How Portland State Broke the Scoreboard in 1980

Published on June 27th, 2025 6:38 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Want absurd? Try Portland State 105, Delaware State 0.

It happened on November 8, 1980. NCAA Division I-AA football. The final score still doesn't look real. But it is.

Portland State came in rolling. Coached by Mouse Davis. The innovator of the Run and Shoot. His quarterback? Neil Lomax - future NFL starter and record-breaker.

Delaware State didn't belong on the same field. The first quarter said it all: 49-0 after 15 minutes.

Fumbles piled up. Delaware State coughed up the ball 16 times. They lost eight. Portland State turned nearly every one into points.

Lomax threw seven touchdown passes. All before the third quarter ended. Davis pulled him early. No need to press it. The damage was already historic.

By halftime, it was 77-0.

Final numbers were brutal:

First downs: Portland State 32, Delaware State 4

Total yards: Portland State 752, Delaware State 50

Turnovers: Delaware State 10

Punts: Delaware State punted 11 times. Portland State never did.

The Vikings scored in every phase - offense, defense, special teams. They returned a punt for a touchdown. Picked off passes. Scored on the ground and through the air.

Portland State didn't just run up the score - they set a mark that may never fall. 105 points without allowing a single one. Still the largest shutout in NCAA football history, all divisions.

For Delaware State, it was a nightmare. They finished the season 1-10.

For Mouse Davis and Portland State, it was execution at full throttle. The Run and Shoot at its sharpest. No mercy. No let-up.

And over four decades later, the scoreboard still echoes: 105-0.