Portland State held a 21-0 halftime lead over No. 6 UC Davis on Saturday, Aug. 29, and lost.

The Aggies scored 31 unanswered second-half points to stun the Vikings 31-24 at Hillsboro Stadium in the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams. A crowd of 2,367 watched UC Davis quarterback Treynor Cleeland, a Jesuit High School alum making his first career start, throw the game-winning 22-yard touchdown pass to Laviel Pickett with 27 seconds remaining, according to the UC Davis athletics recap.

Portland State's final Hail Mary attempt from the Aggies' 36-yard line sailed out of bounds.

The Vikings dominated the first half. Quarterback Tyrese Smith capped a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. After a UC Davis three-and-out, Cru Newman ripped off a 78-yard punt return for a score to make it 14-0, OregonLive reported. Smith then engineered a 16-play, 87-yard march and punched in another 1-yard run with eight seconds left before the break.

UC Davis entered the game ranked sixth in the FCS and favored by 24 points. The Aggies managed just 84 total yards in the first half while Portland State piled up 257, according to Yahoo Sports.

The collapse started with a botched punt. Portland State punter Emiliano Montenez fumbled a high snap and kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety with 9:42 left in the third quarter. Running back Jordan Fisher, a returning 1,000-yard rusher, then scored on a 1-yard run to cut the deficit to 21-9. Fisher added a 4-yard touchdown run with six seconds left in the third to make it 21-16.

Portland State kicker Joshua Hossmann Lees drilled a 24-yard field goal with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 24-16. It was the Vikings' last score.

Cleeland found Samuel Gbatu Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown with 2:19 remaining, then hit Pickett for the two-point conversion to tie it at 24. UC Davis defensive back Teeg Sione intercepted a pass at the Aggies' 20-yard line, and Cleeland needed just 27 seconds to find Pickett again for the winner.

Cleeland finished 22-of-39 for 287 yards and two touchdowns, according to the Davis Enterprise. Smith went 23-of-36 for 268 yards and one interception for the Vikings, KATU reported. Gbatu Jr. hauled in eight catches for 107 yards.

It was a familiar sting for Portland State fans. UC Davis beat the Vikings 27-26 with late-game dramatics on PSU's home turf in 2024.

First-year Portland State head coach Chris Fisk, who replaced Bruce Barnum after an 11-season tenure that ended with a 1-11 record in 2025, said the loss reflected where his program stands.

"I think it's the challenge of building a program. You can't recreate that at practice of the stress of a football game, and we've got a lot of growing to do as a program," Fisk said after the game.

Cleeland, the son of former NFL tight end Cameron Cleeland, won the starting job over Minnesota transfer Jackson Kollock after the previous starter transferred to Washington State. UC Davis had reached the FCS quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons entering 2026.

Portland State travels to San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 6:30 p.m. UC Davis visits San Diego on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m.