GRR: Montana State
We are enjoying seeing a few upstart Men's D2 College teams this season which is gratifying to us at Goff Rugby Report World Headquarters because it gives us something to talk about on the daily 90-minute bullet train ride from home to HQ.
Shaking up expectations is good for the competition as a whole.
What is still a relatively inexperienced Auburn Tigers team defeated Montana State 31-12 Saturday to win the CRAA Men's DII title at the CRAA Fall Classic Saturday.
Auburn brought a fast-paced rush defense to the party and it was that approach, coupled with their ability to make that all-important first tackle, that ultimately won the game for the Tigers.
The Rocky Mountains were hit with some early snow this week and even on the rugby fields something strange was in the air.
Strangest of all perhaps was Colorado Mesa’s startling 48-29 defeat of previously 2-0 Western Colorado.
Western has been a playoff team before, and Mesa was three weeks removed from a 110-0 humbling at the hands of Northern Colorado.
Montana State exploded for 58 points to down #11 Colorado School of Mines 58-5 and lay down something of a marker.
Now 3-0 MSU will face 4-0 Western State on October 15, and that most likely will be a Rocky Mountain DII Conference decider.
In the flood of results from the Las Vegas Invitational, it would be understandable if you missed what Montana State did.
With a shutout win over Michigan State, a tie with James Madison, and some competitive losses to some other well-regarded teams, they finished 2nd in their pool and took some important steps forward.
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