Few Foregone Conclusions in Exciting D1A Quarterfinals
Few Foregone Conclusions in Exciting D1A Quarterfinals
By Sunday we will have our last four D1A teams in what has been the most competitive D1A season of the last several years, likely ever.
As we mapped out in this article: What the First Round of D1A Playoffs Told Us the games among these eight quarterfinalists have been very close. You really can't point to any game that was especially one-sided.
Here's out look at the quarterfinals in video and in print:
Cal at Saint Mary's
In many ways this is the toughest game to make a prediction on. The last several games between these two teams have involved things like last-second tries, key momentum shifts, and close, close games. Overall will the tough opposition Saint Mary's has tested itself against seem them about to tough it out now that the weather is someone better in California?
Or will Cal's growth and tenacity in the face of a couple of program losses mean they have something else to give?
Both teams put players who had star power at other positions into the their halfback hinge. Both teams have power in tight. Both teams can turn the field in an instant.
Live on The Rugby Network at 4PM ET
BYU at Central Washington
Every quarterfinal matchup has happened at least once before during this season, and Central Washington is the only team to be hosting despite losing that matchup (Lindenwood lost to Life but split the series and won the conference). That's because CWU's other results have been quite impressive, and BYU's win over Central was by a single point.
GRR's take is that CWU might have been a bit unlucky to lose to Brigham Young, but the Cougars garnered so much confidence from that victory that they have opened up their approach and their attack, and are really almost a different team since then.
"After a few weeks of training hard, we are excited that the playoffs are here and the new challenges they will present," said CWU Head Coach Todd Thornley. "BYU are a very impressive side that will require us to be at our best on Saturday. If we can focus on doing the little things really well and working hard for each other then we will have a chance. We cannot wait to play this massive clash at home in front of our friends, family, and fans."
We are picking Central Washington, but we won't be surprised if it's close. We will also say that if this is a higher-scoring game, that favors BYU.
Army at Navy
Led by a superb back row and ability throughout their lineup, Navy has hardly put a foot wrong this year. That being said, if they make the handling mistakes they made against Cal, they might see it all fritter away.
Having taken care of Army twice, Navy will now see how difficult it is to beat a team three times on the trop.
"Our previous two victories over Army this season go out the window now that we are in the playoffs," said Navy Head Coach Gavin Hickie. "We are prepared and relishing this fresh challenge."
Army barely got by Davenport last week, but the Black Knights are defending D1A champions.
"We have a lot of respect for Navy and the work they put in this year," said Army's Gerry McCarron. "They have a very good team and they have shown that on the pitch. We have worked hard since the last time we played them, and I think that Saturday is going to be a good, competitive match. We are excited to show the improvements we have made since our last game with them and show them what Army rugby is all about."
Live on The Rugby Network at 1PM ET
Life at Lindenwood
These two teams split their games but Lindenwood came out of their 34-22 loss to the Running Eagles feeling like they should have won that game.
If that is true, they would have won it early, when they had a big pile of field position and ball possession. They didn't convert on a lot of that, and when Life got their tails up, they did score. The second game was also slow moving, but Lindenwood's defense held firm—quite firm in fact—and it was late possession and field position that resulted in two tries to put the game into the Lions' hands.
So this time around? How about this—Life frustrates Lindenwood again, gets under their skin, and scored a couple of early tries. That could be a difficult thing for Lidnenwood. And as we said above, beating the same team three times is very, very hard. We think Lindenwood can do it, but Life has nothing to lose.