In a rematch of last season's second-round NCAA Tournament game, D3football.com has chosen this contest as the East Region Game of the Week. The game will be video and audio streamed online, free of charge and can be seen by clicking here.

The Series: St. John Fisher leads the series between these two schools, 3-1. In 2004, in Pittsford, N.Y., SJFC defeated the Pride, 45-24. Two seasons ago, it was the Cardinals winning on this field, 40-14. Last year was most interesting in that Springfield first defeated SJFC, 55-38, on the road in a wild game that saw SC QB Chris Sharpe run for seven TDs. But just five weeks later at Springfield, the Cardinals won by a score of 27-21 in a second-round NCAA Tournament game. SJFC went on to play in the Final Four, and won the Lambert Cup as the Top Team in the East. Springfield finished second in the East in the same poll.

Springfield’s 2007 Recap: Springfield began the 2007 campaign by defeating Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., 35-13, in a night contest that was delayed 92 minutes by lightning. Senior QB Chris Sharpe ran for 224 yards and 2 TDs (of 40 and 36 yards). The 2006 Melberger Award winner also threw for 72 yards and 1 TD (of 42 yards) to senior WR Kyle Anderson. Sharpe was named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts, the 5th time he has won that award in the last two years. At Montclair State on Sept. 15 (33-30 loss), it was a different story as SC trailed 9-0 early in the second quarter, tied it later at 9-all and 16-all, but could never quite get over the hump. Chris Sharpe ran for 142 yards and 4 TDs. On Sept. 22, in SC’s Empire 8 opener at Alfred, the Saxons handled then-#18-ranked SC with ease, 37-7. Sharpe ran for 106 yards and 1 TD. He also broke the SC career rushing record versus the Saxons, breaking Kevin Cahill’s mark of 3,209 set from 1997 through 2000. At Utica, it took a while for SC to get rolling, but it finally did, winning 49-12. The score was 28-9 at the half. Sharpe finished with 69 yards and 3 TDs rushing, plus he passed for a career-high 149 yards and another TD. In the home opener versus Husson on Oct. 6, a 42-28 victory, Sharpe ran for 133 yards and 2 TDs. Last Saturday, he ran for 116 and 2TDs, but a missed extra point proved to be decisive as Springfield lost at Brockport (21-20).

Empire 8 Standings as of Oct. 13:
Alfred (6-0,4-0);
St. John Fisher (6-1, 2-1);
Hartwick (4-2, 2-1);
Springfield (3-3, 1-1);
Ithaca (4-2, 1-2);
Utica (2-4, 0-2);
Norwich (2-5, 0-3).

Empire 8 Scores from Oct. 13:
at Brockport 21, Springfield 20; at Alfred 35, Utica 7; at St. John Fisher 48, Norwich 2; Hartwick 61, at Becker 32.

Empire 8* Schedule (Oct. 20)
Husson at Alfred, 1:00 pm; St. John Fisher at Springfield*, 1:00 pm; Ithaca at Utica*, 1:30 pm; Mount Ida at Hartwick, 7:00 pm.

Springfield’s Scouting Report: Last year, Springfield ranked 10th nationally after finishing with an overall record of 10-2, winning an Empire 8 co-championship, and reaching the second round of the NCAA tournament. Sharpe is currently ranked 12th nationally in rushing with 131.7 yards per game. He is 4th in scoring (14.0 ppg).

published: 10/19/2007