GRR: BYU
BYU somehow held on to win the Varsity Cup Final 30-27 Saturday in a wild game at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
The Cougars never trailed, but were within a whisker of seeing it all fritter away as Cal came back from a distressing first half to put themselves in a position to win it.
Since BYU joined the national playoffs in 2004, the Cougars have made ten major championship games.
The only years they missed were 2004, when they were eliminated in the DI quarters by eventual finalists Cal Poly, and 2005, when they were beaten in the semis by Utah. After that, the Cougars made five straight DI finals, two DIA finals, and now three straight Varsity Cup finals.
Central Washington has perfected the art of the comeback, rallying from a 15-point deficit against Women's Cougar Rugby (BYU) to win the DI spring championship 29-15. The game looked eerily similar to yesterday's semifinal against Life, which took a 17-5 halftime lead before being held scoreless in the second half.
It’s down to two teams: Either BYU or Central Washington will advance to the May 9 national bout as the spring champion. Two very different games evolved today, but both exciting.
Division I is four games away from naming its 2014-15 women’s college champion. The spring semifinalists will compete on Friday, April 24, at Pittsburgh’s Founders Field, and name the spring champion on Saturday. The national final occurs on May 9 against fall champion Penn State.