Still licking wounds, Huskies face Portland State

SEATTLE – Beaten, battered and, perhaps, a little embarrassed on the Bayou, Washington would seem to have the perfect remedy coming to town.

But don’t tell Portland State it is supposed to be a sacrificial cure for the Huskies’ woes. The Vikings just need to point out the handful of victories teams from the Big Sky Conference, of the Football Championship Subdivision, already have over their upper-tier foes this season for proof they don’t plan to be any sort of pushover.

The Vikings will become just the second FCS opponent in Washington’s history when they venture to CenturyLink Field this afternoon. The Huskies are all too familiar with the type of scare a lower-division opponent can inflict after Eastern Washington nearly shocked the Huskies in the 2011 season opener. Washington needed a late end-zone interception to avoid the upset.

Portland State (1-1) hopes it can provide just as much of a scare and maybe join Eastern Washington, Sacramento State and Northern Arizona in knocking off FBS division foes this season.

“Well, the team that came in sixth or seventh in our conference last year has defeated Pac-12 schools two years in a row,” Portland State coach Nigel Burton said in reference to Sacramento State’s wins over Oregon State last year and Colorado last week. “They’re not even at the top of the conference, so I think that speaks to the competitiveness of our league.”

Washington (1-1) is seeking a bounce back after getting trounced at No. 3 LSU 41-3 last Saturday.

The Huskies would also like to see their offense find the end zone after going the last seven quarters without an offensive touchdown. The Huskies’ last offensive TD came in the first quarter of their season-opening win over San Diego State when Kasen Williams took a screen pass and slipped 8 yards for the score.