In a clash of two DII teams with big aspirations in the SCRC, Memphis came back to defeat Auburn 12-7 in a muddy mess of a game.

Auburn led for much of the match and performed admirable for a squad that has 13 freshmen and sophomores in the gameday 23, plus four players who have never played rugby before.

Center Niko Spino's early try stakes Auburn to a 7-0 lead, but Memphis kept up the pressure after that. The Memphis Tigers controlled field position for much of the gamer as Auburn defended desperately. 

Finally, penalties started to hurt the other Tigers. Memphis fullback Leroy Taylor finally scored to make it 7-5 Auburn. And then as Auburn absorbed more pressure they failed to secure a loose ball near their goalline and Mat Ravishankar pounced on it and scored. Conor Dempsey's conversion made it 12-7.

It was a tough loss for Auburn but the closest they've been to Memphis in many years, and a sign that they are up-and-coming. Their big pack and their physical approach made it very difficult for their opponents.

For Memphis, prop Tully Day and flanker Virgil Pryor were excellent on defense.

Memphis is now 2-0, and Auburn slips to 0-1-1. Next up for Memphis is Mississippi State and then longtime SCRC powers Middle Tennessee State. Auburn gets a bye before Ole Miss and MSU.