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Arizona State can establish their bona-fides for 2nd place n the PAC Rugby Conference with a win over UCLA this weekend in Tucson, Ariz.

ASU rode a storming second half to overcome Arizona 34-15 two weeks ago, and that result certainly buoyed their confidence. 

 “A few big plays sparked the excitement in the boys and once we got that try in the corner from Alex Sandstrom everyone was just rolling,” Captain Nick Howard told ASU rugby reporter Allyson Cummings. “We picked it up and never took the foot off the gas pedal.” 

Now at 1-1 with Cal and Arizona in their rear view mirror, the Sun Devils can finish 2nd if they run the table before them - UCLA, Utah, and Oregon State. It won’t be easy, as UCLA comes in 2-2 and hoping to finish strong in their final game of the conference season. The Bruins have been up and down, losing big to Utah, then pushing Cal in a game they could have pulled out, and then just getting by a young Arizona team on a last-second try.

At their best, the Bruins can score brilliant tries and can play unflinching defense. They will need it in Tucson, where ASU’s Sandstrom brothers are excellent at punishing poor clearance kicks, and Keenan Mayfield simply produces points.

It’s a full slate of PAC games this weekend - the only weekend when that happens. Cal will likely wrap up the conference title at Oregon State. 

“It is important we continue to demonstrate improvement in our competitive performances,” said Cal Head Coach Jack Clark, who will ignore OSU’s recent struggles and look to prepare his team for some big games ahead. “We need to improve weekly. We are working too hard at this to not demonstrate improvement.”

Oregon State is only 0-1, having lost to UCLA way back in January. This game marks the beginning of a five-week run where the Beavers finish their conference season. It will be a tough run.

Also on the slate is Arizona at Utah. Both teams have had their good days (Arizona’s hosting of UCLA was almost a very good day for them) and their bad (Utah entered Berkeley thinking possible conference title, and left 77 points in the red). Utah will want to exert some physical superiority, while for Arizona, really, it’s about taking steps forward. The Wildcats are indeed young, but improving. It’s unlikely they’ve done enough to earn a DIA playoff spot, although beating Utah might change that. Utah has the same aspirations. It’s likely the winner will get a serious look as a DIA wild card team, and the loser will not.

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