Life, winners of the CRC 7s Qualifier bracket in Las Vegas last week, transitioned into 15s season with a 77-5 defeat of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. Saturday. The Running Eagles got off to somewhat of a slow start, due in part to a soggy field, but never trailed.

No. 8 Cam Dolan and fullback Joe Cowley led Life with three tries a piece.

“Our offense, it provides a lot of touches for our No. 8, regardless, and (Dolan) has a knack for going and finding the right space and winning his one-on-one match-ups when he gets there,” said Life coach Dan Payne. “He did that very well today.”

“(Cowley) knows when to take the right gap in the line at the right time and put the ball into space as well,” added Payne. “He hits the line at pace and understands when and where to do it.”

Life’s game was not flawless, however, as the Running Eagles struggled to transition back to a 15s mindset.

“If we were critical of ourselves that would be one of the things we were guilty of, was being pretty loose with the ball and looking for offloads and forgetting that there’s twice as many people and defenders on the field now, and you have to be cognizant of that, retaining possession,” he said. “But it tightened up even more in the second half when the guys started to switch their minds back in.”

Oklahoma’s lone score came from the outstanding individual effort of center Michael Al-Jaboori. The athletic, strong runner bowled over Life’s Darrian Woodson en route to the score.

OU tries to rebound next week on the road at Texas A&M, while Life enjoys a week off.   

Life 77
Tries: Dolan (3), Bester, Cowley (3), McNeil, Salamon, Miller (2), Walker, Woodson
Cons: Cowley (2)

Oklahoma 5
Tries: Michael Al-Jaboori