Viks eat Mean Green for lunch, get ready for the main course
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The Portland State Vikings kept piling it on, going for more — an unstoppable, hungry team.
And that was just at the Friday barbecue.
“Bet we were there nearly two hours. Our guys just kept eating,” coach Bruce Barnum says.
The next day, the Vikings devoured North Texas. They beat the Mean Green so badly, 66-7, in Denton, Texas, athletic director Rick Villarreal fired Dan McCarney as coach immediately after the game.
For Barnum, that was about the only thing not to like about the well-worth-it trip — and $425,000 payday — to play the higher-level, FBS, Conference USA team.
“This is an awful, awful profession, and we (coaches) all know it,” Barnum says, reflecting on McCarney's abrupt dismissal. “I’ve been fired and been on coaching staffs that have been released. I feel bad for their families. We coaches all know one another — guys will call them and help them out, help them get jobs, but the families are the ones who have to pull the kids out of schools and wait till dad gets settled in a new job and all that.”
“It’s the most brutal profession you can go into … and it’s the best game in the world.”
The Vikings played one of their best games. They jumped on North Texas, now 0-5, raced to a 45-0 halftime lead, then emptied their bench in the second half, allowing a touchdown with 1:02 remaining.
“All three phases — offense, defense, special teams — turned in a nice performance,” Barnum says. “The morning started with some adversity — one of our buses dropped a transmission — but we have a tough team. They don’t worry about things. They played sandlot football, just kept coming. They weren’t tense about playing in Texas. They enjoyed the moment.”
Just like they did the day before at North Main BBQ in Eueless, Texas. “It’s all you can eat,” Barnum says, noting that his players kept their end of the bargain.
“Ribs, brisket, pickled okra — the true southern thing,” Barnum says. “The kind of place you’d expect to see John Wayne sitting in.”
On the way out, the Viking players petted the 2,200-pound brass armadillo smoker for good luck.
Game day was different, in terms of calories. “They don’t eat a damn thing,” Barnum says. “We give them a couple quarters of a sandwich and chicken noodle soup. I make 'em play hungry.”
The Vikings feasted instead on North Texas, posting the most lopsided FCS-over-FBS victory ever.
Now it’s back to the Big Sky Conference and time to focus on a very big game, a 12:30 p.m. Saturday clash with Montana State (3-2, 2-1 Big Sky) at Providence Park.
Both teams are nationally ranked and in the early running for the league title. Montana State, which beat visiting Sacramento State 35-13 last week, has been there many times before. The Bobcats have won three conference crowns under ninth-year coach Rob Ash. They've finished in the top four of the Big Sky every year he’s been at the Bozeman school. The Vikings haven’t done much in a long time — but they are 4-1 this season, 1-1 in the conference and have postseason aspirations.
"Coach Ash has them where everybody’s striving to be," Barnum says. "Montana, Eastern Washington and Montana State, that’s who everybody talks about. This game is going to be a challenge."
Montana State has gone over 500 yards on offense four games in a row and is scoring 46.7 points per game. The Bobcats' losses were 55-50 at Eastern Washington and 49-41 at Northern Arizona.
The Viks barely lost their last Big Sky game, falling 19-17 to North Dakota at Hillsboro Stadium two weeks ago.
"Everybody in the program was disappointed, but you have to have a short memory," Barnum says. “I like that we’re getting better each week. At whatever spot, we’re getting better. But we have to prove ourselves all over again.”
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The Portland State Vikings kept piling it on, going for more — an unstoppable, hungry team.
And that was just at the Friday barbecue.
“Bet we were there nearly two hours. Our guys just kept eating,” coach Bruce Barnum says.
The next day, the Vikings devoured North Texas. They beat the Mean Green so badly, 66-7, in Denton, Texas, athletic director Rick Villarreal fired Dan McCarney as coach immediately after the game.
For Barnum, that was about the only thing not to like about the well-worth-it trip — and $425,000 payday — to play the higher-level, FBS, Conference USA team.
“This is an awful, awful profession, and we (coaches) all know it,” Barnum says, reflecting on McCarney's abrupt dismissal. “I’ve been fired and been on coaching staffs that have been released. I feel bad for their families. We coaches all know one another — guys will call them and help them out, help them get jobs, but the families are the ones who have to pull the kids out of schools and wait till dad gets settled in a new job and all that.”
“It’s the most brutal profession you can go into … and it’s the best game in the world.”
The Vikings played one of their best games. They jumped on North Texas, now 0-5, raced to a 45-0 halftime lead, then emptied their bench in the second half, allowing a touchdown with 1:02 remaining.
“All three phases — offense, defense, special teams — turned in a nice performance,” Barnum says. “The morning started with some adversity — one of our buses dropped a transmission — but we have a tough team. They don’t worry about things. They played sandlot football, just kept coming. They weren’t tense about playing in Texas. They enjoyed the moment.”
Just like they did the day before at North Main BBQ in Eueless, Texas. “It’s all you can eat,” Barnum says, noting that his players kept their end of the bargain.
“Ribs, brisket, pickled okra — the true southern thing,” Barnum says. “The kind of place you’d expect to see John Wayne sitting in.”
On the way out, the Viking players petted the 2,200-pound brass armadillo smoker for good luck.
Game day was different, in terms of calories. “They don’t eat a damn thing,” Barnum says. “We give them a couple quarters of a sandwich and chicken noodle soup. I make 'em play hungry.”
The Vikings feasted instead on North Texas, posting the most lopsided FCS-over-FBS victory ever.
Now it’s back to the Big Sky Conference and time to focus on a very big game, a 12:30 p.m. Saturday clash with Montana State (3-2, 2-1 Big Sky) at Providence Park.
Both teams are nationally ranked and in the early running for the league title. Montana State, which beat visiting Sacramento State 35-13 last week, has been there many times before. The Bobcats have won three conference crowns under ninth-year coach Rob Ash. They've finished in the top four of the Big Sky every year he’s been at the Bozeman school. The Vikings haven’t done much in a long time — but they are 4-1 this season, 1-1 in the conference and have postseason aspirations.
"Coach Ash has them where everybody’s striving to be," Barnum says. "Montana, Eastern Washington and Montana State, that’s who everybody talks about. This game is going to be a challenge."
Montana State has gone over 500 yards on offense four games in a row and is scoring 46.7 points per game. The Bobcats' losses were 55-50 at Eastern Washington and 49-41 at Northern Arizona.
The Viks barely lost their last Big Sky game, falling 19-17 to North Dakota at Hillsboro Stadium two weeks ago.
"Everybody in the program was disappointed, but you have to have a short memory," Barnum says. “I like that we’re getting better each week. At whatever spot, we’re getting better. But we have to prove ourselves all over again.”
