D1A Rankings: Ark State Cracks the Top 10, Top 3 Matchup On Friday

Arkansas State Beats TAM 81-0

It's been two weeks and we've seen some exciting matchups across D1A rugby. Air Force and Davenport both nearly pulled off upsets, edging Army and Lindenwood respectively. BYU clinched the Rocky Mountain Conference on Saturday with another 90-point game against CU. BYU's prolific attack now leads the top 25 in points per game with 76. Ark State is hot and still right on their heels with 74 points per game. I think Ark State could be dangerous this year. They've been nothing but consistent on both sides of the ball. For that reason, they sneak into the top 10.

Davenport and Lindenwood squared off in a captivating match this last Saturday. Lindenwood beat Davenport by a slim four-point margin. If a few calls had gone differently, it might've been Davenport's game. Saturday proved that the Lions are mortal and beatable. The aerial game is such a huge part of their game, but their lack of possession seems to keep games closer.

BYU and Lindenwood will face off at Lindenwood on Friday. Of course, that will be the Try Times Game of the Week. I could not be more excited to see these two teams face off. Look for interviews and a pre-game article later this week. This match will really nail down the top spots in the rankings and set the tone for the spring season.

Indiana and Michigan State will face off in the Big 10 Championship. I tend to lean towards Indiana after a convincing win over OSU in the semifinals, but I wouldn't be surprised if a tough MSU side upset the Hoosiers.

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Arkansas State Downs Lindenwood in Defensive Battle

First Half Arkansas State and Lindenwood met in a windy and chaotic matchup on Saturday. Lindenwood loves to put the ball to boot and keep the pressure on their opposition. They stayed true to form and there was a good amount of kicking to start off the match. Both teams conceded possession on a few early handling errors. Anyone who's been under a high ball on a windy day knows just how difficult it can be to field those kicks. The Red Wolves struck first after earning a lineout just outside their attacking 22. Ark State ran a forward pod in the midfield off the flyhalf. Ark State continued with another phase to the same side, attacking the edge with their backs. The Lions failed to fold properly, leaving Ark State with a 5 on 3. The ball went high to the center who corralled it and popped it to the hard charging fullback, James Beauclerk. Beauclerk sliced through a disjointed Lindenwood defense and won the race to the corner. Arkansas State led 5-0 after missing the convers...

BYU Catches the Bears Hibernating In 53-26 Win

Check out my video recap: This weekend college rugby fans had the privilege of witnessing two old rivals and rugby powerhouses, BYU and Cal, go head to head in Berkley. Every year this is one of the most exciting matches. The last meeting between these two teams was the D1A Semifinal. In that match exploded in the second half to put an end to BYU's playoff run. There's no doubt that match was still in the minds of the BYU players as they were clearly out for revenge. Coming into this matchup, undefeated Cal sat at #4 in the rankings and BYU at #5. BYU's only loss of the season so far coming in the fall to Lindenwood. The college rugby world anticipated this to be a tight matchup between these two physical teams. And that was what college rugby fans got for the first 35 minutes of the match. The first 35 minutes were back and forth. Cal struck first with a try in the fourth minute. Will Shankland made a Cougar miss with a nice step inside and dove over the line. Cal looked...

All Smiles from The Cougars: BYU beats CSU 90-21

In what looked to be an exciting matchup, the Cougars dominated from start to finish. CSU captain, Mason Kreiter, had mentioned physicality as a key to the game for his squad. He was spot on as it was a key to the game, but in this matchup, it was the key to their demise. The Cougars monopolized the contact area in every phase of the game. In this 90-point track meet, Cole Semu and Tielu Sagala both scored a mind-numbing four tries. Sagala earned himself the first-ever "Try Times Player of the Game" award with his ridiculously hard running. Just as I predicted, missed tackles absolutely killed the Rams. Sure their alignment was bad defensively at times, but so many line breaks were generated from missed tackles. I was also disappointed with the absence of Sam Masterson, CSU's most dynamic back. Without the boot of Masterson, the Rams struggled to take advantage of BYU's penalty count and lack of back-three experience. BYU's attack looked incredibly sharp for most...

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