They had it coming. Two years ago the Penn State men's rugby team visited the Towson University and lost, putting a blemish on a season where it went all the way to the National Championship finals.

"We weren't prepared for their kicking and their size," back Sean Umstead said. "This year, we were prepared for it."

Saturday, the Ruggers added a new spin to the story. They went down to Baltimore, Md., and this time they came out with a convincing 35-3 victory. Man-of-the-match was scrumhalf Justin Hundley.

The Ruggers expected Towson to kick the ball, which they did, and Penn State had an answer for that.

"Basically, we controlled every aspect of the game," flyhalf Timmy Ryland said.

He also added that the Ruggers' knowledge of Towson's game plan helped them in their domination.

The memories between these two teams have led to some bad blood, which popped up in the game, as there were some fights.

"It was a really physical game," Ryland said, "and Towson got a little feisty."

From the beginning to the end, the Ruggers never let Towson into the game.

Although the field was 10 meters shorter in width and length than Penn State's, it didn't really affect the Ruggers' game.

They dominated with their forwards rucking and getting good balls for the backs.

The backs, who weren't really able to use the speed out wide, contributed with good crashing on the ball.

"I would say on a scale of 1-10, we were about an eight," Umstead said. "Obviously, there are still tiny things that we need to fix up."

Only a few mental mistakes let the Ruggers' stranglehold on Towson loose and have a few opportunities to score.

"They had no chance to score tries," Ryland said.

"The only chances they had came when we made mistakes or committed penalties."

The outright win added to the Ruggers' confidence level as the season comes to a close.

"It was a big stepping stone of how we want and need to play," Ryland said.

Despite the convincing win, the Ruggers don't plan to take things easy this week.

They face league leader Navy this Saturday and beating the Midshipmen would not only be beneficial for the Ruggers' National Championship hopes, but also erase the memories of a shattering loss early in the season to Ohio State.

"We are confident about our ability," Umstead said, "but we don't want to be overconfident."