Clash of Giants in Northeast Football Conference is NJCAA Football Game of the Week
NJCAA Football Game of the Week
Hudson Valley Community College (N.Y.) at #19 Nassau Community College (N.Y.)
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Clash of Giants in Northeast Football Conference is NJCAA Football Game of the Week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 4, 2007) - October 6th's football match-up between Hudson Valley Community College (N.Y.) and Nassau Community College (N.Y.) should go a long way in deciding the regular season champion of the Northeast Football Conference (NFC). The contest has been tabbed as the NJCAA Football Game of the Week and will take place at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Garden City, N.Y.
Both teams come into the contest with 4-1 overall records and both upset ranked teams last week. Hudson Valley knocked then 18th-ranked Erie Community College (N.Y.) out of the NJCAA / JC Football rankings with a 26-22 defeat, while Nassau defeated defending NFC and No. 5 Lackawanna College (Pa.) 33-21.
Nassau has a commanding lead in the all-time series between the two teams, 28-4, but since both programs entered the NFC in 2003 the series is even at 3-3. The Lions won last season's meeting 34-13 but the game later forfeited to Hudson Valley due to the use of an ineligible player.
How they fared last week
Hudson Valley Community College looked like they were headed for their second loss of the season last Saturday when they trailed #18 Erie Community College 16-6 late in the third quarter. However, the Vikings would get a much needed spark via a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown by Leroy George to cut the lead to 16-13.
The Vikings then recovered a fumbled Erie punt and took a 20-16 advantage when quarterback Shamar Carr rushed for a 15-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Carr then put HVCC up 26-16 with a 6-yard TD pass to tight end Tyshon Gury.
Carr, who came into the game due to an injury to starting QB Dan McLaughlin, was four of six on pass attempts with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. He also rushed for 45 yards on the day. Running back Bobby Ransom (#3 pictured left) led the team with 107 yards on 25 carries. He currently ranks first in the NFC in yards per game with 104.8.
The Vikings may be without Ransom for the Nassau game due to injury. His replacement, Reidrick Alceus, rushed for 70 yards on 10 carries in the win over Erie.
The Hudson Valley defense has not allowed a rushing touchdown all season and ranks third in the NFC, allowing just 12 points per contest. Linebacker David James leads the Vikings with 36 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and two sacks, while Gerard Atkinson has 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Defensive backs Leroy George and Stephen Fortune have three interceptions apiece.
In last week's win over Erie, the Viking special teams unit blocked an extra point attempt and a field goal. For the season the Vikings have blocked a total of nine kicks in five games. Gavin Nelson is credited with three of those blocks and Nick Carr with two. Hudson Valley's punt coverage team has allowed just five total return yards this season and is leading the conference with a 37.2 net yards per punt average.
#19 Nassau Community College got revenge on Lackawanna College (Pa.) last week, handing the Falcons their first loss in 15 games with a 33-21 defeat. In 2006, Lackawanna got past Nassau with a 14-13 victory.
The Nassau defense was instrumental in the win. Defensive end Jonas Rousseau led the team with nine tackles. The Lions harassed Falcon quarterback A.J. McKenna, sacking him eight times and recording eight tackles for loss, a safety and two fumble recoveries for touchdowns.
Offensively, the Lions put up just 213 total yards compared to 286 for Lackawanna. Jahmaine Rodriguez, Rahoo Walker and Jon Sutton were grinders for Nassau, combining for 105 yards on 27 carries. Walker scored the team's lone rushing touchdown. Rodriguez ranks second in the NFC averaging 83.6 yards per game.
Quarterback Tyleek Jones (#9 pictured right) threw for just 69 yards on the day, but 44 yards came on a beautiful touchdown pass to Howard Davis.
James Hind got the Lions on the board in the first quarter with a 35-yard field goal.
The Nassau defense is the driving force behind their four wins. They lead the NFC in rushing defense (40.2 yards per game), scoring defense (8.2 points per game) and is second in total defense (153.0 yards per game).
Richard Logan leads the NFC with 41 tackles and has recovered three fumbles this season. Shea McKeen ranks third in the conference with nine tackles for loss.
Important Notes about the match-up
Hudson Valley Community College is under the direction of Oji Fagan who is in his third season as head coach of the Vikings with a record of 16-8. Fagan is no stranger to the Hudson Valley program. He was an assistant coach from 2001 to 2003. He helped Hudson Valley to two Northeast Football Conference championships, two Region III titles and a spot in the 2003 Graphic Edge Bowl. The Vikings have won or shared three Northeast Football Conference titles and five Region 3 championships since 2000. Hudson Valley is 107-44 (.709) all-time and has suffered just one losing season since 1990. The Vikings have appeared in two NJCAA bowl games (1980 Coca-Cola Bowl and the 2003 Graphic Edge Bowl) and were defeated in both contests. Over the past two seasons 15 Vikings have transferred to NCAA FBS or FCS programs. Hudson Valley has had five First-Team NJCAA All-Americans in its history the last being running back Emmanuel Marc in 2003.
Nassau Community College has been rated as one of the top football programs in the nation for the past three decades: 21st in the 2000's, 1st in the 90's, and 8th in the 80's. Nassau has made 15 bowl appearances in its history posting a 5-10 record. Their most recent bowl appearance was in 2004 in the Graphic Edge Bowl were they lost to Ellsworth Community College 25-13. Nassau finished the 2006 season with a 6-4 record and No. 17 national ranking. Head coach John Anselmo recently moved up to No. 17 on the NJCAA all-time coaches list. His overall record of 139-35 moved past former Nassau coach John Weihman who posted a 138-38-0 record over 19 seasons. Anselmo is currently in his 17th season. Nassau boasts 23 First-Team NJCAA All-Americans the most recent being defensive lineman Sheldon Lewis in 2001.