New Hampshire 45, Hampton 29

Fighting a 24 mph northeasterly wind, the Pirates, who won the coin toss, elected to receive the ball. With time winding down on the Wildcats first possession, the 2001 regular season opened with a 5-yard delay of game penalty, moving the ball back to the 30-yard line for senior kicker Shawn MacLean.

Showing no effects from the penalty or the wind, MacLean kicked for 70 yards into the Pirates' end zone, offering the Pirates the ball on the 20-yard line. With a time of possession of two minutes and 43 seconds, the Pirates, who were off to a slow start, were forced to punt the ball in only three possessions.

Following a 24-yard punt by Tellis Bolden, who found himself kicking into the wind, the Wildcats retained the ball on the Pirates' 24-yardline. The Wildcats' offense led by senior quarterback Ryan Day and junior running back Stephan Lewis, opened scoring with a 30-yard field goal from MacLean, capping a seven play, 10-yard drive in 2:54.

The Pirates, who once again received the ball on the 20-yard line, following a touchback, gained their first 1st-down of the game following three successful runs by senior tailback Robert Smith. The Pirates now on the Wildcats 40-yard line, continued their pursuit downfield, with a 36-yard pass from quarterback Ataveus Cash to veteran wide receiver Zuriel Smith. With first-goal and the ball on the four-yard line, the Pirates gained the lead on a 4-yard rush by Cash, capping a seven play, 80-yard drive in 1:52. A good point after attempt by Tellis Bolden gave the Pirates the, 7-3, lead.

With 1:32 left on the clock, the Wildcats regained the lead on a one-yard rush by Lewis, who contributed 30-yards to the nine play, 36-yard drive. A good PAT attempt by MacLean closed first quarter scoring to a 10-7 margin in favor of the Wildcats.

The second quarter opened with a five-yard rush by junior full back Darian Barnes, surrendering the lead back to the Pirates. After Bolden's second good PAT of the game, the Pirates special team prepared for their kickoff with a 14-10 lead.

For over four minutes of play, both team's traded possessions, opening up opportunities for their defensive units to display their talents. Led by Pre-Season Second Team All-American defensive end Greg Scott, the Pirates held the Wildcats to only seven yards on three plays while the Wildcats' defense received a surge of excitement when they halted a nine play, 34-yard drive by the Pirates offense at the one-yard line. The Pirates salvaged the possession, when Wildcat QB Ryan Day, who received a bad snap by his center, kicked the ball out of bounds, giving the Pirates the safety, 16-10.

The Pirates increased their lead on their next drive with a 13-yard run by backup running back Carlton Morant. The Wildcats answered with a 13-yard run by Stephan Lewis with 3:40 on the clock, closing the gap to within six points and yielding a halftime score of 23-17.

In the second half, Wildcat running back Stephan Lewis, who ran for 150 yards on 29 attempts during the 2000 season opener, rushed for 175 yards on 23 attempts in the final two quarters. An 11-yard pass from Day to Michael Taylor yielded the 24-23 lead to the Wildcats at 12:38. Lewis, who finished the contest with a game high five touchdowns, ran in his third of the day with 7:30 left in the third quarter.

"We simply played only 30 minutes of football," said Coach Taylor. "The second half was not a matter of adjustments, it was a case of mental errors".

Robert Smith, who held the bulk of the Pirates running responsibilities in the contest, scored on a three-yard run, capping an eight play, 40 yard drive, 29-31. The Pirates' attempt to tie the game failed on the two-point pass attempt from Cash.

Fourth quarter play sealed the Wildcats victory. Lewis who finished with a total 248 yards, on 36 attempts and two touchdowns, scored at the 12:05 (six yard run) and 3:07 (52 yard run) mark.

Pirate quarterback Ataveus Cash led the team's total offense with 148 offensive yards, 150 passing and negative two yards rushing. Terrance Patrick, who ranks 5th in the nation in kickoff returns, ran back six for 217 yards, an average of 36.2 yards per return. Free safety Vincent Lewis led the Pirates defense with 8.5 total tackles, six unassisted and five assisted. Linebacker Tremmaine Hughes trailed Lewis with 6.0 total tackles, four unassisted and four assisted. Senior linebacker, Stanely Aughtry, who returns to the Pirates lineup following a season ending injury during last years' match up, finished with five unassisted and one assisted tackle for a total of 5.5, two for a loss of 15 yards.

The Pirates (0-1) will take on the Bison of Howard University in their next contest, Saturday, September 8 at 12:00 noon in Washington, DC. The game featured as the MEAC Game of the Week, will air live on Comcast Sports Network, NUE-TV and Sunshine.

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