Vikings start fresh under second-year Burton

PSU coach Nigel Burton looks over his team at the end of opening day Sunday.

Photo by Cliff Pfenning, oregonsports.com

Under a blue sky, with just the right about of heat and humidity present, the Portland State football team opened fall camp Sunday with the optimism that comes along with not having played a game yet.

Only a handful of players might have known when the FCS National Championship game will be played, but that's because the team has a more basic goal: win the Big Sky Conference title.

A Big Sky title would be the school's first and come with an automatic berth in the 16-team FCS Playoff bracket.

With a field full of optimism, second-year coach Nigel Burton guided his team through a relaxed and spirited practice that included 40 plays of 7-on-7, several of which were highlighted by spectacular catches.

"There's so much excitement, so much energy with all the guys running around, we love it," Burton said. "This is a great time."

Burton's second year might be a bigger challenge than his first, when the team went 2-9 - the fourth straight year PSU failed to win five games. Eastern Washington tied Montana State for the conference title, then won the national title over Delaware in a thrilling game in which it rallied from a 19-0 deficit in the third quarter for a 20-19 final score.

The Eagles were picked by conference coaches as the preseason favorite, with Montana State and perennial title contender Montana close behind.

PSU was picked seventh among the nine schools.

The Vikings open their schedule Sept. 3, at home against Southern Oregon, which plays an NAIA independent schedule, in their return to PGE Park, which is now Jeld-Wen Field. PSU played last season at Hillsboro Stadium while Jeld-Wen Field was renovated into the home field for the Portland Timbers.

The schedule also includes a trip to Ft. Worth, Texas, to play Texas Christian.

PSU's biggest asset this season is in its number of returning players - virtually all of the regular starters are back, including safety DeShawn Shead, a preseason all-conference pick for First-Team Defense.

The Vikings also have their top two quarterbacks from the past two seasons - Connor Kavanaugh and Drew Hubel, as well as top running back Cory McCaffrey.

"We had a great summer with so many of our guys here," Shead said. "Everyone was out here, working hard every day, looking at game films to learn from our mistakes."

Although they lost their final seven games last season to finish 2-9, the Vikings were highly competitive. In four of their final seven games, they lost by seven points or less.

Burton said he's happy with his team's focus being on the Big Sky title and a trip to the FCS playoffs, which would be only the second for the Vikings. Winning the Big Sky is a big deal in the FCS world.

"It's been proven during the history of the Big Sky," Burton said, "that if you win the conference you'll be in the national title game."