We can still count Tim Walsh as a Vikings football fan
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For most of the year, Tim Walsh is still an unofficial member of the Portland State athletics fan club.
And the former Vikings football coach, who has been Cal Poly’s head coach since 2009, is a big fan of what PSU is doing this year under its new coach, Bruce Barnum.
“No. 1, congratulations,” Walsh says from San Luis Obispo, where his Mustangs (2-4, 1-2 Big Sky) will play host to the Vikings (5-1, 2-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday. “It’s fun to see them get it going, and it’s much needed, both for the football program and for athletics at Portland State.”
The Vikings are on a roll, having been especially potent the past two games, wins of 66-7 at North Texas and 59-42 last week against Montana State.
“They’re a completely different team,” Walsh says. “Schematically on defense and philosophically on offense, they’re different. They’ve eliminated turnovers. Their guys are blocking and tackling. Their special teams are as good, if not better, than anybody else’s in our conference. And they have a different attitude. They believe they can win. You can see by how they’re playing that their kids like what’s going on there. The players have an air of confidence now.
“Bruce has put them on the right path. You can tell how excited he is to be at Portland State, and the players are playing hard for him. He’s created a really positive atmosphere. The enthusiasm they have is the big thing I see. It’s pretty impressive.”
How good are the Vikings? Walsh, whose team already has played Big Sky leader Eastern Washington, as well as Montana State, Montana and Idaho State, offers an observation.
“I haven’t seen everybody in the conference yet, but from what I’ve seen, they’re the best team in the Big Sky,” he says. “A lot of us in the conference can play offense, but not a lot of us are playing defense like they are. They’re very athletic, and they’re playing very sound. You combine that with an offense that is running the ball effectively and scoring points — they’re a viable candidate to win a lot of games and go as far as they can in the playoffs.”
Cal Poly has played the toughest schedule in the country, having faced six teams that were in the preseason top 25 and now about to take on No. 13 PSU. The Mustangs were tied with Arizona State at Tempe midway through the fourth quarter before losing 35-21 on Sept. 12. They also dropped a heartbreaker in their last outing, 42-41 at Eastern Washington on Oct. 10, after leading by 15 points in the fourth quarter. Walsh went for two points and the win in OT, but didn’t get it.
“We’ve had some bad stretches in games that have cost us,” Walsh says. “A bad final seven minutes at ASU, a bad 15 minutes against Northern Iowa (in a 34-20 loss), a bad 15 minutes at Montana State (in a 45-28 defeat). We’ve found ways to mismanage ourselves.”
The Cal Poly defense is young and has been learning on the fly, but senior quarterback Chris Brown is a prolific, dangerous runner and operator of the Mustangs’ triple-option offense.
“We’re probably never going to be physically better than anybody we play — we’re just not going to be the most athletic team in the Big Sky — so we have to play our best to beat people. We have to play mentally and emotionally at our best.”
After such a grueling slate, and given the emotions involved in such a tough loss, having a bye last week should help Cal Poly regroup.
“We needed it,” Walsh says.
The Mustangs have won three years in a row against Portland State, including a 42-14 runaway victory at SLO last year, but Walsh says you can throw all that out the window.
“Portland State wants to keep its momentum going,” he says, “and we need to find a way to win.”
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For most of the year, Tim Walsh is still an unofficial member of the Portland State athletics fan club.
And the former Vikings football coach, who has been Cal Poly’s head coach since 2009, is a big fan of what PSU is doing this year under its new coach, Bruce Barnum.
“No. 1, congratulations,” Walsh says from San Luis Obispo, where his Mustangs (2-4, 1-2 Big Sky) will play host to the Vikings (5-1, 2-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday. “It’s fun to see them get it going, and it’s much needed, both for the football program and for athletics at Portland State.”
The Vikings are on a roll, having been especially potent the past two games, wins of 66-7 at North Texas and 59-42 last week against Montana State.
“They’re a completely different team,” Walsh says. “Schematically on defense and philosophically on offense, they’re different. They’ve eliminated turnovers. Their guys are blocking and tackling. Their special teams are as good, if not better, than anybody else’s in our conference. And they have a different attitude. They believe they can win. You can see by how they’re playing that their kids like what’s going on there. The players have an air of confidence now.
“Bruce has put them on the right path. You can tell how excited he is to be at Portland State, and the players are playing hard for him. He’s created a really positive atmosphere. The enthusiasm they have is the big thing I see. It’s pretty impressive.”
How good are the Vikings? Walsh, whose team already has played Big Sky leader Eastern Washington, as well as Montana State, Montana and Idaho State, offers an observation.
“I haven’t seen everybody in the conference yet, but from what I’ve seen, they’re the best team in the Big Sky,” he says. “A lot of us in the conference can play offense, but not a lot of us are playing defense like they are. They’re very athletic, and they’re playing very sound. You combine that with an offense that is running the ball effectively and scoring points — they’re a viable candidate to win a lot of games and go as far as they can in the playoffs.”
Cal Poly has played the toughest schedule in the country, having faced six teams that were in the preseason top 25 and now about to take on No. 13 PSU. The Mustangs were tied with Arizona State at Tempe midway through the fourth quarter before losing 35-21 on Sept. 12. They also dropped a heartbreaker in their last outing, 42-41 at Eastern Washington on Oct. 10, after leading by 15 points in the fourth quarter. Walsh went for two points and the win in OT, but didn’t get it.
“We’ve had some bad stretches in games that have cost us,” Walsh says. “A bad final seven minutes at ASU, a bad 15 minutes against Northern Iowa (in a 34-20 loss), a bad 15 minutes at Montana State (in a 45-28 defeat). We’ve found ways to mismanage ourselves.”
The Cal Poly defense is young and has been learning on the fly, but senior quarterback Chris Brown is a prolific, dangerous runner and operator of the Mustangs’ triple-option offense.
“We’re probably never going to be physically better than anybody we play — we’re just not going to be the most athletic team in the Big Sky — so we have to play our best to beat people. We have to play mentally and emotionally at our best.”
After such a grueling slate, and given the emotions involved in such a tough loss, having a bye last week should help Cal Poly regroup.
“We needed it,” Walsh says.
The Mustangs have won three years in a row against Portland State, including a 42-14 runaway victory at SLO last year, but Walsh says you can throw all that out the window.
“Portland State wants to keep its momentum going,” he says, “and we need to find a way to win.”
