Life University’s run to a possible D1A title begins in earnest with a home game against Red River Conference powerhouse LSU in Marietta, GA, on Jan. 20.

For prop Alex Maughan, who earned his first USA cap 11 months ago against Uruguay, focusing on last year’s 30-24 loss to Saint Mary’s in the championship game may not be desirable, but it’s unavoidable.

“This past year was my third final, and I’ve won one and lost two,” Maughan told FloRugby. “It’s difficult when the scoreline is so close, and after the game, if you’re on the losing end, you think, ‘I could have done this, or something else could have happened, and we could have won.’ We try not to focus on that.”

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— Life Running Eagles (@LifeUAthletics) December 18, 2017

This past summer, Maughan spent his free time with teammate Mitch Wilson and head coach Colton Cariaga talking over some team issues.

“What we wanted to emphasize was not getting caught up in fixing mistakes from last year, but instead focusing on this being a new year, with a new team, and give players the opportunity to step up and create their own legacy,” Maughan said.

That opportunity started in the fall, when the undergraduate men’s team and the graduate men’s players combined to be part of Life’s elite training group. This team played major college and senior men’s opponents as a way to bridge the gap from being just good to becoming great.

“It’s good with the fall to get to play with the more experienced players,” Maughan said. “The way it worked out with this past fall was that the majority of our elite training group was undergrads. 

"That was good, because we can kind of get a head start on bonding as a team and figuring out what works well with each other. And to top that off you throw in a couple of elite men’s club players to help that transition go, and that helped us get ready for this spring season.”

Looking ahead, Life will host a tough LSU team that certainly has the ability to expose any of the Running Eagles' deficiencies. 

Right after, Life heads into a full Mid-South conference season, with Lindenwood, Davenport, Clemson, and Arkansas State providing unmatched opposition.

"We want to continue on the good note we left off in the fall," Maughan said. "I think it will be a good game for us to build as a team and get our flow down. LSU will pressure us and give us a good understanding what what we need to do. Then the Mid-South Conference is, in my opinion, the hardest conference in the country."