Non-conference college games can be a little hit or miss, but of late more and more top DI programs are looking for tough tests rather than guaranteed blowouts.

This weekend was heavy in conference games, but a couple of non-conference games made a bit of a splash, with Utah handing Colorado State a fairly humbling 42-12 road loss on Saturday and LSU holding off visiting Clemson 27-22 on Friday night.

The Utes' home win was paced by continued solid work by co-captains Caleb Meyer and Gave Ruflin. Kelsin Pupunu once again showcased his elusiveness, and despite the fact that Utah is fairly young, it handled a very good Rams squad.

"It was a good game for us," Ruflin said. "It was our first run-out of the season in a full 15s match. They put us under a lot of pressure and did really well at stealing ball. So we also had some things to take away from this game and work on for later."

The Utes don't have a lot of seniors on their squad, and other players are having to take on that leadership mantle. That is, in part, what this fall is about.

"It can be a challenge, but we've got talent," Rulfin said. "Kelsin is just a stud and he's also one of the most intelligent players on the team. Dylan James is going to be really good — he's a player you should watch."

But this wasn't a conference game, because Utah is in the PAC Rugby Conference, which plays in the spring. So the fall is about development? Maybe.

"Our main objective is to prepare for spring," Ruflin said. "We are preparing for conference play and the playoffs. But at the same time, we're competitors; we want to win. I want to win every game we play. So it was a good day for us."

LSU opened its fall season with a 25-10 win over LSU-Alexandria, a small-college varsity program, on Sept. 22 and followed up that result by grabbing a home win over Clemson on Friday.

"We are trying to get as many tough games as we can," LSU coach Bob Causey said. "This was a good benchmark for us, and we knew it was going to be a tough one. Clemson's a good team, and winning this game built some confidence for us."

Causey said he was most pleased with his team's defensive effort, but he also got some excellent work from Cameron Troxler at center and Australian product Jack Remond, who has slotted in nicely at flyhalf.

Up front, Hunter Breit led at hooker.

"We got some great push from our forwards," Causey said. "It was a good platform for us, and we feel good."

Both results show that none of the teams involved are messing around even in these non-conference games. Teams know that playoff seedings in D1A depend on the USA Rugby-run rankings, and good results against competitive teams matter. This week, Utah and LSU did exactly what they needed to do.