Pool A of the 2011 Collegiate Rugby Championship saw Cal and Penn State take the first two spots at 3-0 and 2-1 respectively while LSU and Ohio State slumped to the last two spots. LSU managed a 1-2 record and Ohio State went 0-for-3.

Cal's Blaine Scully stretches for the try against LSU. (Marvin Dangerfield)

Ohio State's Chad Cochran stiff arms a Penn State defender.

Cal could not be stopped as they only allowed one try to be scored against them in all three matches combined. Penn State put up the best fight and battled to a 26-7 loss. They did the best in matching Cal’s physicality and discipline in the first half. But as Cal will do, they put the game out of reach in the second half. They chased and contested on their own kickoffs and that won them a lot of possession, even granting them a try when Blaine Scully chased down a kick and slipped past two defenders for a try. Cal’s earlier victories against Ohio State, 38-0, and LSU, 24-0, cemented their spot at the top.

Penn State showed that their preparation in the Subaru 7s and other competitions has done them well in their opening two wins. They edged LSU in the first round, 14-12, before going up against rivals Ohio State. Ohio State held a 10-point lead at halftime, but Penn State came back with a converted try. The Nittany Lions’ Ben Jannsen then dove over in the right corner on the next possession to snatch the win away from Ohio State right at the fulltime whistle.

“It feels great and it puts us into the cup playoffs,” Janssen said. “It was a team effort I was just the guy on the spot. We play as a team and we won as a team.”

LSU and Ohio State competed in the last Pool A match of the day and the Tigers showed great resilience to beat the Buckeyes, 10-7. Nate Ebner was a standout for Ohio State but it seemed like they relied on him too much at times. LSU grabbed two unconverted tries while Ohio State could only manage one converted score, even thought they showed glimpses of good handling. They can do better in the Challenger quarterfinals on Sunday if they use space more wisely and utilize their whole team on offense.

Cal and Penn State play in the championship quarterfinals tomorrow at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Cal starts at 10:19 a.m. against the second seed from Pool B and Penn State faces the top Pool B seed at 10:41 a.m.