When last night's match between Penn State and Trinity College Dublin was originally scheduled, many from the rugby community questioned why Penn State head coach Don Ferrell would put his team up against the far superior squad.

They wondered why he would voluntarily face a side that was virtually unbeatable.

While the outcome came as a surprise to no one, the 88-13 loss to Trinity provided numerous insights into a young Penn State team.

"I'm interested to see how we react to that kind of game, that kind of pressure," Farrell said. "I want our guys to see rugby played at that pace, moving the ball all over the field with our backs and forwards able to handle it, and we did that."

With their defense constantly under pressure throughout the first half, the Ruggers ended the half down 50-0, and for those from outside the Penn State program who questioned this matchup from the beginning, the near lifeless first half was exactly what they expected.

What they weren't counting on was the heart that was about to be shown by the Ruggers.

"I was also interested to see, did we give up, did we start fighting with one another. Did we keep playing hard. To be honest with you, I thought we played harder then they were from about 65 minutes on," Farrell said.

It was then that the Ruggers strayed from the script that had seemingly been written.

Down 67-3, with Trinity sticking to its game plan of playing the ball out wide, Penn State found itself with an advantage on defense for the first time all-night.

Once the ball reached the outside, the two remaining Trinity players were met by four Penn State defenders and in a split second, junior Luke Roberts swiped away the ball and sprinted 90 yards down field for what would be Penn State's one and only try.

The damage was done, and easily the largest crowd the Ruggers have played in front of this season erupted as the seemingly unthinkable happened -- the momentum had swung in favor of the home team.

"I really thought we were playing harder than them at the end of the game. We started getting some possessions for our offense. We were putting them to the ground with intensity," Farrell said. "It bodes well for our fitness level as well as for our heart. I thought we really played as a team tonight."

Even with the game clearly out of reach with 15 minutes to go, the Penn State crowd recognized what they were witnessing and stayed until the final whistle. After all, it's not often you get to see one of the world's best collegiate teams withstand an attack from what was clearly a lesser opponent.

"By the end of the game we were playing a real team game," Farrell said. "And I can honestly say that was the best we've played all year."