DIAA Playoff Update - Down to 10
The DIAA playoff picture is almost complete, and by Sunday afternoon we will know all.
On Saturday, Chico State defeated Nevada and UC Davis defeated UC Santa Cruz to set up the much-anticipated Pacific Western championship game between those two teams. Meanwhile, Princeton beat Penn 45-0 Friday to advance Sunday's Ivy League play-in against Brown.
Meanwhile, Cal State Long Beach hosted Dixie State in a play-in between the runners up in the Gold Coast and Mountain State conferences. Long Beach State won 36-15 to advance to the spring final eight.
So here's how the DIAA playoffs look now:
April 8-9
East Regional
#1 Florida State (SIRC Champion) v #3 Princeton or Brown (Ivy League)
#2 Missouri (HOA Champion) v #4 North Texas
Baylor Downs LSU on Late Try to Take Red River
Baylor University has won the Red River Conference championship, scoring a try at the end of the conference final Saturday in Austin, Texas to beat LSU 25-22.
In a physical, tight game that carried much intensity but not always adventurous rugby, the Tigers drew first blood. Captain and flanker Brennan Falcon cut through near the Baylor line. He was ankle-tapped, otherwise he might have been in for the try himself. Instead, Falcon was able to pass out to wing Aidan Elias for the opening try.
Baylor responded, with flanker Ryan MacIntosh making the key break up the middle. Baylor camped out in the LSU 22 for several minutes and a series of five-meter scrums, but got nothing out of it. LSU continued to get into penalty trouble, and at one point Baylor flyhalf Parker Vincent, playing despite an injury, attempted a kick at goal, but missed.
Men DI College Games Mar 31-April 2
Here is the list of major college DI 15s game this weekend.
The list is getting smaller as some conference seasons wind down and playoffs gear up.
We tell you a little bit about the Red River playoff, and Pacific Western playoffs, and the the Ivy League play-in.
Baylor Meets LSU for Red River Title
It's championship time for the Red River Conference, as Baylor takes on LSU in Austin, Texas.
The game is part of a big day of rugby at the Austin Huns field in Austin, in which University of Arkansas plays Texas, Texas Tech plays Houston, and Oklahoma plays Texas A&M.
But it's the Baylor v LSU game that is of greatest import. The winner of this game is in the DIA playoffs for sure. The loser might possibly get in, but a guaranteed spot comes with a victory.
LSU finished their league season undefeated at 7-0 (one game rained out), while Baylor finished 7-1. LSU is ranked #16 in the D1A Rankings, and #16 in the Goff Rugby Report rankings. Baylor isn't in the D1A Top 20, and GRR has them at #35. Why the difference? It's mostly about margin of victory.
Rematch Time for CWU, BYU
It's rematch time as BYU hosts Central Washington in a clash of one former and one current Varsity Cup team.
The Cougars and the Wildcats met up already this spring, with BYU winning 46-24 on March 18 in Ellensburg, Wash. BYU didn't have all of their top players on the trip, but it was a pretty strong outfit. BYU ran out to an early lead and then CWU inched their way closer, thanks in part to the work of some impact subs.
Ivies Decide DIAA Playoff Team This Weekend
The Ivy League representative to the DIAA playoffs will be decided this weekend.
Brown University is already set for Sunday's deciding game, as Bruno defeated Yale 44-5 last week. Pete McHugh was the big star, scoring three tries and a total of 26 points. The game was tied 5-5 at halftime, but Brown exploded for 39 in the second half.
Friday, Penn is at Princeton. The winner of that team will play Brown on Sunday.
EIRA Player Spotlight - Jack Carso Takes the Mark
The concept of the Fair Catch is a strong one in all of the world’s football games.
While two of those sports - Canadian Football and Rugby League Football - have now abolished the practice, which dates back to the earliest incarnations of the game that eventually also spawned Gaelic Football, Aussie Rules, Soccer, Rugby Union, and American Football, the idea that when you catch a ball on the fly under certain circumstances, you get a free go - a kick, usually - is ingrained in these games.
And so it is in Rugby Union, where, if you catch a kicked ball on the fly in your own 22, you can call for the mark, and get a free kick. Young players in the USA don’t do it very often, but if you’re under pressure, it’s a great way to relieve that pressure. You just have to be aware of when to use the rule.
Chico State Pulls Off Surprise
So it happened that the defending DIAA national champions lost a game this past weekend.
It also happened that the team they lost to, Chico State, is coached by Mike Purcell, who coached UC Davis to a DIAA title in 2015 before being replaced by Kal Incendy, who repeated the feat in 2016. Might there be a little baggage their. Possibly. Certainly there's a rivalry, as Chico State and UC Davis rolled on a collision course to each other, winning all of their games through the Pacific Western Conference season.
What Made Saint Mary's v Cal a Special Moment
There was something historic about the Saint Mary’s victory over Cal this past weekend.
Part of it might have been television - the game was shown live on Pac-12 Networks Bay Area, and on delay elsewhere. It was exciting. It was sometimes well played, and sometimes featured mistakes. And it had atmosphere - palpable atmosphere you could see on the screen.
And while it wasn’t a conference game, it mattered. It mattered as a longstanding rivalry match, a measuring stick of various conferences, and as a piece of history. Cal hasn’t lost to a US college team at home since 2004 well it’s been a long time.
And of course it almost was a Cal victory.
AIC Wins HOA, Looks to CRC
American International College earned a place in the CRC by winning the two-day Heart of America 7s tournament Sunday.
The tournament joined the LVI this year as a qualifier tournament, and featured 18 teams from around the country, attracted to Kansas by the promise of a place at the CRC. AIC started off a little shaky, edging North Texas 12-7, before shutting out Minnesota to win their pool.
Ohio State and Davenport also won their pools and were the top seeds coming out of Day One. Lindenwood-Belleville, Arkansas, AIC, and Oklahoma were the other pool winners. Wyoming, Lindenwood, and Missouri played off to get the honor of facing Ohio State, while Michigan, Kansas State, and North Texas played off for the chance to face Davenport.
Kutztown Dominates in Chesapeake 7s
Kutztown University followed up their superb showing at the Ariel re 7s in Bermuda with a pretty dominant performance at the Chesapeake Conference 7s this past weekend.
KU enjoyed a huge day from freshman Dmontae Noble, and controlled the day, winning five games, three by shutout, and outscoring opponents 169-17. Kutztown beat Georgetown in what was perhaps the toughest game of the day in their opener, 17-0, and then put away Virginia 36-0 and VCU 47-0. In the semis they defeated Ohio 36-12 and took down Mount Saint Mary's 33-5 in the final.
Head Coach Gregg Jones said he was pleased to be able to use a lot of players - stars like Alex Faison-Donohoe and Kina Malaafu played well but rarely all game - and was delighted to see Noble step forward to pick up the slack.
Life, ASU Win in Mid-South
Life University is now 5-0 in the Mid-South with Saturday night's 32-10 defeat of Lindenwood.
The two teams traded early penalty goals and then Lindenwood took a lineout close to the Life line. Lindenwood won the lineout, and after a couple of pushes, hooker Jeremy Leber went over. Lungi Tshuma was good on the conversion and Lindenwood led 10-3 in the 28th minute.
Life replied with a long series of phases and a break down the sideline that almost ended in a try. Lindenwood got a 22 dropout, and Life kept up the pressure, but couldn't break through.
Florida State Wins SIRC
Florida State University just edged Central Florida to win the South Independent Rugby Conference final Sunday and book a spot in the national DIAA playoffs.
Frazer Baron, who has been a goalkicking machine for FSU, kicked a penalty at the end of the game to win the final 18-16. This result mirrored almost exactly last fall's meeting between the two teams, which FSU won 19-18 thanks in part to Baron's goalkicking. The two tams also met two weeks ago, but FSU opted to rest several starters and UCF won big.
Saint Mary's Downs Cal at Cal on Late Try
Saint Mary’s College defeated Cal 27-24 Saturday evening at Witter Field in a stirring comeback.
This game is an enormous rivalry between the two stories rugby universities, but Cal has won easily the lion’s share of the games. But this year the Gaels came in confident, and were looking for an upset.
Florida Teams to SIRC Final
Central Florida and Florida State will be playing for the South Independent Conference championship Sunday after both won their semis over their Northern rivals Saturday.
FSU defeated Kennesaw State 43-7 on Saturday. Frazer Baron, Kody Boswell, Cameron Chadsey, and Anthony Soto all scored tries. Evan Barada scored two, and FSU also got a penalty try.
UCF defeated Middle Tennessee State 39-22 in a game where UCF started much the better and looked more polished in the first half. MTSU rebounded somewhat, but UCF looked very strong.
Inside center Alex Hunt scored three tries for UCF, while flanker Niko Smith, and wing Fabian Villafane scored one ach. Brett Burgess added 12 points on kicks.
