Call it the Redemption Bowl, or maybe just call it the biggest college game of the weekend, either way, Penn State visiting Army at West Point has its share of stories.

Army is coming off a bizarre 18 months that saw the program suspended for an offensive e-newsletter the players used to circulate, followed by the Director of Rugby losing his position as the investigation went on. They missed the CRC twice, and barely got back on the field in the spring, albeit with many questions remaining about who would coach and how the team would operate. Entering this season, seemingly on probation, the Men’s Rugby Team suddenly found themselves a varsity program (the Women’s Team also). From the doghouse to the penthouse - the rise was quick, and a little surprising.

Penn State, meanwhile, stared down the barrel of administration displeasure last spring. After two Penn State players were arrested in March in connection with a January incident in which a large storage shed on campus was burned down, the team looked in serious trouble. With the University of Delaware story still fresh in many minds - where a non-team party started by some rugby players got out of hand and the entire program was banned for five years - many feared a similar fate would fall the Penn State team. However, an extensive investigation by the University showed that the rugby team had nothing to do with the incident - it was the actions of two individuals - and the rugby team’s short suspension was lifted.

“We are just really grateful that Penn State University were so unbiased and took the time to look at all the facts before making their decision,” said PSU Rugby captain Dan Metcalf. “The guys are really excited, because we know now you can never take things for granted, and we feel we have a second chance.”

And that’s what this game is about, in part. Two teams that were in trouble, and are now back to play rugby; perhaps a little chastened, but eager to get on the field. Oh, and did we mention this is the Rugby East Conference opener for both?

Army Head Coach Mike Mahan has a very young team to work with. West Point graduated 13 of 15 starters from last year, and really they’ve been unable to build their depth for over a year. Still, they held an open tryout at the Academy, in which 150 players tried out for about 40 spots. As many as 40 of those trying out had high school rugby experience, said Mahan.

“That’s a new thing for me,” said the coach. “It’s an exciting development, and now that we’re varsity we should be able to get more players with experience.”

As a varsity program, Army can now tag qualifying applicants as potential rugby recruits. But before they get to that point, Army has to get through this season. Most of the starting 15 is made up of underclassmen, with some freshman starting - a rarity at West Point. Mahan would have liked to have blooded his players a bit more, but had to call off an intriguing matchup with AIC due to lightning. Last week they shut out Cornell 49-0.

“It was a shame not to get the AIC game,” said Mahan. “That would have helped us prepare for Penn State. This is a huge game for us. I would rather have met them at the end of the season, but this is what we have. We are still very young, but we’re getting an understanding of the game, and we’ve got good athletes.”

Leading the way for the Black Knights is captain and flanker Collum Magee, who scored a try against Cornell and is an experienced head the players can rely on. In the backs, Logan Pearce is co-captain while scrappy scurmhalf Jake Banarhall has emerged as a smart conduit between forwards and backs. Up front, lock Ben Foley is a 6-5 senior with power and go-forward. Watch out also for center Andrew Fargo. Just a sophomore, Fargo is a product of the Torrey Pines HS rugby program in Southern California, and a was a huge part of their excellent 2011-2012 season.

Like Fargo, Banarhall enjoyed success in rugby as a higher-schooler, but most of the Army players are converted football or soccer players. As Mahan said, that will change in the coming years.

Army will have their hands full with an experienced Penn State team. Metcalf is the captain and leader in the pack, and he also has HS All American Malcolm May to help out. May scored the opening try in last week’s impressive 30-6 defeat of Davenport.

In the backs, there’s a talented core of young players. Joe Kelly is a former USA U20 and HS All American, who is back for a second season, while freshman Jimmy Ronan has looked strong. Ronan was a co-captain of Gonzaga HS, and when his more well-known teammate, Ben Cima, wasn’t available, he was the goalkicker and flyhalf. Ronan can play scrumhalf or flyhalf, and he might be the different Saturday, as he can kick goals with consistency, while Army are still looking for a replacement for the graduated Will Holder, who was their points machine for years.

The big addition, though, is on the sidelines. Chris Amoratis remains as Director of Rugby, but his new baby has put demands on his time. Enter former Waikato coach Alf Daniels. The New Zealander brings some high expectations just as the Nittany Lions are looking to raise the bar following their suspension scare.

“We are very excited,” said Metcalf. “Last week we worked on our new attacking structure and it went fair well. It’s very fluid, very dynamic, with the forwards and backs mixing more. But we have so many things to work on.”

These are two old foes who, this year, don’t know much about each other - perhaps not much about themselves at the moment. But both Army and Penn State have something to prove in this season of redemption - and a lot to prove this weekend.