Hampton 44, Savannah State 6

November 19, 2005

Hampton, Va. – The matchup between the undefeated Pirates of Hampton and the winless Tigers of Savannah State went pretty much as expected, with the Pirates cruising to a 44-6 victory Saturday afternoon at Armstrong Stadium. With the win Hampton remains undefeated and in perfect position to host a first round game in the Division I-AA playoffs.

Coming into the game Hampton running back Ardell Daniels needed 110 yards to join his backfield mate Alonzo Coleman at the 1,000-yard mark. Daniels wasted little time in getting what he needed, as he rushed for 133 yards in the first quarter. In reaching the 1,000-yard mark, Daniels and Coleman became just the third pair of backs in Division I-AA to run for 1,000 yards each in consecutive seasons. The duo also accomplished the task in 2004.

From that point on the Pirates continued to rack up the numbers. Coleman ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries, surpassing Montrell Coley for the Pirates’ all-time record in rushing touchdowns with 50. He needs just one more touchdown to match Coley’s school record of 53 career touchdowns.

With Daniels and Coleman controlling the ground, the Pirates finally went to the air and Princeton Shepherd found Onrea Jones for a 69-yard scoring strike which was the first of Jones’ career.

Red-shirt freshman Jerry Cummings got into the mix in the second quarter as well, registering his first career score with a 19-yard run off tackle that gave the Pirates a 34-0 lead midway through the second period.

A muffed punt by Michael West led to the Tigers’ first score as they took possession at the Hampton 20-yard line. Six plays later, Garrett Williams found Clyde Tullis in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked and the teams headed to the break with the Pirates holding a hefty 34-6 advantage.

Van Morgan who ended the day with a career-high 133 yards, opened the third quarter with a 79-yard carry that set up Antwan Smith’s 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ernie Lomax. The touchdown was also a career first for Lomax.

Hampton ended the day with 548 total yards, 415 coming on the ground as the Pirates set a record with three backs going over 100 yards. Defensively, the Pirates held the Tigers to just 80 yards rushing, but Savannah State quarterback Garrett Williams did manage to pass for 250 yards on the day.