Idaho State at Portland State pregame

Jenny Losee/For the Journal

ISU game day: The numbers say it’s strength versus strength — Bengals take on Portland State
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TODAY’S CRUCIAL MATCHUP
Idaho State’s offensive line vs Portland State’s defensive line

Portland State’s starting defensive line averages 6-foot-3 and 266 pounds. Their ability to stand strong at the line of scrimmage has meant the Vikings don’t have to commit extra bodies to stopping the run.

If the Vikings can manage that versus Idaho State, they might be the first team in the Big Sky to slow down an offense that has torched every Big Sky opponent it’s faced this season. The Bengals put up 639 total yards of offense against Sacramento State, 614 at Eastern Washington, 670 against Southern Utah and 651 at Northern Colorado last week.

“It’s difficult. It’s beyond difficult,” said Portland State coach Nigel Burton, “because if you commit your front seven to the run they’ve got so many playmakers in the pass game.”

Idaho State has been tough to solve and slow down on offense because offensive coordinator Don Bailey and his quarterback Justin Arias can rely on either the run or pass to pick up first downs.

Defenses have to choose which aspect of ISU’s spread they want to stop. Is it the run or pass? Choosing both, so far, hasn’t been an option.

Northern Colorado learned that. The Bears wanted to stymie Idaho State’s aerial assault, so the Bengals ran the ball 42 times for 348 yards.

“(Arias) doesn’t necessarily have to be a thrower. He can win games by handing the ball off,” said Idaho State head coach Mike Kramer. “And, literally, when Northern Colorado opted to try and play pass defense on every down the running game was going to be there. Whereas two years ago, we didn’t have a running game to go to. Now with a great offensive line and a very talented tailback, we’ve got an answer to your defensive strategy.”

But do the Bengals have an answer for how Portland State will play on defense? Idaho State offensive coordinator Don Bailey said he never really knows how teams are going to play the Bengals, because “we don’t get to see exactly what they’re going to play. ... There’s always probably a quarter of the plan that we expect defensively that we haven’t seen.”

It comes down to the Bengals’ offensive line continuing to do what they’ve done all season: protect Arias from the pass rush and create running holes for Idaho State’s running backs.

IDAHO STATE KEYS TO SUCCESS
1
Force Portland State into third-and-long situations. The Vikings want to run the ball. They’ve averaged 281 yards rushing in their three wins and 139 yards on the ground in five losses.

The Vikings haven’t had an answer for when teams have been able to cripple Portland State’s pistol offense that runs the read-option. Junior quarterback Kieran McDonagh is completing 49.8 percent of his passes and averaging an interception every 3.1 percent of his pass attempts. For comparison, Idaho State’s Justin Arias is throwing a pick on 1.4 percent of his passing attempts.

“It’ll be key to get them in third and longer situations and not third and manageable, because as they stay on clock or stay on time with their play calling they don’t mind being (in) third-to-3-and-5 because they’re pretty good at picking those down and distances up,” said Idaho State co-defensive coordinator Roger Cooper. “It’ll be important for us to get them into third and long. It’s a lot of formation recognition and a lot of staying on the same page with communication.”

If the Vikings are able to pound away on the ground, they’ll eat clock and keep ISU’s offense stranded on the sideline. Portland State held on to the ball for more than 39 minutes in last season’s 38-31 victory at Holt Arena.

2
Win the turnover battle. Portland State is minus-four in turnover margin and Idaho State is plus-seven. The Bengals have lost four fumbles and thrown five interceptions, and they’ve created 16 turnovers, the second-most in the Big Sky Conference.

Forcing turnovers is a facet of ISU’s defense the coaches constantly focus on. Bengals co-defensive coordinator Roger Cooper says Idaho State has four goals on defense every game. No. 3 on that list is creating takeaways.

In Big Sky Conference play, no one has been better than the Bengals at forcing turnovers. Idaho State’s blitzing 3-4 defensive scheme has led to a league-high 19 sacks and nine turnovers.

Expect Idaho State to be extra feisty against the Vikings.

“The teams that have had success have been very aggressive and not letting any motion, any shifts mess with their eyes or their scheme,” Cooper said.

Really, it’s pretty simple for the Bengals on defense. They just have to make the right reads and then play with confidence.

“Just do your job. You’ve got to be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there,” said senior linebacker Mitch Beckstead. “That’s how you shut that kind of stuff down. But I think the biggest thing is making the plays when they come to you. ... You’ll always have your opportunity.”

When it comes to protecting the football, ISU quarterback Justin Arias hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 152 passes.

3
The red zone battle. Idaho State is sixth in the Big Sky Conference in red zone offense and third in red zone defense. ISU has scored 33 out of 39 times it has reached the red zone. Defensively, the Bengals have stopped opponents from scoring six out of 27 times opponents have pushed the ball inside their 20-yard line.

On the other sideline, Portland State is 10th in red zone offense and ninth in red zone defense.

Red zone efficiency is a crucial part of the game. The Bengals had a big stop in the red zone against Sacramento State when Erik Collins intercepted Hornets quarterback Garrett Safron. Plays like that can help swing momentum.

Offensively, Idaho State has been effective in the red zone but not perfect. Remember, the Bengals drove inside Sacramento State’s 5-yard line on their first two possessions of the game and walked away with a grand total of three points.

ISU recovered and cruised to a 20-point win, but the same kind of mistakes on the road could spell disaster.