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April 17, 2009
BERKELEY - The Cal-hosted half of the Round of 16 kicked off Friday on Witter Rugby Field under sparkling skies as the LSU Tigers defeated Utah, 47-5, followed by San Diego State's 55-12 win over Bowling Green to set up a Pool C showdown between LSU and SDSU for a national semifinal berth.
Bowling Green and Utah will play the Pool C consolation match Sat. at 11:30 a.m.
Air Force and Cal Poly kick off at 10 a.m. Sat, followed at 1:30 p.m. by California vs. Minnesota in Pool A play. The winners of those matches meet Sunday at 1 p.m. to decide a second semifinal slot, with the losers in the 11 a.m. consolation.
The Tigers and Aztecs were successful Friday with high-speed and highly skilled backline play as both built big leads in their first halves. Seven Tigers scored eight tries, with flyhalf Robert Johns notching a pair. Utah's Chase Jardine scuttled the shutout with his try for the Utes.
LSU head coach Scott McLean said, "Our front row really played a good game. I also thought our inside center, freshman Jeff Levasseur, played a great game. He poached a lot of balls and was great in the tackle. We were just able to wear them down. That's what we've done all year."
"We underestimated those guys, myself included," said Utah head coach Blake Burdette. "LSU has got very effective backs and they're going to give the next opponent trouble."
Bowling Green hooker Jeff Sparks tied the contest at 5-5 with his try before the Aztecs ran away with the match with nine tries, including a hat trick from fullback Alex Ross.
"We put ourselves behind the 8-ball too many times. We made some poor decisions in our own end very early, and I think it set the tone for them," said Falcons head coach Tony Mazzarella. Of San Diego State, he said, "They're a very good team, very quick, and really execute at great speed. They're going to be a handful for anyone that plays them."
"We had a lot of guys step up today that we challenged, that aren't really normally part of our first rotation," said San Diego State head coach Dan Payne. "They stepped up and did a great job. We have a stiff task tomorrow with a great team, so well have to work on improving overnight."
In other Round of 16 action at Life University in Atlanta, Ga., Pool B saw Arkansas State beat Navy, 50-7, and BYU defeat Dartmouth, 26-5. Penn State plays Tennessee and Saint Mary's takes on Army in Pool D when play resumes tomorrow.
LSU vs Utah Scoring Timeline:
22:00 LSU (Eric West) 5
29:00 LSU (Jeff Levasseur) 5, (Saade Bou-Mikaei) 2
36:00 LSU (Andrew Larkin) 5
40:00 LSU (Eric Johns) 5
Halftime: LSU 22, Utah 0
44:00 Utah (Chase Jardine) 5
53:00 LSU (Saade Bou-Mikaei) 3
68:00 LSU (Sam Wills) 5
73:00 LSU (Robert Johns) 5
79:00 LSU (Robert Johns) 5
83:00 LSU (Adam Ducoing) 5, (Saade Bou-Mikaei) 2
Final Score: LSU 47, Utah 5
SDSU vs. Bowling Green Scoring Timeline:
01:00 SDSU (Jamie Purcell) 5
20:00 Bowling Green (Jeff Sparks) 5
24:00 SDSU (Zach Heiler) 5, (Stephen Mulhall) 2
31:00 SDSU (Duncan Kelm) 5, (Stephen Mulhall) 2
33:00 SDSU (Alex Ross) 5
39:00 SDSU (Chris Bredesen) 5, (Stephen Mulhall) 2
Halftime: San Diego State 31, Bowling Green 5
45:00 SDSU (Tyler Kaushagen) 5, (Stephen Mulhall) 2
59:00 SDSU (Alex Ross) 5, (Stephen Mulhall) 2
66:00 Bowling Green (Mitchell Albers) 5, (Daniel Brandenstein) 2
72:00 SDSU (Alex Ross) 5
75:00 SDSU (Chris Bredesen) 5
Final Score: San Diego State 55, Bowling Green 12
Friday Summary:
Berkeley, Calif.
Pool C:
LSU 47, Utah 5
SDSU 55, Bowling Green 12
Atlanta, Ga.
Pool B
Arkansas State 50, Navy 7
BYU 26, Dartmouth 5
Saturday Pool A & C Schedule:
10 a.m. Pool A: Air Force (West No. 2) vs. Cal Poly (SoCal No. 2)
11:30 a.m. Pool C Consolation
1:30 p.m. Pool A: Minnesota (Midwest No. 2) vs. California (Pacific No. 1)
3:30 p.m. Pool C Winners (Semifinal Qualifier)
Sunday Pool A Schedule:
11 a.m. Pool A Consolation
1 p.m. Pool A Winners (Semifinal Qualifier)
