Eighteen years ago, the undefeated No. 2 ASU football team fell to No. 4 Ohio State 20-17 in the 1997 Rose Bowl.
On Saturday, the rugby team looks to get revenge at the second annual Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale Rugby Bowl.
"We want to get payback for our football team, which lost the 1997 Rose Bowl to Ohio State in a heart-breaking fashion," ASU head coach Gary Lane said. "That loss motivates us to achieve more."
The Sun Devils have had a very successful season, defeating teams like UCLA, Oregon State and San Diego State and falling to defending champions and runner-up, Brigham Young University and Cal respectively.
"We did very well, I am very happy with the performance of the team," Lane said. "We are a very young team with 90 percent of the team being freshmen and sophomores. That's a good sign for our future."
The Rugby Bowl started when founder Jason Rose was asked to do another polo event after founding The Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships. He decided to create a new rugby event instead and talked to Coach Lane. It's now the largest rugby event in Arizona.
The event is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale, presented by Smith & Forge Hard Cider, and will be at Scottsdale Stadium. Other then a different opponent, the event has some new additions this year, including a "Warning Track" Fashion Show and the World Arm Wrestling League Qualifier featuring world champion, Travis Bagent.
Each year, ASU picks an opponent that can guarantee a good game. The team played defending champion Brigham Young last year, and this year, ASU will battle it out against Ohio State.
The excitement starts Saturday with Arizona's High School Rugby Championships at 11 a.m., followed by the USC Trojans taking on the GCU Lopes at 1 p.m. ASU will finish up the day with a rematch against Ohio State at 3 p.m.
The Sun Devils will finish off their season with the National Championship over Memorial Day weekend.
Reach the reporter at kewens@asu.edu or follow @katlynewens on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook or follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
