Hampton 28, S.C. State 17

ÒI couldnÕt have asked for a better performance from Tim Fraizer,Ó said Coach Taylor. ÒI was never worried he is a good player with a good head on his shoulders and a lot between the ears.Ó

The Pirates scored on their first drive ending a 12 play, 70 yard drive in 3:40 on a two-yard rush by Robert Smith. Smith, who reenters the line-up after sitting out during the Battle of the Bay Classic on last week, finished with 30 attempts for 110 yards and one touchdown. SmithÕs touchdown was followed by a successful extra point attempt by Pirate kicker Tellis Bolden.

The Pirates continued their attack with 1:01 left in the first quarter following a 17-yard rush by junior tailback Carlton Morant to end a 16-play, 95-yard drive in over five minutes of play. The Pirates would end the first quarter of play with a 14-0 lead.

The second quarter gave little for Pirate fans to cheer about, surrendering the Bulldogs first score of the game on a 3-play, 80-yard drive in 1:06. The touchdown pass from Brett Young to Terrance Metcalf for 76 yards was the longest reception of the contest. The PAT attempt by Guy Depalo cut the Pirates lead to half, 7-14.

The Bulldogs would not lie down, tieing the score at 14 following a 14 yard rush by Kambui Maxwell to cap a 2-play, 80 yard drive in only 31 seconds of play.

The Pirates entered the half time locker room with a 21-14 lead after Timothy Frazier completed a 6-yard pass to tight end David Blount, to score the third touchdown of the contest. BoldenÕs good PAT padded the Pirates lead by seven.

ÒMy offensive line took care of me and told me they had me the whole way,Ó said Frazier. ÒThe guys helped me out all the way aroundÉI couldnÕt have asked for anything better.Ó

The BulldogsÕ Offense, which finished with 527 net offensive yards, received aid from place kicker Guy Depalo with 10:43 on the clock, connecting on a 23-yard field goal to increase their score to 17.

ÒWe played on quarter of football in the second half,Ó said SCSU Information Head Coach Willie Jefferies. ÒOur offense and special teams played well, but our defense couldnÕt stop them.Ó

But the Pirates, who suffered a heartbreaking defeat in last yearÕs homecoming contest to the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman, would not quit, scoring for the final time on a 28-yard pass from Frazier to Michael Compton. Bolden tacked on the extra point. Neither team would not score in the fourth quarter yielding the 28-17 victory for the Pirates.

The Pirates receiving corp. was led by Zuriel Smith, who finished with 13 receptions for 160 yards. Blount, who scored his second touchdown of the season, completed three catches for 46 years, while Michael Compton sealed the victory with one reception for 28 yards and one touchdown.

ÒTime just played a good game,Ó commented Zuriel Smith. ÒHe was patient with poise and that impressed me the most.Ó

The Pirates defense was led by Tremaine Hughes, who finished with 12 tackles, seven unassisted and five assisted, two for a loss of 17 yards and one sack for a 13 yard loss. Senior safety Vincent Lewis following with 9 tackles, one for a loss of one yard. Derek Harrison, who finished with 15 tackles, led the BulldogsÕ defense.

ÒWe said coming into the game we wanted to play 60 minutes of football,Ó says Taylor. ÒWe wanted to leave it on the field and put all our energy out there.Ó

The Pirates increased their overall record to 4-3 and their conference record to 3-1, while the Bulldogs drop to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in conference play. The Pirates will face the Rattlers of Florida A&M University next week in the MEAC TV Game of the Week, Saturday, October 27 at 3:00 p.m. in Armstrong Stadium on the campus of HU.

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