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In the latest version of David versus Goliath, the Vikings are turning to a different type of stone.
PORTLAND — The view from his grandfather’s seats on the Washington sideline of Husky Stadium were tough to beat, Portland State defensive tackle VJ Malo says.
“My first win was when Nick Foles threw it, someone kicked it and Mason Foster ran it back for the pick-six,” said Malo, who grew up in West Seattle. “That was my first win.
“That was my dream school.”
But Malo was never Washington’s dream player.
And while that has been great for the Portland State Vikings, Malo isn’t shy about the chip he’s carrying on his shoulder this weekend as Portland State travels to Seattle to face Washington. Of course, you’ll always hear that sort of cliche when FCS teams play Power 5 schools, but for once in coach Bruce Barnum’s eight years leading the program, the chipped shoulder the Vikings lead with comes from the defensive side of the ball.
At 6-foot-1 and 270 pounds, Malo is an undersized wrecking ball who played two seasons of all-conference junior college ball before making his FCS debut last year with the Vikings. His 10.5 sacks and 20 tackles for a loss were the most by a Viking since 1988.
“Washington didn’t even look at me coming out of high school, or coming out of junior college,” he said. “Them turning their back on someone from their own hometown, that just kind of ate at me a while.”
All-American cornerback Anthony Adams has a similar story. Adams played all-state level football in high school at Newberg, didn’t field many offers outside the FCS and elected to stay close to home. He started 11 games as a freshman in 2018. Thanks to the pandemic, this is his sixth fall on the Park Blocks, where he’s blossomed into a NFL Draft candidate.
“I’ve been surrounded by this 12-block radius for the last six years,” Adams said. “I know it like the back of my hand.
“Portland kind of shapes you different than a small-town campus. A lot of other schools have it easy, where players are all clumped together in dorms or in campus housing. But for us, we have to go out of our way to be with each other, which means we have to have stronger relationships with the entire team.”
It’s been a steady rise for PSU’s defense since the hiring of Payam Saadat as defensive coordinator in 2018. Brought in to fix a defense that allowed a Big Sky-worst 43 points per game in 2017, the Vikings have improved every year under the former Washington State linebacker. The Vikings have nine returning starters from a 2021 defense that allowed 29 points per game and produced the best marks for sacks (27) and tackles for a loss (81) since 2015.
Last week, Portland State nearly upset FBS San Jose State, falling 21-17 in San Jose after a SJSU touchdown with 1:11 to play. Portland State out-gained the Spartans 395-288 while recording 7 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. This week, they’ll face a Washington team that defeated Kent State 45-20 with Indiana transfer quarterback Michael Penix passing for 345 yards and four touchdowns.
If Portland State has a prayer, Barnum figures they’ll have to generate more pressure than the Golden Eagles did.
“I’ve only been to two NFL games in my life,” Barnum said. “One of them was the Patriots with [Jim] Plunkett and the other was the Patriots with Tom Brady and Randy Moss. And Tom Brady would just sit back in that pocket and Randy Moss would just run triple moves until he got open and Tom threw him the ball. He just stood back there. That’s what Penix reminded me of because they’re dropping eight. So he’s sitting there and he’s accurate, and I’m just thinking, ‘Come on, Golden-whatever they are, light him up!’ Try something different.’”
Barnum going into a money game talking about his defense is something quite different — the last four seasons saw Davis Alexander orchestrate the second-best statistical quarterback career in Portland State history. Barnum credits a few things for the group’s improvement, the first being a veteran squad that understands Saadat’s “flex defense” system.
“I can see the nuances now that we weren’t able to two or three years ago,” Adams said.
The second part of the team’s improvement, Barnum said, is leadership. On defense it comes from the contrasting styles of his defensive end and cornerback. Barnum called Adams the “CEO of IBM,” who isn’t shy to get teammates in line.
Malo?
“He’s Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates, the ‘We are all family’-type,’” Barnum said. “I went to his daughter’s one-year birthday party this summer and there must have been 700 people there. They had a carnival set up. He’s a family guy, period.”
Added Adams on Malo: “He has the charisma that people feed off. I’m not the most charismatic person, so it’s nice to have two sides of leadership to feed off.”
Malo said he’ll have more than 60 friends and family in the stands Saturday in Seattle. And while he may never be a Husky, there’s still something left on the table.
“It’s always been my dream to play in front of family in Husky Stadium,” Malo said, “and get a win.”
— Tyson Alger
@tysonalger
