Page One

The juggernaut that is Cal rugby continued its quest for a 12th consecutive national championship with a 63-6 demolition of Ohio State in the Elite Eight on Sunday at Witter Field. The Bears allowed just two penalty kicks in the game and shut out the Buckeyes in the second half. 

Cal’s record improved to 17-0 on the season, while Ohio State fell to 18-3. If the Bears win their last two games at the Final Four in Virginia Beach, Va. in two weeks, they will complete head coach Jack Clark’s first undefeated season at Cal. 

The Buckeyes managed to stay close for the first 30 minutes of the game, trailing just 15-3. But when Cal All-American Kort Schubert broke through the middle of the Ohio State defense to set up a Jacob Waasdorp try on the half-hour, it was the beginning of the end for the visitors. The Bears scored again immediately off of the ensuing kickoff, with Alex Houser touching the ball down for the try, and just like that it was 29-3.  

Houser scored again four minutes later, chasing down a Matt Sherman kick in the corner of the end zone to make the score 36-3. Ohio State managed to get on the board once more before halftime, but the penalty kick would be their last score of the day. 

None of the Ohio State players had faced Cal before Sunday, and they came away impressed by the country’s best college team. 

“They were just ready to go from the first whistle,” said captain Martin Snider. “They have a plan for everything. They don’t get rattled at all no matter what you do.” 

It was more of the same in the second half, as the Bears scored five more tries and showed tremendous ability to take advantage of Buckeye mistakes. A quick restart by scrumhalf Joel DiGregorio from an Ohio State penalty gave prop Mike McDonald a chance to show off his agility, tip-toeing down the sideline before diving into the end zone.  

Minutes later, an Ohio State scrum just deep in their own end turned into a disaster as a pass went out the back of the end zone, and Cal converted the ensuing five-meter scrum into another score. 

Cal’s starters were raring to go after watching their backups beat Middle Tennessee State, 43-10, in the first round on Saturday. With such a powerful program, Clark knew he could afford to rest his starters for Sunday’s game without risking a loss in the playoffs. 

“Everyone wants to be in there when it’s single-elimination,” McDonald said. “But it’s a huge advantage for us to have 13 pairs of fresh legs in there when the other team all played hard yesterday.” 

Schubert, one of the best players in school history, got a special thrill when Clark pulled him from the game just before the final whistle. The Cal crowd gave the senior a standing ovation as he came off the Witter pitch for the final time in what has been a stellar career. 

“It just feels great to get a big win and play well in my last home game,” Schubert said. “We really fired on all cylinders today.” 

The Bears will face Army in the Final Four on May 4, with San Diego State and Wyoming matching up on the other side of the bracket. Cal must be considered an overwhelming favorite to win yet another national championship. Saturday’s 33-point difference was the closest an American team has gotten to the Bears this season, and Clark has said he thinks this year’s team could bethe best he has ever coached, not bad considering he has overseen 18 national champions. 

“We just need to focus on the little things for the next two weeks,” Schubert said. “We’re hot right now. It would take a really good performance from a really good team just to get close to us.”