Simon Danielli scored two tries on Monday as Scotland again struggled against a relative minnow before beating the United States 39-15 in a World Cup Pool B encounter.
Scotland next face Six Nations rival France, the losing finalist at the last World Cup, on the back of a stuttering 32-11 win over Japan and a stop-start defeat of the US Eagles.
The Scottish secured a bonus competition point in the 71st minute when flyhalf Gregor Townsend scooted in for the fourth try, 33 minutes after prop Gavin Kerr had crossed for their third five-pointer.
The Americans, who had a 19-18 loss to Fiji in their opener, were again strong in defence but lacked imagination in attack and extended their World Cup record losing stretch to 10 matches.
Right winger Danielli crossed twice within five minutes, both in the left corner and both times taking on the defence when he had support on the outside, to break the game open after Mike Hercus had given the Americans a 6-3 lead with penalties in the ninth and 13th minutes.
Danielli burst on to a shortball from Ross Beattie on the 40m line and rounded US fullback Paul Emerick in the 20th minute.
Chris Paterson converted from the sideline for a 10-6 lead and then repeated from the same angle after Danielli’s second touchdown, when the big winger took the ball inside the attacking quarter, broke through one tackle and carried three defenders across the line.
Kerr earned his first international try after charging down Kevin Dalzell’s attempted clearance two minutes before halftime.
Winger Riaan van Zyl was twice caught off guard in the movement, fumbling a ball kicked into his corner and then losing a race with the giant front-rower to the ball as it rolled in-goal.
The Americans were stopped on Scotland’s line in first-half injury time but were denied a five-pointer by Scotland prop Tom Smith, who was penalised for hands in the ruck and sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes.
Hercus landed a simple penalty goal to reduce the margin to 24-9 at the break.
Phillip Eloff crossed for the Americans five minutes after the break after Hercus’s attempt at goal deflected off the far upright, but the video referee adjudicated that the Eagles centre had knocked on when he attempted to grab the rebound.
Hercus and Paterson traded penalties to move the scoreline along to 27-15 when the Eagles were reduced to 14 men with fullback Emerick sent to the sin bin for holding a Scottish player back in a chase for the ball late in the second half.
Townsend crossed while Emerick was in the sin bin and then, having stretched the American defence in six phases, Paterson crossed in the right wing for the final points in the penultimate minute of the match. — Sapa-AP
Scorers:
Scotland 39 (Tries: Simon Danielli 20th, 25th, Gavin Kerr 38th, Gregor Townsend 71st, Chris Paterson 78th; Penalties: Chris Paterson 4th, 57th; Conversions: Paterson 21st, 26th, 38th, 79th)
United States 15 (Penalties: Mike Hercus 9th, 13th, 40th, 50th, 62nd).
Halftime: 24-9.