BYU-Portland State: 3 Bold Predictions
By Phil Poling
Vikings Reign
Not many people outside of the downtown, urban research university that is Portland State are expecting much of a fight come Saturday’s kickoff with BYU. The school is ranked one of the nation’s “most innovative” universities, and they’ll need those standards to translate to be competitive on the gridiron.
Tyler Foreman will be the biggest play-maker for the Vikings’ defense and should elevate the team. He started all 11 games and was second on the team in tackles with 60 as a junior. He appeared in 11 games his first year on campus in 2015. Prior to Portland State, Foreman attended UCLA for two years but only appeared in one game for the Bruins. The former 4-star recruit garnered scholarship offers from Arizona, Oklahoma, Utah and Wisconsin out of high school, among others.
Foreman tallied five pass-breakups a season ago to go along with his two interceptions. He will make an improvement on those numbers in 2017 starting against BYU. Cougar quarterback Tanner Mangum is good, but Foreman’s the prototype for a safety in today’s game: he doesn’t shy away from contact, he makes plays on the ball and most importantly, he’s consistent.
Look for Foreman to have a solid opening performance, tallying seven tackles, intercepting Mangum once and putting the Vikings in a position to win the season opener.