Halfback pass helps Portland State beat Southern Utah 24-23

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Kieran McDonagh threw a halfback pass for a touchdown for Portland State, Southern Utah couldn't connect on a go-ahead two-point

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Kieran McDonagh threw a halfback pass for a touchdown for Portland State, Southern Utah couldn't connect on a go-ahead two-point conversion, and the Vikings beat the Big Sky Conference-leading Thunderbirds 24-23 on Saturday night.

McDonagh took a handoff from quarterback Alex Kuresa and ran to the middle of the line. He then stopped, and jumped to throw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Thompson on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Vikings a 24-17 lead.

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Georgia
• Utah
• Alabama
• UCLA
• Notre Dame
• Texas
• Miami (FL)
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• BYU
• Kentucky
• Texas Tech

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Ammon Olsen threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Mike Sharp to pull the Thunderbirds to 24-23 with 1:18 left. On the ensuing conversion, Olsen threw a low strike to a wide-open Steven Wroblewski in the middle of the end zone, but Wroblewski couldn't hang on while falling.

Portland State recovered the ensuing onside kick to help seal it.

Kuresa threw two touchdown passes, and Olsen threw three but had three interceptions.