GRR: University of Arizona
It's not too early to look at the DIA playoff scenarios, and in fact we're almost at a point where the playoff teams could be mostly confirmed.
Here's the rundown:
Rugby East. Penn State won the Rugby East and will go to the Varsity Cup instead. The rest of the teams in Rugby East are playing 7s or the Varsity Cup, so we won't see a Rugby East team in the playoffs at all.
San Diego State defeated Arizona 30-12 Saturday in a game that many would consider an upset.
Cal and UCLA both recorded victories in the PAC Rugby Conference Saturday.
Cal prop Kevin Sullivan scored two early tries to stake the Bears to a 12-0 lead over Arizona in Berkeley, Never a team to shy away form a plan that's working, the Bears sent Sullivan over for his third to make it 17-0. Fullback Troy Lockyear made it 22-0 at halftime.
Arizona beat Santa Clara 43-17 Saturday in the first of two preseason games for the Broncos this weekend.
The Arizona Wildcats got a solid game from Ryan Fitzpatrick, who notched two tries, but Head Coach Sean Duffy said the performance was a bit of a mixed bag.
Santa Clara visits Arizona Saturday in a key warmup for the two teams, as Santa Clara targets a DIA playoff spot and Arizona looks to move up in the PAC Conference.
For Arizona, this will be a chance for Head Coach Sean Duffy’s still very young team to make a statement. Duffy has a deep roster, but many of those players were recruited in the last couple of years.