MTSU Rugby Opens Spring Semester With Dominating Win Over Memphis

By Andrew Isbell

Contributing Writer

            MEMPHIS -- The Middle Tennessee State rugby team traveled down to the University of Memphis on Feb. 4 and came out victorious by a score of 37-5.

The Moosemen started the game slow but steady and proved dominance over the ball. In the fall semester, the MTSU Moosemen ended with a record of 4-0 and picked up right where they left off. There had to be a change in leadership, and the team elected a new captain in Mason Hubbard. The first game of the semester, it was expected for the Moosemen to be a little rusty and out of shape, but that was not the case this time around.

            During the Christmas break, the team was held responsible for their conditioning by weekly sessions on three out of five days of the week. It proved to be the X-factor in this game as Memphis died down in the second half, and that is when MTSU exploited the weakness.  Twenty-two of the 37 points were scored in the second half.

            “You could tell in the second half who has been conditioning and who hasn’t,” starting lock and Motlow State Community College student Deshun Richardson said. “The field was a big problem because it was just hard dirt, and I couldn’t keep traction at all.”  

            The field was not in ideal condition. It was hard, and the little grass that was there did not soften the fall. I heard multiple players before the game make negative comments about the field. The field may not have been up to par, but the crowd made up for it. The crowd filled up the sideline and made themselves known. Everybody except for a select few were on the side of Memphis. MTSU did a great job at keeping the crowd out of the game and not letting them become a factor.

            Another factor that could have affected the Moosemen was that Head Coach Jody Hensley was not present. The assistant coaches took full responsibility and had the players executing the game plan to a tee. Despite all the possible factors that could have ruined the day for MTSU, they were not rattled.

            Naturally the game got physical. When asking Captain Mason Hubbard about it, he said, “I just kept making sure everyone kept their cool. When anything got chippy, I made sure to step in between it and calm down our players.”

            The one minor problem the Moosemen had were the points after tries. After scoring seven tries, MTSU only made one PAT.

            MTSU will take on Georgia Tech at 1 p.m. Feb. 11 in Murfreesboro. It will be a rematch of last semester when MTSU beat GT, 62-0. The Moosemen will look to stay undefeated and keep their aim on the division championship.

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MTSU Rugby Wins 24-12 in Physical Game with KSU

By Andrew Isbell

Contributing Writer

            KENNESAW, Ga. – The Middle Tennessee State University rugby team beat Kennesaw State University on Feb. 18 by a score of 24-12, surviving a physical match.

            MTSU and KSU are sitting numbers one and two in the South Independent Rugby Conference north standings. MTSU was 6-0 going into the game, and KSU was 4-1.

            This rivalry matchup had plenty of promise coming in, and the teams delivered. With physical and fast-paced play, the two did not disappoint the crowd.

            Big hit after big hit kept the tempo and excitement up and left everybody wanting more. Among the physical play, the number of penalties was held to a minimum, which led to an impressively clean game.

            When asked about how much defense the team had to play, former Motlow State Community College student and Prop Ben Bergeron said, “After they scored a lucky try off of a missed kick, we knew we couldn’t give up anymore points the rest of the way, so we tightened up defensively and shut them down.”

MTSU seems to always be a size disadvantage. KSU’s forward pack easily outweighed MTSU. In turn, the Moosemen had to be smart and use their conditioning to their advantage. 

             “As far as the team, we know we are more conditioned. We train all the time knowing that we aren’t the biggest, and it has helped us this year and in years past to excel” former Motlow State Community College student and Second Row Trevor Wingerter said.

            Defense was the theme for this occasion, although MTSU squeezed out four tries. Andy Pan (Inside Center), Anthony Godwin (Outside Center), Brennan Boykin (Flanker) and Eugene Elliot (Scrumhalf) were the try scorers. Ben Bergeron and Patrick Brouillette converted on two of the four tries.

            With this win, MTSU solidifies their number one spot in the North side of SIRC, and remain undefeated at 7-0. MTSU has one remaining game against Georgia Southern in two weeks, then will take on the SIRC playoffs in Orlando, Florida.

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MTSU Takes Big Win Over KSU

By Andrew Isbell

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee State University rugby team grabbed a big win over conference rival Kennesaw State University at 1 p.m. on Nov. 5 by a score of 39-10.

            MTSU and KSU are both in the South Independent Rugby Conference and have developed as big rivals. The two teams are incredibly physical, which made for an exciting match. This time around, the MTSU Moosemen took the victory.

The game of rugby is big internationally, a main sport for many countries including New Zealand, Fiji and Ireland among many others. It is often described as soccer and football combined. It’s football in the sense of tackling and passing, but without the pads. It’s soccer in the way of kicking. Passes are only allowed to go backwards or lateral, and a player can kick virtually whenever.

A match involves scrums and line-outs. A scrum looks identical to the offensive and defensive lines in football. A line-out looks almost like the ball being thrown back in soccer with a couple extra rules. A “try” is worth five points, and the conversion kick is worth two. A field goal is worth three points.

            The beginning of the game favored the Moosemen, who scored three times within the first 20 minutes. Scores came from MTSU starting Wing Devante Beasley, starting Second Row Trevor Wingerter, and starting Flanker Marcus Leuluai. The back end of the first half was more of a stalemate with both teams scoring once, which made the score at half time, MTSU 20, KSU 5. The last “try” in the first half came from MTSU starting Second Row Deshun Richardson.

            “The first 20 minutes of the game were fantastic for us,” MTSU Forwards Coach Jeff Pittman said. “We looked incredible.”

            In the second half, the Moosemen seemed to slow down, although almost doubling their halftime score. Conditioning is a huge part of the game, and being the beginning of the season, both teams started to tire out. The kickers seemed to shine in the second half, converting on three scores and making a penalty kick.  

            “In the second half, they (KSU) started to realize they weren’t going to win, so they started to hit us a lot harder, and I was gassed,” Richardson said. “It seemed like they were trying to hurt us.”

            The atmosphere during the game, although a small crowd, was electric. The fans loved to see their Moosemen score again and again.

MTSU has two remaining games this semester. The first will be played at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The second will be played at 1 p.m. on Nov. 19 against the University of Memphis in Murfreesboro.

            MTSU remains undefeated on the season and is in first place in the SIRC Conference. They will take time off for Christmas break, then start right where they left off playing conference games to try and advance to the championship in May.  

            For more information about how to get involved either as a player or a spectator, visit www.mtrugby.com.

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