Nov. 14, 2009
Final Stats
Complete Stat Book: Idaho State 41, Portland State 34 
Pocatello, ID --- Senior Clint Knickrehm ended his career in style, diving over from 1-yard out with 32 seconds left to give Idaho State a 41-34 win over Portland State, ending a season-long 10-game losing streak and helping him end the day with exactly 100 yards. The win marked the second straight season that ISU won their season finale to avoid a winless season after defeating Sacramento State 36-33 in overtime last year.
The win ended a highly entertaining game that saw several standout offensive performances along with Knickrehm, as Russel Hill had a season-high 307 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and Kelvin Krosch caught six passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns.
The teams were tied at halftime, and Portland State held the lead entering the fourth quarter at 27-24 when the fun started late in the game. On third-and-10 from the PSU 34-yard line, Krosch hauled in a pass and shook off a defender and waltzed into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game to make it 31-27. That touchdown came in the midst of a series in which Portland State turned the ball on four straight drives.
ISU struggled to capitalize, but they caught a break when punter Thomas Duyndam's knee touched the ground while he was trying to corral a bad snap, giving ISU the ball at the Viking 15-yard line. The Bengals turned that into a 34-27 lead when Jarrett Huk banked in a 29-yard field goal off the upright with just 4:08 to go.
The Vikings would tie it when Keitrell Anderson hauled in a 40-yard touchdown from surprise starter at quarterback Justin Engstrom to make it 34-33 with 1:56 left. Viking head coach Jerry Glanville went for two, and PSU couldn't convert, but a pass interference penalty gave PSU another shot. Glanville then switched gears and kicked the tying extra point.
PSU then seemed to have stalled ISU at their own 44-yard line when Hill's scramble came up a yard short. After a penalty for delay of game, PSU tried to get their defense off the field and put their punt unit out there, but ISU snapped the ball with about 20 players on the field, and the 15-yard penalty gave ISU the ball at the Viking 46, and that one break was all they needed. Hill scrambled on the next play and found JD Poncaino, who played in his final game with a broken right ankle for a huge gain to the 1-yard line, setting up Knickrehm's heroics.
Krosch's first touchdown gave ISU a 7-0 lead, but PSU answered with a 1-yard run by Bobby McClintock, who gained a career-high 93 yards in his final game as well. The teams then traded field goals before Lavonte Kirven caught a perfect 29-yard pass from Engstrom for a 17-10 lead. Krosch however tip-toed the end zone for a sensational tying touchdown with six seconds left before halftime.
Idaho State's defense allowed 438 yards on the day, but they registered six takeaways. Chris Holmesley had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and Jeff Tuua added a fumble recovery on second and goal from the ISU 4-yard line. George Ortiz also had an interception, and Dustin Tew ended the game with a pick in the end zone with three seconds left on a desperation throw.
The game marked the most points for Idaho State since a 41-13 win over Northern Colorado in 2006, and it also was ISU's first comeback when trailing entering the fourth quarter since November 5, 2005 when Jaret Johnson's 54-yard field goal with :01 left gave ISU a 36-34 win over Portland State.
NOTES: The win ended the nation's longest losing streak ... ISU finished the year tied for seventh place in the standings with Northern Colorado and Portland State ... Krosch's three touchdowns equaled his season total entering the game ... ISU's two rushing touchdowns doubled their season total of one entering the game ... ISUs' opponents connected on their final five field goals against ISU ... ISU ended the season at just -5 in the turnover category, and they finished with 11 interceptions ... Phil Arias had 16 tackles, but A.J. Storms won the team title with 120 ... ISU ended the year with just eight sacks ... while the win ended a 10-game losing streak for ISU, it was the first win for assistant coach Joe Cullen in two years, as he was with the Detroit Lions last year when they went 0-16 ... the home team has won the last 10 games in the series.
