Arkansas State, SVU Enter the Hornet's Nest
Arkansas State, SVU Enter the Hornet's Nest
Arkansas State faces Southern Virginia in the Hornet's Nest Bowl this weekend and it's going to be a challenge.
SVU has been working its way through a very tough Rugby East schedule, and they've pulled off a few surprises. Key among those was their last-second win over Kutztown.
For A-State they have shown they can handle an arm wrestle and then blow through defenses and score quickly. A highly skilled team that defends well, the Red Wolves are unbeaten so far in their independent D1A schedule.
"SVU will give us something different, in that they have direct big ball carriers," said Arkansas State Head Coach Dominic Shaw. "This is another great opportunity to test ourselves and build chemistry."
Having beaten Iowa Central, Adrian, Texas A&M, and Davenport, Arkansas State now sits at 4-0. The closest game was Davenport, a game that was 17-8 in A-State's favor until the final 15 minutes when the Red Wolves struck for three converted tries in the closing moments. This was where they showed they can score quickly and adjust brilliantly to a changing landscape.
As for Southern Virginia, wins have been hard to come by. Yes they are 2-6, having beaten Kutztown in that 34-33 thriller and Rio Grande in September, but they've been competitive. Their 39-28 game with Mary Washington could have gone either way.
"We feel we are definitely in a much better place than we were in September," said co-Head Coach Marshall Ferris. Injuries hit the Knights this fall and it wasn't until their final two games—Kutztown and UMW—that they were at full strength.
"I think the results showed how competitive we really can be," said Ferris. "We look forward to the challenge of facing a strong Arkansas State side and it is a great opportunity to test ourselves against a quality opposition outside of Rugby East. We know how Arkansas State are as a program, historically."
And that's the reason for the bowl games. These are matchups, with a trophy at the end of the day, between teams that might not meet each other. Ferris knows that, saying: "we are grateful to everybody at CRAA for putting on this Fall Classic and allowing programs like ourselves to continue to grow and get better."
Hornet's Next Bowl Arkansas State vs Southern Virginia CRAA Fall Classic Men's Bowl Game KO 2PM ET>>