Big Wins for Northeastern, BC as They Lead in Liberty D1AA
Big Wins for Northeastern, BC as They Lead in Liberty D1AA
Northeastern is still on top of the Liberty D1AA after a 67-5 win over UConn.
For Head Coach Ed Turbridy, success has come when his team is composed. When they play unflustered and organized on attack, with freshman flyhalf Harry Johnston pulling the strings, they score tries.
And then they combine that with toughness; prop Simon Coleman setting the tone up front.
the result has been an average of over 63 points per game as the Huskies now sit at 5-0.
Right behind is Babson and Yale; Yale just beat Babson to give the Beavers their first loss in conference play. For Yale this is their best result yet. Of their first three wins, one was a forfeit and the other two came against teams that haven’t won yet. But 33-26 over Babson sends a different message.
And also right behind Northeastern is Boston College, whose attack is even more potent than that of the Huskies, with the Eagles averaging exactly 66 points per game.
This week the Eagles beat UMass 51-24. UMass doesn’t give up over 50 points very often, and the Minutemen punished BC mistakes and penalties effectively in the first half.
The teams were 17-17 at halftime and 24-24 shortly after the break before BC ran off five tries to put it away.
But the BC forwards put one over early in the second period, and as the Eagles began stealing UMass lineout throws, it became BC’s game. They scored off a stolen lineout, and then a snappy short lineout play from their own throw. And as they began to execute better BC looked more and more dangerous.
Tighthead prop Sean Murphy has been outstanding for BC, although he will point to the 9-10 combination of Bobby Voth and Picks Lively, and the center pairing of Matt Brown and Will Breslin. Eamon Coffey has been a force at No. 8, with Sam Infante impressing at openside flanker and Louis Parry-George on the blindside. This week, the Eagles were forced into moving Coffey to second row and Parry-George to No. 8, opening a spot for freshman Adam Bornhorst, and it all, eventually, worked out fine.
"It was a very slow start to the game for us," said BC Head Coach Rob Conway. "We struggled to shake the bus ride and at times it felt like we were playing against 16 players. The second half was finally more like us and we were able to force our rhythm back into the game."
What this all sets up is the match two weeks from now, which almost certainly will see two undefeated teams, Northeastern and Boston College, meet up to decide who’s the top dog (or bird) of the conference. Babson, who has good bonus points, isn’t far off.
"Northeastern will be a huge challenge in the last game of the season in two weeks," said Conway. "We both have been clearly doing well on the scoreboard and the decider will be who can control the ball the best. We look forward to the competition with NU but for now we are focused on fine-tuning our game no matter who we have next."
