Game Summaries - UO and Pac-12 Sevens
Match Report: OSU vs. Boise State U. (10/27/2018)
Score at halftime: OSU 5- UO 10
Final score: OSU 15 – UO 32
OSU came down to Eugene to play U of O following two decisive wins, putting 149 points on the board in our first two league matches, and having beaten the Ducks twice last season. Perhaps we were a bit overconfident, perhaps it was our lack of discipline at the breakdown – 17 penalties and 3 yellow cards – or maybe just a lesson that we are still building and need to continue to raise our level of play each week. We started out well enough, playing in the Ducks half and scoring the first try, with fullback Cameron Castle receiving the ball wide off good phase play, putting on a nifty spin move for five points. UO responded with a try five minutes later by their #8 with forwards attack up the middle. At 20 minutes lock Caleb Stanley got the first yellow for a second penalty of not rolling away in the tackle. Shortly before halftime UO’s speedy winger scored on a nicely executed kick and chase. 10-5 at the half.
We were penalized again one minute into the second half and the Ducks added 3 points on a penalty kick, and another 5 five points on a try by their flanker.
OSU responded with a try by winger Jackson Davis scoring in the corner, taking it to 18-12 as Tejas Godbole hit the conversion. At 60 minutes new flanker Colton Buchanan put in a hard tackle but earned our second yellow card for lifting the ball carrier above horizontal. Playing down a man again, we yielded another try and conversion, putting the score at 25-15.
Penalties and some missed tackles gave U of O good field position and possession throughout a good bit of the game, particularly in the second half. At the 73rd minute Juwan Johnson got our 3rd yellow for continuing his clear out too far and tackling the man without the ball. A bit of frustration there; and a couple minutes before the final whistle, playing a bit loose with the ball to try to close the gap instantly flyhalf Kieran McCullough threw a miss pass that was intercepted for a converted try, producing a final score of 32-15 in favor of UO.
To a man we know we played below our potential on the day and while it’s never a happy event to lose the civil war game, it was a good wake up call for us after two decisive wins to start our league season.
PAC 7s Championship at Witter Field, Cal’s famous stadium, Nov. 3rd & 4th
OSU’s last trip to the PAC 7s tournament was in 2015 where the Beavers lost every match, generally by a wide margin. In 2016 we took last place at the NCRC championship tournament in Spokane.
Beginning in 2017 new head coach Troy Hall has driven a dramatic turnaround, with our Beavers taking second place at the NCRC 7s championship tournament in Bellingham last fall, followed this year by a strikingly strong showing last week at the PAC 7s championship tournament. OSU were legitimately the darlings of the tournament, taking fifth place, with a 2-3 record beating Utah and Stamford, scoring 68 points, and impressing all at Witter Field with our smart structured defense, aggressive attack, and fiery energy every minute of every match. OSU is seriously back on the radar for the followers of PAC Rugby following our showing in Berkeley. Some of our OSU Alumni supporters were cheering us on down in Berkeley, taking great pride in our Beaver performance. The commentators, Cal head coach Jack Clark, and our opposing players and coaches all expressed appreciation for our bringing strong competitive play – as the only representative of Northwest Rugby – down to the Bay Area once again in a new era.
We have been focusing exclusively on building 15s ruby this fall with our new team, and so devoted just three practices to 7s, just in the days immediately leading up to the tournament. Our expectations were high for a fun time, good bonding, and a learning experience, but we honestly went into the tournament as major underdogs, with half of our team having never played college 7s. Our success is truly a testament to the new culture and style of play we are building over the past 14 months for Beaver Rugby.
The tournament opened with OSU facing U. of Arizona, who defeated Cal to win in last year’s final. We were a bit hesitant and nervous off the opening kickoff, maintaining possession for two minutes but moving backwards and eventually turning the ball over for a UA try, followed by a second UA try a couple minutes later. But we dug deep with tough defense just before the halftime break, moving the ball outside to sophomore Ian Mann who scored in the corner. 14-5 at the half. UA had a strong second half and closed it out 26-5, but we knew that straightening out a few errors would bring us success and we were pumped to take on Utah in our second match on Saturday.
Juwan Johnson added our first try against Utah, following a creative kick and chase by Tejas Godbole. Utah responded minutes later. 5-5 at halftime. Strong defense in the second half and an exciting kick and chase by Kieran McCullough, who smartly tackled the receiver in Utah’s try zone, led to an OSU five-meter scrum, then penalty to us, and heads up shifting the ball to Cam Castle who scored in the corner.
Our third match on Saturday was a loss to Arizona State 19-5, which set us up to win the Plate if we could go 2-for-2 on Sunday vs. Stanford and winner of USC/UCLA.
Our opening match vs. Stanford was brilliant, dominating 31-0 until the final minute, with tries by Jackson Davis Juwan Johnson, Kieran McCullough, Tejas Godbole and Dane McKinney. We conceded one try on the closing buzzer. OSU 31 Stanford 5.
Facing a tough USC team in our final match, we struggled a bit tackling their English star Cesar and were down 14-5 at the half. Juwan Johnson put in a particularly strong second half, with crunching defense and two tries, clearly our player of the tournament. We outscored USC two tries to one in the second half and but for a couple missed conversions would have won the match and taken the Plate Final. USC 19 OSU 17.
Our successes for the weekend included smart defensive structure and communication, led by Tejas Godbole, strong tackles by Juwan Johnson, Cam Castle, Wyatt Dillman, Ian Man and others, and occasional moments of brilliance on offense. Our balanced tries – one a piece by freshman Wyatt Dillman, rookies Jackson Davis and Ian Mann, Dane McKinney and veterans Tejas Godbole and Kieran McCullough; plus two by quick-stepping Cam Castle and four strong tries by Juwan Johnson – underscore our excellent teamwork and hustle on offense and defense. Our positive joyful attitude throughout the tournament and intense hustle and commitment were recognized by all present. Besides all the accolades received from the TV commentators, most importantly we know that we put our hearts into it and did our best, setting us up for building more success in the future. Head coach Troy Hall was a feature of the TV coverage, with the commentator even claiming that Troy played at Cal years ago – not true, but they wish it was so! It was seriously excellent visibility for the growing strength of Beaver Rugby, putting us back on the map as a strong competitor in PAC Rugby world.
On November 10 we traveled with our Developmental side to play COCC in Bend. It was a good opportunity for our newer players to get some good game time. Our closing match for the Fall season on November 17 is on our home turf vs. Western Washington University, currently the top NCRC team and winner of last year’s season. It will be a big challenge and test of the strength of what we’re building so far with this new Beaver Rugby team.
