WALTHAM -- C.J. Scarpa did all of the expected -- and unexpected -- work over the last three years, which has included lifting weights (most of it at 6 a.m.), attending dozens and dozens of meetings and practices, watching hundreds of hours of film, running sprints alone and even dieting.

All of it while watching other quarterbacks make all the calls.

"It hasn't been easy," said Scarpa, an Andover resident and junior at Bentley University. "Sure, there are times you wonder if it's all worth it. It's a lot of work. But I knew my time would come eventually and I wanted to be ready for it."

According to the numbers -- 24 for 34, 228 yards, 2 TDs -- Scarpa was more than ready for last Saturday's tilt when he replaced injured senior starter, Mike Montalto, a last-second win for Bentley, 30-28, over Long Island University.