Individual Game Recaps UC Davis Sting the Hornets 3/1/2008 Saturday March 1 2008 UC Davis 47 Sacramento State 17 Sac State came out to this rivalry game with a clear goal in mind, to keep the ball in the forward pack with pick and drives, keep possession, and slowly move the ball down the field. For the first 15 minutes of the game this strategy was very effective and frustrated the Davis Aggies. Eventually however, superior skill and pace won out and the Aggies put away the Hornets. The Sac State backline was not prepared to deal with their Davis counterparts. This became quite clear early in the game. Scrumhalf John Parshall finally got clean ball and found fly-half Julien Howsepian. The Davis backs did not have a play called and seemed a bit surprised to have the ball, but with some good improvisation Davis eventually got the ball out wide to speedy winger Tyler Harrison who raced downfield 40 meters. The ball was eventually knocked on by Davis but this turned the field position. Davis struck first when Howsepian fed center Jake Mayers a crash ball and Mayers was able to break a tackle to find the try zone. Sac State continued to pound away with the forwards, refusing to move the ball out wide. This strategy seemed to catch the Aggie pack by surprise. Sac State scored two tries due to poor tackling and foolish, repeated penalties, giving the Hornets a 10-7 lead. The Aggies showed some poise, however, and retook the lead through a couple of nice plays by Parshall. First, he took off on his own, broke a tackle near the goal-line and lunged in for the try. A few minutes later, after another break by the Aggies speedy back line Parshall tossed a short pass to the weak side to Howsepian who was streaking to that side and scored from a couple of meters out. The halftime whistle blew with the Aggies up 22-10, a score much too close for their liking. Problems continued at the start of the second half when a poor kickoff return lead to immediate points for Sac St. making the game 22-17. At this point it seemed as if Davis finally made the decision that they would not allow Sac State to remain in contention. The forward pack began tackling and committing fewer penalties, and the backs continued to make long breaks. Lock Levi Ryan, prop Colin Clark, and wing Tyler Harrison added the next three tries. Eight man Mark Miller and Clark both had good offensive days, repeatedly running through Sac State tacklers and off-loading to teammates. Harrison, fellow wing Christian Buck, and Daniel Nolan all were responsible for long runs around a defense that had no answer for their speed. The Davis backline was responsible for some turnovers however, at times trying to make a difficult pass after a break. The last try of the day for Davis was scored by rookie Milt Williams, getting his first A-Side time as a replacement for Howsepian at fly-half and making the most of the opportunity. Overall Davis will be happy with the result, especially the ability of the backline to take advantage of their opportunities. Still, penalties and mental errors continue to plague the Aggies and will have to be corrected for the last three games of the regular season as they are all against tough, smart opponents. Davis (1-15) Colin Clark/Alex Galang, Jacob Litinesky, Gus Brown, Levi Ryan, Reid Robinson/Jordan Bruno, Sam Shackleford, Jonny Volan, Mark Miller, John Parshall, Julien Howsepian/Milt Williams, Tyler Harrison, Tom Warner, Jake Mayers, Chris Buck/Ryan Gamba, Danny Nolan TRIES: Mayers, Parshall, Ryan, Clark, Harrison, Howsepian, Williams Conversions: Howsepian (2), Buck PENALTIES: Howsepian (2) UC Davis Men's Rugby Club 232 Activities and Recreation Center University of California, Davis 95616 Copyright 2006-2007, Julien Howsepian