HILLSBORO, Ore. – Deshaun Buchanan ran for 212 yards and two touchdowns and Art Williams added 43 yards and two more scores to lead Idaho to a 39-30 win over Portland State, Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium in the Portland metro area.
 
The game was a tale of two halves with the first half an offensive shootout while the second half was a defensive battle.
 
Idaho and Portland State each scored on their first two possessions. The Vandals got on the board with a seven-yard run by Art Williams with 10:49 left in the first half. Portland State with a one-yard rush before Jack Wagner found Jordan Dwyer for a 27-yard touchdown with 1:14 to play in the first.
 
Portland State scored on a 20-yard pass early in the second quarter before taking a 21-14 lead with a 26-yard pass with 5:40 remaining in the first half.
 
The Vandals added two touchdowns in the final 2:52 of the first half to regain the lead. Buchanen scored touchdowns of 22 yards and 13 yards in the final minutes of the half to lead 28-21 at the break. The Idaho defense came to play in the second half.
 
The Vandals held Portland State out of the end zone in the second half. The Vikings had just 126 yards of offense and 0-6 on third down after the half. The Vandals also sacked Daunte Chachere five times while holding the dynamic dual threat QB to just 25 yards rushing on 18 attempts in the game.
 
Portland State hit three field goals in the second half while Idaho added one. The last PSU field goal cut the Idaho lead to 31-30 with 5:11 to play before Idaho responded. Buchanan had a 21-yard run, followed by a 31-yard run to put the Vandals in the red zone. Portland State held Idaho to a fourth and three on the 12-yard line before Williams blew through the line for a first down to the three-yard line.
 
On the next play, Williams scored behind the block of full back Hayden Kincheloe to put the Vandals up 37-30. The Vandals went for two after a PSU penalty on the PAT attempt and scored on the same play that earned the first down and the touch down.
 
The Vandal defense held the ensuing Portland State drive to a four and out to close out the nine-point win.
 
Wagner closed the game at 11-17 for 205 yards and a touchdown. Dwyer caught five balls for 109 yards on the day.
 
Buchanan averaged 9.6 yards per carry on his 22 carries for a career-high 212 yards. He is the first Vandal to rush for 200 yards since Anthony Woods at Eastern Washington a year ago. He has rushed for 328 yards over the last two games.
 
Keyshawn James-Newby had two tackles for loss, a sack and a QB hurry. Jaxton Eck and Zach Johnson had 11 tackles each while Tommy McCormick added 10.
 
The Vandals are now 7-3 on the year and have now won three straight games for the second time this season. Idaho has its final regular-season home game on Saturday Nov. 16 against Weber State at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at GoVandals.com/Tickets.