Life University dispatched the Dallas Harlequins 39-8 Saturday in the Super League opener for both teams.

Life Head Coach james Isaacson wasn’t overly thrilled with his team’s performance, perhaps in part because he didn’t get to play due to a hamstring problem.

Whether it was Isaacson’s absence from the field, or some other issue, the Running Eagles struggled to secure consistent first-phase possession and kept getting into penalty trouble. They played the final 30 minutes down a man as first flanker Benji Goff was sin-binned for a late tackle, and then Chris Sullivan was red-carded for a punch.

“We are rusty, but as I said to the guys, we can only use that as an excuse for so long,” Isaacson told RUGBYMag.com. “I had hoped we’d move forward from the Florida All-Stars game, but we haven’t and that’s frustrating. We wasted far too much possession and we dragged ourselves into a game that suited Dallas more. In the end, I think the score flattered us.”

Isaacson had no issue with the calls against his team and said the players had to learn to be more disciplined.

“But we did win the game, and now the guys are under no illusions as to what I expect,” he said. “It’s going to be a long season if we don’t fix things, but we’ve got a bye week now and some time.”