Stags and Stallions Stampede through BUAFL

The are several unbeaten teams in the BUAFL at the halfway point of the season, but two teams stand out above the rest as the road to the College Bowl begins to roll downhill towards 2008.

Of these two clubs, Southampton Stags are the ones with a greater historical pedigree.  They dominated their division last season, despite losing most of their starting line-up to graduation the previous year—but lost out to Birmingham Lions in the Conference semifinal. 

However, the extra gained in last year's campaign is showing.  If defence is what wins championships, then look no further than Stags, who have conceded just eight points in four games so far—all against divison-rival Royal Holloway. 

Conversely, if you favour a strong offensive game, how about 210 scored points thus far?  In the same game where they conceded eight points to Vikings, Stags ran in a then-league-record 84 points at the other end.

In constrast to Stags' illustrious history, Staffordshire Stallions have been seen for years as the "nearly-men" of British collegiate football.  Playing in the same division as Loughborough Aces—who have been a dominant force for nearly a decade—has meant that wild-card slots have been the height of Stallions' achievements in recent times. 

However, 2007 has seen a revival for the Stallions.  Their 39-6 domination of the Aces in game two made the entire BUAFL sit up and take notice, as has the performance of rookie RB Edem Goka.  Goka has notched up thirteen rushing TDs so far, including five against Loughborough—with more one recieving. At this stage of the season, Goka seems to be a pretty safe bet for Rookie of the Year.

As the Christmas break approaches, these two teams can tuck into their turkeys and chocolates safe in the knowledge that the whole league is in awe of their performances so far in 2007.