The last time the Penn State men's rugby team played on the road, it resulted in a less-than-stellar effort.

With little time between arrival and kickoff, the team "got out of the bus kind of flat," according to Penn State head coach Don Ferrell, and the Ruggers proceeded to post an unimpressive 31-10 win against Towson.

Tomorrow, the Ruggers look to improve upon their road showings to this point when they travel to Baltimore to take on MARFU opponent Loyola of Maryland.

"In an effort to try and get back home for the rest of the events that are going on here in State College this weekend, we're moving the match time up a little bit," Ferrell said. "So it's gonna be the same kind of situation."

Even though the situation would seem to favor Loyola, as it hinges on one of Penn State's few weaknesses, Ferrell refuses to view it as such.

"We're gonna have [the team] really focus on how athletes are able to do that, you know what I mean?

"If you're an athlete and you're a champion you put all of that stuff out of your mind when you step between the lines," Ferrell said. "It's time to go. Regardless of how long you had to warm up, or how long you drove or whatever."

In addition to improving their road play, the Ruggers are hoping they can use this and the upcoming matches as a springboard to the remainder of the fall season. With several key contributors returning from injuries, the team is looking to welcome them back into the fold while continuing to grow as a team.

"We have the meat of our schedule coming up. I'm not trying to overlook anybody," Ferrell said, "but with Ohio State and Navy in the near future, we have a couple guys coming back off of injuries, we're gonna look to re-establish our defensive pressure, get everybody worked back into the offense and keep working on nice, clean execution."

With Ohio State two weeks off, the team can use the upcoming matches to pair its revamped offense with a renewed focus on defense - a defense that played without intensity and caved to a lesser Indiana University of Pennsylvania offense last week. Right now, Penn State is just looking to fine tune itself for the challenges that lay ahead.