Nassau Wins Red Grange Bowl 46-6

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. — Leave it to the weather to make an impact on Nassau Community College head coach Jamel Ramsay. The Lions head coach took a look at the forecast and thought his team was headed for a major storm in their Red Grange Bowl game against Northland Community and Technology College on Saturday afternoon at College of DuPage's Bjarne Ullsvik Stadium. "I thought we were going to play in a thunderstorm,'' Ramsay said. "It meant everything to gain momentum from the get-go.'' And that's exactly what the Lions did. They scored on three of their first four possessions and went on to roll past Northland of Thief River Falls, Minn., 46-6 in the third annual game that celebrates non-scholarship junior college football. The Lions were in complete control of the game. On their first possession, they drove 65 yards on seven plays in just 2 minutes and 59 seconds, capped by quarterback Steven Genova's three-yard TD. Nassau then recovered the ball on an onside kick, then turned the ball over themselves. But the Lions forced a Pioneers' fumble, and Nassau's Billy Rousakis earned his first field goal of the season, from 32 yards for a 10-0 lead with 7:55 left in the opening quarter. Six minutes later, Nassau increased its lead to 17-0 when Jeremiah Nelson capped a 10-play, 53-yard drive on a one-yard scamper. "We played a complete game,'' Ramsay said. "That we were able to go out and compete hard against a team that had many weapons speaks well of our kids and our coaching staff. Our offensive line was great, running back made big plays and Steven moved very well in the pocket. He took his time and delivered.'' Nassau (8-3) and Northland traded touchdowns in the second quarter, the Pioneers' got their tally on quarterback Craig Wells' one-yard run, and Jaelin Hood caught a 30-yard pass from Genoa with 1:23left in the quarter and the Lions led 24-6 at the break. Nassau outscored Northland 22-0 in the second with touchdowns from Joshua Okechukwu, a 55-yard TD pass from Rashad Tucker, a 29-yard tally from Nelson and a one-yard run from Jude Innocent. "It was so much fun to get out there and play,'' Genova said. We got after it and it showed.'' The third annual game recognizes one of the all-time greats in Red Grange, who spent most of his childhood in Wheaton and attended Wheaton High School, where he played football, baseball, basketball and ran track. He earned 16 varsity letters during his tenure and, as a high school junior, scored 36 touchdowns and led the school to an undefeated season. The two-time NFL champion football halfback played for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears and, for a short-time, the New York Yankees. The Red Grange Bowl is made possible in part with support from the Illinois National Guard, Evviva Restaurant, Hilton Hotel Lisle, Packey Webb Ford, Ellyn's Tap & Grill, Glen Ellyn Walmart Supercenter, Riddell, Sports decals, Field Turf and BSN Sports. College of DuPage is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association, National Junior College Athletic Association Region IV and North Central Community College Conference (N4C). The College's Athletics program offers nine men's and eight women's sports teams each year, including outdoor track and field, indoor track and field, cross country, football, volleyball, golf, basketball, tennis, baseball, softball and soccer. T