11/12/21
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Falcons (5-3) have their second of three straight road games to closer out the regular season, this time against the NJCAA DIII #1 Nassau Community College Lions at the Mitchell Athletic Complex in Uniondale, NY. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm ET on Saturday, November 13^th. The game will be streamed live on the Nassau Lions athletics website, at nassaulions.com/watch.
 
About the Falcons
Lackawanna College is coming off a tough 51-28 loss on the road against then-#4 Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. The Badgers were balanced on offense, throwing for 287 yards and running for 202 yards, gaining a total of 489 yards of offense, and averaging 7.2 yards per play while picking up 31 first downs. Snow used a 21-point first quarter to jump on the Falcons, including a touchdown pass on their opening drive, another touchdown drive after intercepting the Falcons deep in Lackawanna territory, and a 59-yard touchdown pass on their next possession. Lackawanna College fought back, engineering a pair of touchdown drives and almost getting a third, before penalties and mistakes took them out of range. Trailing 24-14 at the half, the Falcons hoped to claw back further in the third quarter, but the Badgers ramped things up once again, using long, time-consuming drives to keep the Falcons off the field, and extend their lead to 41-14. The Falcons scored late in the third, and would get another score towards the end of the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to overcome their deficit.
 
Barry Brown was 19-for-37 for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air. Brown has now thrown for 2042 yards and 24 touchdowns on the season. He's hitting on 58% of his passes, and is averaging 16.1 yards per completion, and 9.3 yards per attempt. Brayden Hawkins is 21-for-37 for 288 yards this year, and two touchdowns on the season.
 
Lackawanna College struggled to get the running game completely on track, only picking up 90 yards, about 3.1 yards per carry. Antwan Squire led the Falcons with 39 yards on seven carries, including a touchdown. Deondre Scott had a team-high 13 carries for 29 yards, and a touchdown of his own. Squire leads the team with 424 yards on 82 carries this year, averaging just over 53 yards per game on the ground. Edwards leads the Falcons with four touchdowns on 53 carries for 328 yards. X'Zavion Evans is third on the team with 130 yards rushing on the season, to go with three touchdowns. Scott now has 33 carries for 106 yards on the year, with Saturday's touchdown being his first of the year.
 
Colbie Young caught a season-high six passes for 81 yards, including a touchdown grab in the first quarter. Delvin Palmer had four catches for a team-high 82 yards, while Jasiah Purdie had four grabs four 25 yards. Palmer leads the Falcons in catches (30) and yards (654), and has six touchdowns on the season. "DP" is averaging 21.8 yards per catch, and 81.8 yards receiving per game this year. Cohen Russell is second on the team with 24 catches for 337 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Young has a team-high eight touchdowns to go with his 18 catches for 358 yards this year. Tight-end Jasiah Purdie is third on the team with 20 catches for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Falcons have five different players with ten or more catches this season.
 
Cameron Ceccotti missed his only field goal attempt, a 48-yard try late in the first half, and made all four of his extra points. Ceccotti had four kickoffs, averaging 61.8 yards per kick, and had a few punts on the day. On the year, Ceccotti is now six-for-eight on field goals, having made six-in-a-row heading into the game against Snow. His long is 36 yards. He's also averaging 55.1 yards per kickoff, and has six touchbacks on the season.
 
Cohen Russell had a 30+ yard kick return in the first half to put the Falcons in decent field position. Delvin Palmer had a similar kick return later in the game. Both Russell and Palmer are dangerous on kick returns this year, averaging 28.6 (Palmer) and 28.1 (Russell) yards per return, respectively. Neither has scored a touchdown, yet, but both have year-long returns of 63 yards, apiece, this season.
 
The Lackawanna College defense had a tough day, giving up nearly five hundred yards of offense, and letting the Badgers go 6-for-13 on third down conversions. The Falcons did have a nice defensive stand at the end of the second quarter, holding Snow out of the endzone on four straight plays with goal-to-go. Cottrell Hatchett had a team-high eight tackles, including a tackle-for-loss, the only sack for the Falcons. Tyrece Mills had six total tackles, while William Hackett had five total tackles, all solos. Dewayne Grantham had four tackles, three solos, and a tackle-for-loss. Linebacker Harold O'Neal leads the team with 38 total tackles on the season, and has the team-lead in solo tackles with 28. Tyrece Mills is second on the team with 35 total tackles, and has two interceptions, to go with 3.5 tackles-for-loss this year. Dewayne Grantham is third on the team with 32 tackles, 25 solos, and 3.5 tackles-for-loss. Hackett is fourth on the team with 30 total tackles, 27 solos, and four pass break-ups on the season. Hatchett also has 30 total tackles, including a team-high seven tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks. The Falcons, as a team, have 49.5 tackles-for-loss and 18.0 sacks this year, and have eight takeaways on the season.
 
Coach Mark Duda is in his 28^th season as head football coach at Lackawanna College, and his 29^th with the program. After one year as the defensive coordinator in the inaugural season in 1993, coach Duda took over as head coach, and has won 183 career games, the most among active coaches in the NJCAA. The Falcons were 1-1 in the spring of 2021, which was their first football action since a 2019 NJCAA National Championship appearance against Mississippi Gulf Coast CC. Coach Duda and the Falcons are 27-5 since the 2018 season.
 
 
About The Opponent
Nassau Community College is the #1 NJCAA DIII ranked team, and comes into the contest with a 6-2 record, fresh off a 33-6 win at Wagner College against the Wagner JV squad on Friday, November 5^th. The Lions were balanced on offense (161 yards passing, 127 yards rushing) and averaged 5.5 yards per rush, while the defense held firm against the Wagner offense.
 
Nassau shares four different opponents with Lackawanna College this season. The Lions defeated Hocking College 17-3 on September 25^th and beat Sussex County CC 20-17 on October 2^nd. They also played Georgia Military College on October 23^rd, losing 33-22, and lost to Monroe College 9-7 on October 30^th. The Falcons own wins over Hocking (34-17) and Sussex (52-0), and lost to Monroe in overtime (49-48) earlier this year. Lackawanna College will play at Georgia Military College next Saturday, November 20^th.
 
Nassau averages around 321 yards per game on offense, putting them in the upper half of the 13 teams in NJCAA Division III. They average about 192 yards through the air, and have twelve passing touchdowns on the season, but the Lions average 6.9 yards per attempt, and just 11.2 yards per completion. They have 16 rushing touchdowns on the year, and are averaging just over 129 yards per game on the ground. They have six interceptions and three lost fumbles on the season.
 
Defensively, the Lions are much more impressive, limiting opponents to 11.5 points per game, which includes holding down a high-powered Monroe offense to just nine points in their match-up earlier this year. Teams are averaging just 81 yards passing per game against the Lions defense, and they've picked off opponents seven times this year. Opponents are averaging 136 yards per game on the ground, and the Lions have gotten to the quarterback 17 times this year.
 
The Lions have two quarterbacks with similar numbers in Matthew Smith and Michael Batton. Smith has thrown more times, going 72-for-125 for 766 yards and six touchdowns, but he has also thrown more interceptions at four. Batton has been a bit more accurate (51-for-69, 74%) and thrown for 506 yards and six touchdowns of his own, while only throwing one interception. Batton is also averaging more yards per attempt (7.3) than Smith (6.1).
 
The main difference between the two is that Batton also figures into the running game. He's second on the team with 48 rushes for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a long of 47 yards on the year. Jermaine Williams is the feature back, rushing 72 times for 412 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Williams is averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Brian Lowry is third on the team with 194 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns.
 
Rayshion Bien-Ashe is the primary target through the air, with 26 catches for 333 yards to lead the team. Bien-Ashe is one of five different Nassau players with two touchdown catches on the season. Maurice Teachey also has two touchdown grabs, to go with his 23 catches for 281 yards, good for second on the team in both categories. Ka'Shaun Parrish has 17 grabs for 196 yards and two scores, while John Beaubrun has 15 catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Charlie Garrison and Marcus Velez are the main tight end threats, with Garrison leading in catches (six) and Velez leading in yards (72) and touchdowns (2).
 
Andrew Cuchel and Joshua Arevalo are the main placekickers, with Arevalo as the main option. Arevalo has a field goal from 30 yards this season, and is 11-for-14 on extra points. Nick Antos is the punter, and is averaging around 33.6 yards per punt. He's put seven punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line this year, and has forced five fair catches, but has had three of his punts blocked this season. Parrish is the usual option for both kick and punt returns. Parrish has 17 punt returns on the season and is averaging just over eleven yards per return, and has also taken eight kick returns for an average of 22.5 yards per return, including a long of 55 yards.  
 
Defensive back Ariel DeJesus leads the team with 38 total tackles, 17 solos, and has 4.5 tackles-for-loss on the season. Linebacker Keshaun Jones is fourth on the team with 28 total tackles, but tied for a team-high 17 solos with DeJesus. Jones also has an interception on the season. Khristian Hernandez and Courtney Williams have been the two better cover corners, with Hernandez leading the team with four interceptions, and Williams fifth on the team in total tackles (23) and first on the team in pass break ups (4). Linebacker Andre Termidor is second on the team with 24 total tackles, and 2.5 tackles for loss. Luca Salerno is the main threat on the defensive line. Salerno has 22 total tackles on the year, and leads the team with seven tackles-for-loss, including a team-high five sacks on the year.
 
Jamel Ramsay is in his fifth year (fourth season) at the helm of the Nassau Lions football program. Ramsey took over in 2017, and brought a decade of coaching experience along with him. He spent seven years at LIU Post as the wide-receivers coach, helping LIU to its first twelve-win season in program history, a conference championship, and an appearance in the NCAA DII playoffs. Ramsay, an LIU Post graduate, played for the Pioneers from 2005 to 2007 as a three-year starter, helping them win a pair of conference championships and make appearances in the NCAA DII playoffs. Ramsay also coached for five seasons at Paul D Schreiber HS in Port Washington, NY, where he helped the Vikings to back-to-back 7-1 seasons and made the program competitive. Ramsay, after going 5-4 in his first year, went 8-3 and 7-4 in 2018 and 2019, giving the Lions a pair of post-season bowl berths, including a 46-6 win over Northland CTC in the Red Grange Bowl in '18, and a 31-28 overtime loss to Iowa Central CC in the Graphics Edge Bowl in '19. The Lions did not compete in the spring 2021 season. Ramsay is 26-13 in his time at Nassau Community College.
 
Game Notes

• The Falcons are currently receiving votes, but are not ranked in the NJCAA Division I Top 15 rankings. There are still five teams that are currently or have received rankings on the Falcons' schedule this year:

 

• Iowa Central (#10 DI; Lost 28-21)
• Monroe College (#8 DI; Lost 49-48, OT)
• Snow College (#2 DI; Lost 51-28)
• Nassau Community College (#1 DIII; Will play on November 13^th)
• Georgia Military (Preseason #15 DI; Will play November 20^th)

 

• NJCAA Division I Top 15 Rankings (Week 10)

1. Iowa Western CC (IA); 8-0 [Next game: at Northwestern College JV 11/12]
2. Snow College (UT); 7-1 [Regular Season Complete]
3. New Mexico Military Institute (NM); 8-1 [Next game: vs. Blinn College (TX) 11/13]
4. Northwest Mississippi CC (MS); 8-2 [Next game: at #7 Hinds CC (MS) 11/13]
5. Independence CC (KS); 8-1 [Next game: vs. #12 Hutchinson CC (KS) 11/14]
6. East Mississippi CC (MS); 9-1 [Regular Season Complete]
7. Hinds CC (MS); 8-2 [Next game: at #4 Northwest Mississippi CC (MS) 11/13]
8. Monroe College (NY); 8-0 [Next game: vs. Hocking College (OH) 11/13]
9. Jones College (MS); 8-2 [Regular Season Complete]
10. Iowa Central CC (IA); 7-2 [Next game: vs. Ellsworth College (IA) 11/13]
11. Coffeyville CC (KS); 6-2 [Regular Season Complete]
12. Hutchinson CC (KS); 6-2 [Next game: at #5 Independence CC (KS) 11/14]
13. Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (MS); 7-2 [Regular Season Complete]
14. Garden City CC (KS); 6-2 [Next game: vs. Butler CC (KS) 11/14]
15. Kilgore College (TX); 5-4 [Next game: vs. Tyler Junior College (TX) 11/13]

 
Receiving Votes: Georgia Military College (GA); Tyler Junior College (TX); Butler CC (KS); Lackawanna College (PA)
Bold and Italics: Opponent on Lackawanna College's schedule
 

• Lackawanna College is 6-5 against Nassau Community College since 2009. The Falcons have won the last five match-ups, including the most recent, a 2019 clash that ended 48-18, after the Falcons broke open a tight, one-score game at the half with a 21-point outburst in the third quarter.

 
Lackawanna College has not lost to Nassau since the 2014 season, when Nassau beat the Falcons 45-44 on Long Island.
 

• With last week's loss to Snow, Lackawanna College had a streak snapped where they had gone seven seasons with two losses or less. The last time the Falcons lost more than two games in a year was 2014, when the Falcons went 5-5.

 

• Lackawanna College is 4-4 against ranked teams since 2019, but have lost their last four, including their three match-ups against ranked teams this season. Nassau is the #1 DIII NJCAA team in the nation.

 

• Lackawanna College quarterback Barry Brown is among the nation's best in several passing categories this season. Brown is 5^th in the NJCAA in passing efficiency (165.2), 5^th in passing yards per game (255.3), 3^rd in passing touchdowns (24), 8^th in yds/attempt (9.3), 7^th in total passing yards (2042), and 14^th in completion percentage (58.0%).

 

• Falcons wide receiver Delvin Palmer is 4^th in the NJCAA in yards receiving per game (81.8) and 4^th in the country in yards per reception (21.8). Palmer also ranks 3^rd in the NJCAA in total yards per game (137.5), while his fellow receiver Cohen Russel comes in at 6^th in the country (121.6).

 

• Palmer and Russell are the most potent one-two special teams punch in the nation, both averaging 28.6 (Palmer) and 28.1 (Russell) yards per kick return this year. As a team, Lackawanna College averages 26.5 yards per return, good enough for 5^th in the NJCAA.

 

• The Lackawanna Falcons are 3^rd in the NJCAA in time-of-possession, averaging around 33:06 minutes with the ball, per game.

 

• Lackawanna College has one of the most potent passing attacks in the NJCAA. Lackawanna is 6^th in the NJCAA in passing yards per game (292.3). The Falcons are also 4^th in yards per attempt (9.1) and 5^th in yards per completion (15.7). Their 27 passing touchdowns has them 3^rd in the NJCAA.

 

• Fans are permitted in the stands for Saturday's game at Mitchel Field. Spectators are asked to sit in the stands behind their respective team's sidelines. If you cannot make the game on Saturday, there will be a livestream available at https://nassaulions.com/watch.