1st ROUND NCAA DIV. I-AA PLAYOFFS
Hampton lays an egg, falls 38-10
Hampton's vaunted rushing attack, which came into Saturday's I-AA first round playoff game featuring two 1,000-yard rushers and averaging 251 yards per game, was held to just 100 yards by Richmond as the 12th-seeded Spiders brought an abrupt end to the third-seeded Pirates' undefeated season, 38-10 in Hampton.
The Spiders (9-3) broke from a 10-10 halftime tie to rush for four short second half TDs while shutting out the Pirates (11-1). UR running backs Tim Hightower (15 car., 73 yards) and David Freeman (21 car., 117 yards) each had two second half TD runs and combined with QB Stacy Tutt (15 car., 61 yards, 1 TD) to control the clock and pound the Pirates into submission. Richmond rushed for 251 yards in the game.
Hampton came back from a 7-0 first quarter deficit to take the lead in the second quarter behind back-up QB Antwan Smith (15 of 27, 221 yds., 1 TD, 1 int.). Smith replaced starter Princeton Shepherd and hooked up with wideout Onrea Jones (11 rec., 192 yards) to stake the Pirates to a 10-7 second quarter lead. Smith had completions of 39 and 15 yards to Jones to set up Andrew Paterini's 44-yard field goal early in the quarter. He came back to hit Jones with a 44-yard pass before the pair hooked up on a seven-yard scoring strike with 7:48 left in the period.
Richmond would tie the score at 10, 2:48 before the break on a 22-yard Joseph Fore field goal.
In its first second half possession, UR needed just five plays to cover 49 yards and go up 17-10 on a one-yard run by Hightower. Hampton failed to field the ensuing kickoff and the Spiders recovered at the Hampton 37. Four plays later, Freeman ran in from four yards out to put them up 24-10. They would later add two scoring drives, throwing only one pass en route to the TDs.
With Hampton RBs Alonzo Coleman (14 car., 34 yds.) and Ardell Daniels (6 car., 12 yds.) effectively bottled up, Jones was the Pirates' only offense, but it was hardly enough. Shepherd returned in the second half but neither he nor Smith could get the Pirates on the scoreboard.
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