Byu drills USU
The Utah State men’s rugby team was handed their first home loss of the season on Saturday as nationally ranked BYU beat the Aggies 35-5 at HPER field.
The result is a significant improvement on the last time these two teams met.
“Last year, if you can believe it or not, this same exact team we lost 110-3 – they centuried us,” hooker Dave McConnel said.
BYU is currently ranked No. 3 in the country according to the GoffonRugby.com College Top 20.
They jumped up from their No. 6 spot last week by defeating Utah who was No. 3 at the time.
“[BYU] is a team with a lot of experience and a lot of physical conditioning and overall, I think we did very good,” Utah State Head Coach Walter Cespedes said. “I’m very happy with the way we performed today.”
Things started very well for Utah State as they got on the board first after an Aggie run down the sideline that was stood up by the BYU defense.
Before the Cougars could finish the tackle, the Aggie forward line crowded around in support and pushed their way across the try-line for the five points.
It wasn’t clear who actually scored for USU; the try was given to the entire forward pack
“We pushed right over them,” reserve player James Whitaker said.
The score awoke a sleeping giant as BYU started to chip away at the USU lead.
“The first 15-20 minutes we scored and we had it right there,” Cespedes said. “And then their superiority was obvious and their experience more than anything.”
The Cougars capitalized on a penalty close to their zone. They converted the penalty kick for three points.
The visitors then ended a long driving run with their first try of the contest.
The kick after was good for the full seven points.
Another penalty kick, in addition to a second Cougar try, put the Aggies in an 18-5 hole at halftime.
Minutes after the intermission, fly half Vini Latu received a red card for an intentional high tackle to the neck of a BYU player.
The BYU scoring slowed down only slightly in the second half, scoring two tries with successful point-after conversions for 14 points and a drop goal for another three points.
Even with the loss, Cespedes feels the team is getting better.
“Overall, we did a lot better than the last game,” Cespedes said.
McConnel said he sees that the experience in the Aggie forwards is vital to their success.
“I think we played well; we’re still a young team. Our backs are still developing. Our forwards played very well. We slacked up a little in the middle, but our forwards are carrying the team right now.”
Next week, the Aggies will travel to Pocatello to face Idaho State.
-stm@cc.usu.edu
The Utah State men´s rugby team battles for the ball in a scrum with BYU during Saturday´s game. The Cougars routed the Aggies 35-5 at the HPER field. Last season, the Aggies fell to the Cougars 110-3.