Portland State brings college football to Hillsboro on Halloween for the first time.
The Vikings host Idaho at Hillsboro Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. It marks the program's first Halloween home game since 2015, when PSU beat a 17th-ranked Montana team 35-16 in a downpour at Providence Park, according to Portland State athletics. The Vikings moved to Hillsboro Stadium as their permanent home field starting in 2019, making this the first Halloween game at the venue.
The game will air on ESPN+ and Rose City SportsNet.
Portland State (2-6, 2-3 Big Sky) enters on a two-game skid. The Vikings fell 38-25 at Northern Arizona on Oct. 17 after building a 14-0 lead, then lost 38-8 at Idaho State on Oct. 24. Idaho State out-gained PSU 488-276 and held the Vikings to 56 net rushing yards.
Idaho (3-5, 3-2) is surging. After an 0-4 start, the Vandals have won three of their last four. That stretch includes a 35-34 upset of then-No. 1 Montana State, sealed on a 25-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion as time expired, and a 42-35 win over then-No. 7 Montana. On Oct. 24, kicker Owen Forsman hit a 53-yard field goal at the buzzer to beat Southern Utah 31-28.
The matchup to watch is PSU's ground game against Idaho's run defense. The Vandals allow 232.8 rushing yards per game, 13th in the Big Sky. The Vikings averaged 199.3 rushing yards over three games against Weber State, Utah Tech and Northern Arizona before Idaho State bottled them up. Junior running back Delon Thompson crossed the 2,000-yard career rushing mark against Idaho State despite the low total. He ranks 12th on PSU's all-time list with 2,020 yards and could crack the top 10 with 91 yards against the Vandals.
Idaho senior quarterback Joshua Wood leads the Big Sky and ranks third nationally with 323.1 total yards of offense per game. He has 22 touchdowns this season, 14 passing and eight rushing. Weber State is the only team to beat Idaho in the last four weeks, rushing for 307 yards in a 38-27 win on Oct. 10.
Freshman defensive end Avery Ducsik gives PSU a disruptive pass rusher. His six sacks rank second in the Big Sky and first among all FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) freshmen. He recorded two sacks against Idaho State on Oct. 24, including one that produced the Vikings' first defensive safety in four years.
Idaho leads the all-time series 16-2 and has won four straight against Portland State. The Vandals won 39-30 in Hillsboro in 2024 and 45-6 in Moscow in 2025. PSU's last win in the series came in 2019, a 24-0 shutout at home.
Hillsboro Stadium, part of the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex at 4450 NE Century Blvd., seats approximately 7,600. Saturday's contest is the Vikings' first at home since a 30-14 win over Utah Tech on Oct. 10.
