Grand Canyon University has continued its torrid pace with a 59-10 defeat of Cal State Fullerton this past weekend.

The win, paced by four tries from center Maceo Brown and two from fullback Brent Williams, put GCU at 5-0 in the Gold Coast, and the ‘Lopes get a nice test Wednesday with a clash with University of Notre Dame to see where they fall in the hierarchy of all things.

For Head Coach Ryan Kelly, the growth from a strong contender in the Gold Coast to the top dog has been a case of just learning what it takes to compete.

“The team is feeling healthy and ready for a matchup with Notre Dame,” said Kelly. That game will be their final run-out before they look toward the playoffs.

The game will be the first time that former Union HS (Oregon) flyhalf Brendon Curle has been able to play 15s with the team. Curle has featured nicely in the GCU 7s team as he has worked his way back from injury. 

But GCU’s success has actually been with the big bodies up front. They have some superb backs, but it’s the platform set by the forwards that has really done the job.

Wednesday’s game will be GCU’s first game in the brand new rugby stadium on campus. It will be a good old-fashioned college sports event, with the band, the cheerleader squad, and rooters all there for the event. (Notre Dame is looking to rebound from a 62-12 loss to Arizona over the weekend - Jack San Pietro scored three tries.)

After that, it’s the playoffs, and perhaps a big helping of “Who knows?” But for now, Grand Canyon is scaling some heights.