HAMPTON – In a
game that started under a steady downpour, the Pirates celebrated Senior Day in
strong fashion, shutting out Florida A&M 33-0.
With the win,
the Pirates evened their season record at 5-5 (4-3 MEAC).
Hampton had an
early opportunity to score as Chaka Diarrassouba partially blocked a FAMU punt
from deep in their territory. The ball rolled upfield, but the Pirates were
able to start from the Rattler 33. However, Hampton failed to capitalize, and
after a fourth down pass from Watford sailed past its target, the Rattlers took
over.
Hampton was more
successful on its next drive, which went 32 yards on ten plays, and culminated
with a 39-yard field goal by Adam Brown. The Pirates saved themselves on the
drive when Watford, facing 3rd-and-17 from the Rattler 45, dumped a
screen pass to Dwayne Garrett, who scooted 18 yards for the first down to keep
the drive alive.
On FAMU’s next
drive, linebacker Jamari Cord forced, and then recovered, a fumble at the
Rattlers 24. But the Pirates went the wrong way, losing 16 yards, and were
forced to punt.
Watford
alternated with Jerrell Antoine at quarterback, but neither could get the
offense moving with regularity in the first quarter, perhaps a by-product of
the soggy conditions. Both teams combined for a mere 39 yards in the opening
quarter, which had Hampton leading 3-0.
The Pirates
found a spark of offense early in the second quarter, in the form of running
back Chris Dukes, who gained 31 yards on six rushes,. This set up Antoine, who
faked two handoffs, then found a wide-open Twarn Mixson in the end zone for a
35-yard score. Brown’s extra point gave Hampton a 10-0 edge.
“We just started
executing,” said Hampton Coach Connell Maynor. “We started executing the plays,
and once that happened, we started hitting for big plays. That’s why I was
switching quarterbacks.”
Asked if he was
committed to a starter for the final game against Savannah State, he simply
answered, “No.”
The Pirates
tacked on another touchdown just before halftime. Antoine found Shakim Alonzo in
the end zone to finish a six-play, 80-yard drive, and the Pirates led 17-0 at
halftime.
While Hampton
was finding its offensive bearings, the Rattlers were stuck in neutral, gaining
only 14 yards on 28 plays in the first half, including a minus four yards of
total rushing.
Hampton
maintained its momentum in he second half. On its first drive, the Pirates
moved 39 yards on ten plays to set up another Brown field goal – this one from
36 yards. Antoine kept the drive going by scrambling for 13 yards on a 4th-and-3
play.
Watford
re-entered the game at QB, and found Kentrel Richard for a 3-yard score to
highlight a seven-play, 61-yard drive, which put Hampton in the lead 27-0.
Garrett led the Pirates
with 147 yards on 20 carries, his first 100-yard effort of the season. Mixson
added 100 receiving yards on three catches.
“He’s a hard
runner, and all season, he’s been a couple of plays away from breaking out. The
offensive line did a great job,” added Maynor, when asked about Garrett’s
contribution.
After a 3-8
campaign last year, the Pirates are looking to finish the season on upswing. A
win next week against Savannah St. (currently 1-6) would give them a winning
record for the season.
Asked about the
importance of finishing 6-5, Maynor spoke toward the future.
“If we finish
with 6-5, it shows a winning record, plus we’ll be 5-3 in the MEAC. Five
conference wins is a huge deal. It will show people that we’re on the right
track, and that the tradition is coming back. It’s part of the process. You
can’t just turn around a Division I program in one season because of APR and
other things.”
“Rome wasn’t
built in a day.”
FLORIDA A&M –
0,
0, 0, 0 - 0
HAMPTON - 3, 14, 3, 13 - 33
First quarter
HU – A. Brown 39
FG 1:30
Second quarter
HU – Mixson 35
pass from Antoine (Brown kick) 8:43
HU – Alonzo 16
pass from Antoine (Brown kick) :27
Third quarter
HU – A. Brown 36 FG 11:11
Fourth quarter
HU – Richard 3 pass from Watford (Brown kick) 12:21
HU – Garrett 3 run (pass failed) 5:32
FAMU
Hamp
First downs; 16, 20
Rushes-yards; 37-62, 49-224
Passing yards; 106, 197
Comp-att-int; 12-24-0, 9-25-0
Penalties-yards; 6-63, 7-61
Punts-avg; 7-37.6, 3-34.3
Fumbles-lost; 3-1, 0-0
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