It came down to the last drive of the game. The Penn State men's rugby team was in possession of the ball and needed a try to tie the game.

Unfortunately the chip went out of bounds and so the Ruggers hopes of pulling out a win against traditional powerhouse Navy last weekend.

Just like that, it was over and Navy had squeezed out 34-29 win after being down 19-5 at halftime.

"We had the game in our hands and it was ours to lose," Ruggers captain Tim Ryland said.

The Ruggers had been looking forward to this game since the beginning of the season. They had beaten the Ohio State Buckeyes and now needed to beat Navy to do something they haven't done in two years.

"It was an excellent game and I think we played well," Ruggers coach Don Ferrell said, adding that he was extremely happy with their effort.

The first half saw the Ruggers play outstanding defense and scramble to a half-time lead.

The second half was a different story as the weather changed, which affected the Ruggers game plan of getting quick balls out to the backs and outrunning Navy.

Instead the game became more forward-oriented, which is Navy's strength.

Compounding that was the Ruggers got comfortable and lost a little bit of their intensity.

"The first half our defense was phenomenal," Ryland said. "In the second half we got comfortable ... I think we really learned that the game is not over till the final whistle blows."

Not only did the weather affect the Ruggers game plan, it also changed their luck. A couple of penalties were called against the Ruggers and a kick was blocked. But the Ruggers hung in there till the last second.

"Our flankers and back row played well," Ferrell said.

"Our front row was physical today ... everyone played well."

The Ruggers did have some injuries to backs Justin Hundley and Dominic Mara. Hundley had an ankle injury, while Mara had cramps, but both were able to continue playing.

Overall, the coaches were happy with the team's performance.

They also felt that on a day with clear weather, the result would have been different.

Although Navy snuck out the win, the Ruggers feel that they won the war.

"We are so excited for the spring," Ryland said. "We beat ourselves, they didn't beat us."