Did Rematches Get Revenge in D1A Weekend?

10.04.2026College Men

Navy gets the measure of SVU. Photo David Hughes.

Author: Alex Goff

Life University got back on the winning track, Military Academies kept rolling, there was a big result in the Big 10, and Penn State made a statement—all this and more in D1A Saturday.

Leading the way might well be Ohio State's 31-24 defeat of defending Big 10 champs Notre Dame. In these pages GRR has hinted at an improved Buckeye team and it definitely seemed to be on display here.

Fullback Tomy Kilbane continues to make plays for Ohio State and he scored in the opening four minutes. Tries from center Gavin Kock and wing Jack Dulik set up OSu for a 17-14 haldtime lead.

The Buckeyes seemed to take control in the second half as Seamus Kennedy scored twice, and Kilbane converted twice, for a 31-14 advantage.

But Notre Dame stormed back in the final 10 minutes with two tries, albeit neither converted. Ohio State held on and put themselves in a strong position in the Big 10.

Also among Big 10 teams slated to play in the D1A postseason is Indiana, which has announced it will be in the playoffs (if they qualify) for both NCR and D1A. The Hoosiers played Marian at Indiana's football stadium.

Marian put in an impressive performance, winning 29-14.

Rugby East and More

Life University bounced back from their loss to MAU to defeat Mary Washington, but it wasn't an easy run.

This is a strong Mothers side and Life had to weather a bit of a comeback.

Seth Kros and then David Scanlon got Life going within 10 minutes . Tries from Jordan Vassel, Douw Wessels, and Kade Cunningham gave Life a 33-3 halftime lead.

Mary Washington threatened a few times, but the Life defense held.

Less so in the second half, as Mary Washington scored three tries to get to 22. Life's James Rose and Joshua Spence kept UMW at arm's length to finish it off 47-22.

Army defeated Penn State 43-8 in a Rugby East matchup.

Porter Kuebler led Army with three tries while flyhalf Nick Trout kicked five conversions and a penalty goal for 13 points. Howie Heller, Jack Reed, and Benjamin Kemp all scored tries.

It was tight for the first 55 minutes or so, with just the lone Kuebler try and Trout's kicking giving Army a 7-3 lead and a 10-3 lead approaching the final quarter.

But the Black Knights finished strong, exploding for Five tries in the space of 25 minutes to pull away.

Also in the Rugby East, Navy won 64-8 over Southern Virginia on a rainy Saturday in Annapolis. Reid Gerber and Eric Wrzysczynski scored two tries each as Navy methodically took control.

SVU vs Navy 2026. Photo David Hughes — Not enough possession for SVU> Photo David Hughes.

"Our primary focus is always winning these conference games," Navy DOR Gavin Hickie said. "Secondary to that, we aim to secure the bonus point and limit their offensive opportunities. From that standpoint, it was mission accomplished."

It was a good defensive performance by Navy but, Hickie added, they always want a shutout.

In an entertaining and somewhat free-wheeling game that was a rematch of one of last years Challenge Cup semifinals, Davenport edged St. Thomas 33-25. Once again both teams looked to play wide, and once again Davenport unleashed their own impressive finishers.