After a first half of inconsistent play, the Penn State men's rugby team found its rhythm in the second half and consequently stomped to a 47-23 win against the Maryland Terrapins away last weekend.

The Ruggers said that the long trip to College Park, MD meant that they got off to a slow start against a Terrapins side that was on a win streak of four games.

"We were in the frame of the mind that we were still in the bus," senior Alessio Cardillo said. "The second half was much better because we were more intensified."

At halftime the score was 25-19 in the Ruggers favor. It had been a sloppy but physical game as the Terrapins tried to use their bigger forwards to dominate the breakdowns. But after halftime, the Ruggers picked up their work rate and stamped in 24 points while allowing the Terrapins three more points.

"It went really well," Penn State men's rugby coach Don Ferrell said. "Maryland is a good side and they gave us a good game."

Many of the Terrapins scores came from mistakes by the Ruggers such as having a kick blocked and conceding penalties near their trylines.

The first fifteen played the entire match, as the coaches wanted to assess their fitness levels before they go up against traditional rival Navy this weekend. The coaches also wanted to see more intensity in the play of the backs and forwards.

"We had good ball movement and good scrummaging," Ferrell said. "The backs were dynamic and they moved the ball from side to side and the forwards were more involved."

-- by Nkrumah Makinwa

The Oct. 23 game against Iowa will be televised nationally on ESPN2, kickoff will be at 12 p.m. in Beaver Stadium.

It will be the 85th Homecoming game for the Nittany Lions. They hold a 60-19-5 record overall playing on Homecoming, they are 34-4 under Joe Paterno. Iowa is playing Penn State on Homecoming for the first time since 1973.

This is the seventh announced television appearance this season for Penn State. They have been on ESPN twice, once on ABC and three times on ESPN Plus. Penn State has been on television 121 times in the last 123 games they have played.

Penn State holds a 10-8 series lead over Iowa, but Iowa has won the last four meetings. Last season Iowa won 26-14 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have won the last three games played in Beaver Stadium. The last two have been decided in overtime.