Upcoming: E8 clash of unbeatens
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The Pride have outscored their opponents 217-105, but the Cardinals have dominated theirs, outscoring them 265-56, including three shutouts. Fisher's offense is ranked ninth statistically in the NCAA, while Springfield's is 13th.
The running of Chris Sharpe and Andrew Jackson for Springfield versus the R+R connection of Mark Robinson and James Reile will be the marquee matchup of this week regionally and nationally.
D3football.com has made this the Game of the Week, and it has the makings of a classic.
Predictions ... ick
Last week, in the Red edition of the predictions, I said the Montclair Red Hawks would win 21-17, and they didn't, losing to Kean 19-13.
I said the Cortland State Red Dragons would win 28-20, and they did, but the score wasn't that close, beating Western Connecticut 49-21.
In the upset special, I said Hobart would be red-faced after the Merchant Marine upset them 24-21. Not only did Hobart win 30-19, the score was 30-7 Statesmen halfway through the fourth quarter.
Ugh. I guess I'll count Cortland as a win, even though I didn't do a very good job with the spread. The others, a nice try with the whole red thing ... Blah. 1-2 on the week, 7-5 on the year.
For three more predictions, go to the bottom of this column.
A long way to lose 35-7
The Rowan-Buffalo State game was moved to Cortland after a freak fall snowstorm dumped 2 feet of snow on Western New York. According to Mapquest, the distance between Buffalo State and Cortland's campuses is 182 miles and three hours.
An error? The horrors!
In last week's column, I said that WPI went for the two-point conversion and the tie in its game against Union. According to some astute readers of this fine literary work, WPI was actually going for the win with 30 seconds left, with Union's Doug Davis picking off the conversion.
My apologies for the screw-up.
Great performances
There's lots of great performances this week in the East Region:
1. Alfred quarterback Paul Keeley went 18-of-30 for 244 yards and three touchdowns in the Saxons' 24-3 win over Utica. The Saxons rolled up 465 yards of total offense. Keeley has thrown for 16 touchdowns and only one interception in the first six games of the season.
2.Cortland State senior Stef Sair recorded his 13th career interception, setting a school record.
3. As brought up in the Statistical Spotlight, Hobart senior defensive end Andy Purdie recorded eight tackles, 3½ sacks and forced a fumble, and Evan Hoffman had seven tackles and three sacks, helping to hold Kings Point to 48 rushing yards in the Statesmen's 30-19 win.
4. Doug Blakowski, Hobart running back, was named the co-offensive performer of the week in the Liberty League. He ran 28 times for 214 yards and a touchdown, the most by a Statesmen running back since 1998.
5. Hartwick's Lindy Crea, had 28 carries for 253 yards and two touchdowns, including a 92-yarder, in a 40-22 over Becker College. Crea is first in Division III in all purpose yards per game at nearly 230 per game.
6. Alfred kicker Chris Reynolds hit a 30-yard field goal in the Saxons' 24-3 win against Utica. The kick gave him 25 field goals for his career, setting a school record.
7. Chris Sharpe ran for 135 yards and four touchdowns in a 27-3 win against Brockport. According to NCAA numbers, he is second in Division III in yards per game at nearly 163 and first in scoring, nearly 18 points per game.
The "Thanks for Playing" award
Brockport. Their schedule is brutal. They've played Cortland, Ithaca, St. John Fisher and Springfield, a combined 24-1 so far this season. Ouch. The brutality continues this week against top 10 team Wesley in an ACFC matchup.
Team peering over the edge
Alfred. The Saxons sit at 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the Empire 8, with the only loss being a 41-34 defeat to Springfield. One team this week between Fisher and Springfield will lose, leaving one undefeated and three with one loss. Alfred could play the spoiler in the E8 race.
Team fallen over the edge (maybe)
Montclair State. I must be a jinx to some of the East Region teams. The Red Hawks had slowly worked their way to a 4-1 record overall, including a win over DI-AA non-scholarship Iona.
Then after I predicted a win over Kean, they eat it in a 19-13 loss. Now, to be a contender for the NJAC title, they need to beat Cortland and Rowan. Good luck, bro.
Around the East Top 10
1. St. John Fisher
2. Wesley
3. Springfield
4. Cortland State
5. Ithaca
6. Hobart
7. Rowan
8. Union
9. Alfred
10. Salisbury
Honorable mention: St. Lawrence, RPI, Rochester.
A great line on the Daily Dose
I probably won't remember it exactly and I don't remember who said it, but someone was complaining on the blog about how Salisbury beat up on first-year D-III member Morrisville 65-7.
They said something about how Salisbury made up for the 3 points they scored against
Brockport State and Montclair State ... you had to be there, I guess.
Three more predictions
No .14 St. John Fisher vs. No. 17 Springfield: Springfield has a great offense and a decent defense. Fisher has an explosive offense and a great defense. I think Fisher is more balanced overall, but it'll be a shootout. St. John Fisher 40, Springfield 34.
No. 5 Wesley vs. Brockport: The Wolverines chew on the Golden Eagles. Wesley 27, Brockport 10.
RPI at Kings Point: The Engineers start to turn things around, RPI 31, Kings Point 20.