PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Dante Chachere had 402 yards from scrimmage and accounted for all five Portland State touchdowns in the Vikings’ 35-28 victory over Northern Arizona on Saturday.
Chachere was 22-of-28 passing for 274 yards and he had 128 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Chachere threw three touchdown passes, including a 66-yarder to Mataio Talalemotu, and his two touchdowns runs included a 72-yard scamper. The TD to Talalemotu early in the fourth quarter gave the Vikings a 35-13 lead that would prove to be just one touchdown too many for the Lumberjacks to overcome.
The Lumberjacks rallied on a 1-yard run by RJ Martinez and a 10-yard pass from Martinez to Stacy Chukwumezie. Like Chachere, Martinez accounted for all of his team’s touchdowns, including a 53-yard pass to Chukwumezie early in the fourth quarter.
Chukwumezie’s second touchdown catch, with 4:12 remaining, would be the last the NAU offense would see of the ball. After Portland State recovered an onside kick, the Vikings ran off a total of 11 plays and reached the NAU 1-yard line before Chachere twice took a knee to end the game.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2