passing tools he has,” said SUU coach Ed Lamb of Olsen.

“I don’t think there’s any question, for those who have seen him since his high school days, as a thrower, his passing mechanics, his arm strength, his ability to deliver the ball on time, his reading of defenses is top notch. But what he offers outside of that is his competitiveness.”

A year ago, Lamb had a quarterback controversy on his hands because the returning senior had “credibility” but Olsen had “ability.” This year Olsen was simply the man.

Former Mountain Crest star Alex Kuresa, once a Deseret News Mr. Football who played at BYU and Snow College, just led Portland State to its first nine-win season ever. This after a nine-loss season.

Lamb was thrilled to get Olsen back at SUU after he enrolled at BYU following an LDS mission then transferred back to Cedar City when it became evident BYU was set with Taysom Hill.

Last year Olsen battled for a spot at SUU, but the T-Birds returned their starting QB Aaron Cantu, whom the players respected. That made it tough for Olsen to exercise leadership and lead the team as a newcomer, but he did start the fourth game and wound up throwing for 3,049 yards and 21 touchdowns for the season.

In 2015 Olsen, a natural leader and superior athlete with an accurate arm, simply became the man. He was minutes from leading SUU to an upset of Utah State in Logan.

In 11 games, Olsen’s pass efficiency rating is 132. He has completed 258 of 430 (60 percent completion rate) for 2,965 yards, with 22 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. The Thunderbirds are 8-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big Sky.

Kuresa and Olsen should be included in any chatter centered on MVPs of the Big Sky.

Kuresa came to PSU last spring yet was voted team captain by the summer.

"You'd have to write a book to cover what he meant to our team," said PSU coach Bruce Barnum. "He makes plays that aren't there. He doesn't turn the ball over. He leads."

Barnum said Kuresa helped completely turn around Portland State's turnover margin in one year (minus 20 to plus 12) "Someone made this kid a winner and taught this kid how to play football. He's been nails for us"

Barnum took Kuresa to a booster luncheon before the Montana game and described his presentation as professional. "Montana is talked about like its the only team in the Big Sky," said Barnum. "Then he said, 'I want everybody here to know I guarantee we wll win this game tomorrow and I hope you all have fun watching it.'"

PSU defeated Montana 35-16.

In Portland, the 9-2 (6-2) Vikings made the FCS playoffs for only the second time ever. The season includes a 5-0 record against ranked teams and 2-0 against FBS teams including wins over Washington State and North Texas.

Kuresa’s No. 6-seeded team gets a bye this week and will await the winner of Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois Dec. 5.

SUU and Sam Houston are on ESPN3 Saturday at 1 p.m.

 

[forestgreen]

Former Utah prep QB, BYU receiver Alex Kuresa helped turn Portland State into a winner

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865642854/Former-Utah-prep-BYU-quarterback-Alex-Kuresa-helped-turn-Portland-State-into-a-winner.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


PORTLAND, Ore. — As Portland State head coach Bruce Barnum tallied the results of a preseason vote to determine the team’s offensive captain for the upcoming season, he couldn’t believe what he saw, so he conducted a recount.

Same result: Alex Kuresa.

“I went back through them like, ‘really?'” Barnum said, recalling his disbelief.

Barnum liked what he saw in his new junior college transfer, but he hadn’t named a starting quarterback yet when the voting had taken place and nothing was certain at that position as the Vikings prepared to open the regular season at Washington State.

But it wasn’t a difficult decision for the players to make.

“His leadership is very special,” Portland State senior running back David Jones said, about his teammate. “Everybody was in tune, and everyone agreed that he should be our captain.”

'Who is this guy?'
Kuresa’s odyssey to Portland State unofficially began in Ephraim, Utah, after completing the 2014 season as the quarterback at Snow College. While there, he led the Badgers with 2,151 yards passing and 24 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes in the regular season, and he led the team in rushing as well. With Kuresa’s junior college career coming to an end, it was time to meet the suitors, and he soon faced an all-too-familiar scenario.

He came to Snow College to play quarterback, the position he played at Mountain Crest High and garnered Deseret News Mr. Football honors back in 2010. However, he wasn’t seen as a quarterback at the collegiate level. He committed to BYU, where coaches there flipped him to wide receiver. Coaches courting Kuresa following the 2014 season saw the same future.

Then came Portland State, which was in the midst of completing a 3-9 season and Barnum was an interim coach in the middle of transitioning to the permanent job.

Barnum is probably the first to admit he wasn’t exactly scouting for another quarterback for 2015 and didn’t visit Snow College to woo Kuresa during a recruiting trip late last year. The coach instead visited Ephraim with his mindset on trying to land another tight end for his program, which ultimately fell through.

“All of a sudden we saw Alex Kuresa, and it was kind of ‘who’s this guy?’ I kept watching him and kept watching him, called him that night and there was some back and forth,” Barnum said.

Of course, Kuresa had other things going on in his life at the time Barnum started recruiting him. He had just gotten married and part of the recruiting process now meant getting his wife, Madison, on board with Portland, Barnum joked.

All kidding aside, the Kuresas visited Portland State’s campus and knew it was the right fit.

“My wife and I came out on a recruiting trip and we absolutely loved it, and we’ve loved it ever since we got here,” Kuresa said.

Looking back at it now, Barnum knows how fortunate he is for that to come together.

“We lucked out and got him at Portland State University on our football team,” Barnum said. “He wanted to play quarterback, and I thank bejesus that other people wanted him to play other positions. We took him at quarterback — at a position I didn’t think we were bad at.”

Completing the turnaround
When Barnum took over as head coach last year, he knew he had to make some changes.

“I wanted to change the culture and expectations here,” he said, and credits guys like Kuresa for making that happen prior to the season.

 

[bigskyconf]

Honorary captain in the BYU game tomorrow and will be calling the coin flip at the start. Good story in the Provo Daily Herald, courtesy of Darnell Dickson.

http://www.heraldextra.com/sports/college/byu/football/alex-kuresa-all-green-for-byu-portland-state-game-on/article_911df6f6-13c1-5711-8ee7-df9494a6d5bb.html