Norwich will face Furman in the Men’s DII College quarterfinals in a meeting of two top—ranked teams in the nation.

Norwich defeated Loyola-Chicago 26-8. Senior Nate Rolling continued his torrid pace and scored two tries in a game that was very tight for  the first 40 minutes. Loyola led early, but a try from Rolling nudged Norwich ahead 5-3. Loyola scored a try to take the lead at halftime 8-5.

Played in heavy rains, the game suffered a bit as a result, but Norwich put it together in the second half. Noah Cook put his side ahead early with a try. Jeffrey Minicucci converted for the 12-8 lead. Kyle Clark went over, and then Rolling iced it with his 16th try of the season.

Furman handled the heavy rains well and ran to a 47-15 win over William Paterson. So now Norwich (ranked #1 by Goff Rugby Report) and Furman (ranked #2) take each other on.

Why do these top-ranked teams play in the quarters? Because GRR’s rankings do not set the seeds, and past performance, plus geography, do.