Despite their best efforts to carry momentum from California to Utah, the No. 19 Grand Canyon University Men's Rugby team suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of No. 3 Ranked Brigham Young University, 53-22. The Lopes entered last weekend's game having just made their way into the D1A College Rugby Top 20 national ranking after upsetting No. 10 San Diego State the weekend before. A 40' Try before half time by Lopes' freshman halfback Christian Bucklin kept the Lopes within striking distance with a score of 29-12, but the offensive barrage displayed by BYU proved to be too much for Grand Canyon to handle.
"We came out too slow and had too many early mistakes," said Lopes' Head Coach Cam Wyper. "BYU is one of the best in the country, and we have to work on being more consistent throughout the entire game."
After splitting the two-game road trip, the 1-2 Lopes now host their in-state rival Arizona State University this Friday. The last time the Lopes came off a tough loss, they bounced back with the huge upset over SDSU, and Wyper feels the team can do it again.
The Lopes have scored exactly 22 points in all three of their outings thus far in the season, but a different approach to practice might be the answer in putting more points on the board.
"It's not going to get any easier this season, but we can grind out this win," said Wyper. "We still want our defense to be a staple of our game, but offensive systems will be a point of emphasis throughout the week. We have to find ways to score early to put pressure on other teams."
The matchup between the two programs will be held on February 2 at 7 pm at GCU Stadium. Admission to the game is FREE.