Hampton 34, Florida A&M 14

November 12, 2005

Hampton, Va. – The second ranked Pirates of Hampton University used 24 unanswered points to break open a 7-7 first quarter tie, and cruise to a 34-14 win over visiting Florida A&M. With the victory the Pirates (10-0, 8-0 MEAC) captured the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title outright and extended their regular season winning streak to 16 games.

Hampton Photo Pirates celebrate their second straight MEAC title.

Special teams led to Hampton’s first score as the Pirates took over at the FAMU 28-yard line following a blocked field goal by Alden Blizzard. Princeton Shepherd found Marquay McDaniel on a 19-yard swing pass down the right sideline to put the Pirates in front 7-0.

The Rattlers (5-5, 4-3 MEAC) tied the score two possessions later behind the arm and legs of quarterback Albert Chester. The sophomore signal caller opened the drive with a 12-yard run, connected with Roosevelt Kiser (8 rec, 90 yds) on a 19-yard completion, and capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 3:32 remaining in the first quarter. However, that would be the only bright spot for Florida A&M for quite some time.

Utilizing a steady ground attack which led to multiple play-action passes, the Pirates scored the next 24 points of the game. A pair of touchdowns by Alonzo Coleman (125 yds) and a 47-yard field goal by Andrew Paterini increased the Hampton lead to 24-7 before fullback Curtis Lewis scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard run with 10:22 to go in the game.

Florida A&M took the ensuing possession and drove 80 yards in 13 plays in just over five minutes and Chester tossed a 5-yard strike to Aubrey Parrish (5 rec, 61 yds) to provide the Rattlers 14 points.

Ardell Daniels (114 yds) and Coleman each ran for 100 yards for the fourth time this season, and quarterback Princeton Shepherd turned in his best outing of the season by completing 11-of-14 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. McDaniel was the recipient of 11 of Hampton’s 19 completions on the day, as the senior posted career-highs in receptions (11) and yards (149). His 11 receptions were just two shy of the Pirate record of 13 set by Zuriel Smith against South Carolina State in 2001.

Coming into the game as the nation’s top ranked pass defense, the Pirates did surrender 281 yards passing and 470 total yards. However, Hampton countered with 543 yards of offense to snap a five-game losing to Florida A&M and record its 11th straight win at Armstrong Stadium.