Jared Bosma attacks against Penn State.
A small yet committed UMRFC squad competed at the 2012 Larrimer Cup and took fourth behind Penn State, Ohio State, and Princeton.
Game 1 – Princeton 22 – Michigan 7
The first match of the day was at 9:20 against Princeton. The Tigers kicked off and pressured U of M into a poor pass which ultimately lead to a Princeton score at the second minute. Michigan was able to string together a few possessions that broke Grady Bridges free for a long self-converted try. Michigan up, 7-5. However, Princeton took advantage of Michigan handling errors to put in two tries before halftime. Another error to start the half saw Princeton put in a fourth try to take a 22-7 lead. The men in blue were able to pressure the Tigers but a few long breaks couldn’t be converted into points and Princeton walked away with the victory.
Game 2 – Penn State 15 – Michigan 7
The Wolverines were forced to regroup and face the eventual champions for their 11:00 game. PSU pressured well on kickoffs and scrums and took advantage of the resulting possessions. The Nittany Lions were able to score three tries off of set pieces to take a 15-0 halftime lead. Michigan made some adjustments at the scrum and were rewarded with a few more possessions. Handling errors still persisted but the defensive line stayed quite strong in the second half. Blanking PSU in the second stanza, Michigan’s Joel Conzelmann broke late to convert his own try and end the game at 15-7.
Game 3 – Ohio State 24 – Michigan 0
Focused on picking up a pool play win, Michigan came out on the attack against OSU. However, the Buckeyes had a different plan and ran in two tries off of well patterned attacks. A few small injuries started to add up on the Maize and Blue. Without a full compliment of substitutes, fitness became a factor and allowed OSU to score two more tries in the second half off of loose play. Michigan had their chances and forced their way through the OSU defense but couldn’t finish any breaks. Final score, OSU 24 Michigan 0.
Semi-Final – Penn State 38 – Michigan 14
The first semi-final saw Michigan with their seven starters and no subs. Facing an uphill battle, Michigan allowed three PSU tries through the first half before a beautiful team score put prop Zach Kendall under the posts. Grady Bridges converted and the halftime score was 21-7. Penn State continued to pressure though and scored twice more before Joel Conzelmann broke down the right sideline for a late score. He converted his own try. PSU would add another try to end the game 38-14.
