The Memphis Tiger Rugby team (3-1) continued their success against the University of Mississippi dominating the Rebels 59-3.
The Tigers got their second win in the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference, this time by a very comfortable margin. Junior Ethan Scott said it was a confidence-building win for the team, and it will likely help them in the long run.
“I mean, you can see it by the point spread,” Scott said. “The past few games that we’ve played have been good games, but we’ve only won by I think five points max. This game, we put up double digits on the team and shut them out from making any tries.”
The Tigers have moved on after a heavy loss against the Tennessee Volunteers. The wins from Georgia Tech, North Alabama and Ole Miss pushed Memphis into the discussion of the SCRC playoffs.
The Tigers have not lost to a Mississippi rugby team within the last three seasons. The Rebels have been outscored 159 to 15 in the previous four matches against the Tigers. Mississippi State has not had success either as they have lost 34-12 last season. Memphis is set to play the Bulldogs later this season.
Musa Banat scored three times in the game earning him his first hat trick of the season. The team captain scored twice in the first half and once in the second half. Joel Witcher, Austin Kelley, Landon Schmidt, Calvin Gentry, Allan Bowden, Brittin Roedel and Alec Sisco each scored at least one try. Roedel completed 6 of 8 conversion kicks while Ethan Scott also went one for one in his conversion kicks.
“Ole Miss and Memphis have a tradition of enjoying the competition,” Coach Cole said. “Any time you beat Ole Miss, it’s a good day, and we came out thinking about this game a long time ago.”
When the game finished, the Tigers joined their fans on the sideline and clapped for those in attendance. Banat stood in front of the team and thanked the Memphis supporters.
The only points the Rebels could muster was a field goal late in the second half. Neither team had any players ejected, sin-binned or given yellow cards. It was the first time the Tigers had a clean game. Memphis also sustained no injuries to their starting side for the first game of the season.
The Tigers do not have a scheduled game until Oct. 19.
Memphis scheduled a match with the Auburn Tigers. It is set to be an away game, and Auburn University has been established as a leader in the conference. The two teams have no history of ever playing, so both teams will have to perform their best.
Following that week, the Memphis Tigers will travel to Starkville to play the Mississippi Bulldogs. The Bulldogs had issues beating Memphis in previous seasons, and if Memphis plays as they have been, the Bulldogs cannot rely on home-field advantage.
The final scheduled game of the season is the Middle Tennessee University game. The Tigers host the Blue Raiders for another match, and it can hold major playoff implications. The last two matches have been decided by a total of three points, and the Tigers have lost both.
Musa Banat scores a try after diving through Ole Miss defenders. Banat scored three tries in the 59-3 beating of Ole Miss.
