BYU’s Saturday evening is a little different from its fellow DI playoff contenders. The Cougars now know they’re heading to the spring Final Four in Pittsburgh, having contested its first two rounds in Albuquerque on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday, BYU blanked Cal 97-0; today, the Cougars topped New Mexico 75-5.

The quarterfinalists played each other in the fall and spring, splitting games. But in the teams’ March meeting, the Cougars and their 110 points suggested they were a different team from the one that lost in the fall.

“When UNM beat us by one point last year, it was really good for us,” BYU coach Tom Waqa stated. “That was a good learning experience.”

A good learning experience that the team wasn’t eager to repeat in the post-season. BYU didn’t let up in its Round of 16 match Friday, sending 11 different players over for tries against Cal. Kayla Richardson, Ali Smith, Justina Grubb, and Kelly Briggs had multi-try games, while Chanel Johnstun, Paige Torgeson, Jordan Gray, Sia Skipp, Rebekah Boaz, Meighan Stevens, and Emma Stewart also scored.

“Cal had some good players,” Waqa commended. “They have been successful at some collegiate 7s tournaments, so we knew going in that we had to defend them really well. We've been working so hard on set piece defense, and general play defense, especially with line speed.”

Meanwhile, New Mexico had more of a fight against UC San Diego Friday, pulling out a 46-34 victory. The Lobos had a little more recovery to do, but entered today’s game ready for battle.

“New Mexico had a better start; we came in cold,” Waqa said. “I believe we took a little time to forget about the Cal game.”

The Lobos spent 15 minutes between BYU’s five and 22 meter lines, attacking with full force. The Cougars withstood penalties and an eventual yellow card, and didn’t allow New Mexico across the try line.

“That was intense,” Waqa remembered. “New Mexico gave us the offense we needed for that 15 minutes to really work on our defense – that cannot be duplicated in practice.”

Good ole Jordan Gray led the way with a couple of tackle-breaking runs, and once the All American dotted down, her teammates soon followed.

Grubb (3), Johnstun (3), Stevens (2), Briggs, Skipps, Cajin Christianson, and Nicole Beatie all scored tries, while Smith and Kayla Richardson slotted the extras.

“I'm proud of the performance for the last two days,” Waqa said. “The girls deserved it. They have worked so hard in the off-season, and we have improved a lot from last year.”

Among the many fantastic performances, Waqa singled out Rebekah Boaz, Justina Grubb, Hillary Hironaka, Nicole McCollough, Dana Mortensen, Jordan Gray, and Kayla Richardson on the weekend. The team now heads to Pittsburgh to face West Chester in the semifinals.