The University of Arizona defeated Air Force emphatically in Saturday’s DIA quarterfinal, taking the Zoomies to earth to the tune of 51-7.

These two teams met last month in Las Vegas, and while Arizona won, it was a 36-34 scoreline. That indicated that this week’s playoff game, played in Colorado Springs, might be close, as well. It wasn’t. Arizona took control early and didn’t look back.

“That was a close game in Vegas, but it was played on a narrow field and I don’t think that suited us,” said Arizona Head Coach Sean Duffy. “We benefit when we have more space to move. But more than that, our guys, preparation-wise since Utah have really kicked it up a notch.”

That Utah game was a matchup for 2nd in the PAC Rugby Conference in Salt Lake City. Utah won 53-3 in what Duffy called a “humbling loss.”

But humbling can sometimes be good, and it was in this case, as the Arizona players realized that they still had a playoff game to play, and could put aside the ghosts of that game with a good performance this weekend.

“From those humbling experiences you can get some good growth, and this result is hopefully a sign that we’re experiencing some growth,” said Duffy. “We are getting better at getting some momentum back when it gets away from us.”

Arizona started no seniors on the day, and remains a fairly young team. Kyle Rogers was outstanding at flyhalf, and Ben Joseph scored two tries in quick order in the second half that basically put the game out of reach.

“I think Kyle is one of the best playmakers in the country, and as a 6-3 flyhalf he can do a lot of things in attack and on defense,” Duffy said.

The other big factor in the result? Games. Since losing to Arizona in Las Vegas, Air Force played no 15s rugby games, while Arizona played two A-side games and also a couple of JV games. That game time, coupled with the motivation to bury that Utah result, might have been the difference.

Arizona now faces Baylor at Baylor, and while the Wildcats might be considered favorites, Duffy said it’s a tough road game against a conference champion, and he will take nothing for granted.