Hampton 26, Delaware State 8

October 1, 2005

Hampton, Va. – The Hampton University defense limited Delaware State to just 116 total yards, including a meager 17 in the first half, to lift the ninth ranked Pirates to a 26-8 victory in their home opener. With the win Hampton remains undefeated on the season at 5-0, 4-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), while the Hornets slipped to 2-3 overall, 1-1 in conference play.

Travarous Bain got the Pirates off to what appeared to be a great start, returning the opening kickoff 92 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, an illegal block in the back cancelled out the play and the Pirate offense was forced into action.

Behind the rushing attack of Alonzo Coleman (96 yds, 1 TD) and Ardell Daniels (84 yds) Hampton embarked on an 18-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard field goal by Andrew Paterini to give the Pirates a 3-0 lead and the end of the first quarter. The Pirates dominated the statistics in the opening frame with 104 yards to Delaware State’s three, but held just a slight advantage.

Hampton’s Micah Littlejohn recovered a fumble by Hornet running back Rodney Roy at the start of the second quarter to give the Pirates great field position at the Delaware State 12-yard line. However, the Pirates couldn’t advance the ball any further and were forced to settle for another Paterini field goal.

Under constant pressure from the Pirate defense throughout the night, Delaware State quarterback Vashon Winton and the Hornet offense had their own share of trouble as they totaled just 14 yards in the second quarter.

Pirate backup quarterback Antwan Smith entered the game early in the second quarter and on his second possession under center he guided the Pirates down the field for another score. Smith connected with Marquay McDaniel for a 16-yard strike and the Hornets were hit with two personal fouls that helped move the ball inside of the Delaware State 20-yard line. However, the Pirate offense would stall there as well and settle for a 36-yard kick by Paterini and a 9-0 lead with 7:04 to play before the half.

Hampton starter Princeton Shepherd re-entered the game with a spark, finding McDaniel (3 rec, 62 yds) for a 29-yard pass play down to the Delaware State 19-yard line. Shepherd then found fullback Qutrell Payton in the flats for an 8-yard scoring toss and a 16-0 lead.

The Hornets finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter after starting in superb field position at their own 49-yard line. A Winton completion to Emmanuel Marc for 14 yards and a pass interference call on Hampton cornerback Michael West gave the Hornets the ball at the Pirates’ 7-yard line. Marc took it in from there on the ensuing play and a two-point conversion from Winton to Rashod Coleman cut the Hampton lead in half, 16-8.

Paterini tied his own school record set last season against Howard, with his fourth field goal (37 yards) early in the final period to put the Pirates ahead 19-8.

Coleman added his sixth rushing touchdown of the season to provide the final margin and give the Pirates their 11th consecutive regular-season win.

Sophomore Kendal Langford led the Pirates defensively with nine tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks on the night. Not to be outdone, Delaware State’s Jarrod Wallace posted a game-high 13 stops.

Hampton hits the road again next week with a non-conference matchup at Gardner-Webb, while the Hornets host Bethune-Cookman in a MEAC battle.