Top Four D1AA Teams Prove Their Worth
Top Four D1AA Teams Prove Their Worth
The top four ranked D1AA college programs all showed well this weekend.
Top-ranked D1AA men’s college teams got on the move this weekend with a couple of conference outings, and some additional strong performances in non-conference action.
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#1 Mary Washington
Conference action began early in the Chesapeake, and defending national champion UMW was ready, with a 66-7 defeat of Salisbury. This result opens up some interesting questions. The Chesapeake was formed in the fall of 2016 in order to give a group of strong programs - D1, D2, NSCRO - more consistent competition. It worked … brilliantly, in fact. Those teams were able to run a full-on 2nd-side league (a rare thing, and one they could never do in their old leagues). And in the 72 conference games played in those first two seasons, 20 (28%) were within sevens points - that’s a shockingly high percentage.
A quick look at four D1AA conferences from 2017-18 shows a close-loss percentage closer to 9%.
This year, though, will everyone be able to keep up with a UMW team that is getting increasingly strong? The opening round shows that Virginia Tech and Mount St. Mary’s are in the hunt. Who else?
#2 Dartmouth
The only highly-ranked team to lose, the Big Green lost to D1A power Army, and by the score of 32-25. The game was tied 15-15 when Army was hit with a red card, but, surprisingly, it was West Point that scored next. Still, it was a solid outing for Dartmouth and shows the program remains a threat.
#3 St. Joseph’s
The Hawks looked very strong in a 42-14 defeat of D1A team Delaware. Some nice work from the Blue Hens kept them close (Luke Persanis scored a try that made it a one-score game). But some superb work from flyhalf Noah Niumataiwalu and outside center Aram Keshgegian ("The Kesh Express" pictured below - John Ahern photo) burned Delaware.
Niumataiwalu’s poach and flip to Matt Riotto put the freshman in for a try. Another first-year, Bobby Fish, also scored, while Jonathan Ahern also showed well in his debut.
“It was a nice team effort,” said head coach Dan Yarusso. “Lots of good ball movement among the entire team.”
This is a back-heavy team - that's where their strength is. If the Hawks can bring more grit up front they could be a big problem.
#4 Kentucky
The Wildcats won big over a Louisville team that had pushed Tennessee the week before.
Flanker Logan Butler has been a superb leader for the Wildcats, and he was augmented by first-year players Aidan Gill and Kai Carlberg. It was Carlberg who stepped in to start at wing after a late injury forced the move, and he was superb on defense against a tough opponent.
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