WASHINGTON
Hampton’s 1,000th game will not go down in the record books as an undeniable blowout, a legendary comeback win or even a particularly pretty contest. But it will go down as a win, and that’s all coach Connell Maynor and the Pirates are concerned about.
Despite committing five turnovers and again struggling with penalties, Hampton took a quick lead and never trailed on its way to a 37-19 win against Howard in the Nation’s Football Classic before a crowd of 16,342 at RFK Stadium.
“We got off to a good start, but then were a little sloppy,” Maynor said. “We didn’t really know what to expect from Howard … but they beat us last year. We had to stay solid.”
The Pirates (2-1, 1-0 MEAC) appeared ready to name their score after the first quarter. They carved through the Bison defense on their first drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from David Watford to a very open Thomas Allen. They stopped a Howard drive when Jaston George picked off a Jamie Cunningham pass at Hampton’s 19-yard line. And they ended the quarter with a 15-play, 72-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes and culminated with a 9-yard scoring run by Watford.
A 13-0 lead could have been more, but a chop-block penalty with the ball at the Howard 36 pushed the Pirates out of scoring range and forced them to punt.
“That killed that drive,” Maynor said.
It also turned out to be a sign of what was to come. After a flag-free first quarter, Hampton racked up nine penalties for 94 yards, adding to totals that were already among the worst in FCS.
“We’ve got to be smarter,” Maynor said. “It was national TV; someone pushes you, you push them back. It put us in bad situations.”
Watford finished with 279 yards and three touchdowns – two on the ground, one in the air. Favorite target T.J. Mixson, who entered the game ranked in the top 10 in FCS for receiving yards, added another 119 yards to his total on six catches.
“The credit goes to the offensive line,” Mixson said. “They put me in the position to make plays.”
Added Maynor: “They haven’t given up a sack in three games.”
Watford threw three interceptions to go with two Hampton fumbles. However, while the defense bent at times, it held off a flurry of Bison comeback attempts. Howard, which suffered back-to-back-shutouts against FBS opponents Appalachian State and Boston College, broke its season-long scoring drought in the second quarter and drew within 30-19 midway through the fourth, but a Dewayne Garrett touchdown run with 3:09 left effectively clinched the victory.
It was the fourth rushing touchdown for the Pirates after not getting one in their first two games – Christopher Dukes also scored and led Hampton with 70 yards on the ground.
“We definitely wanted to work on our running game,” Maynor said.
The game was delayed in the second quarter when senior linebacker Treshawn Council suffered a broken fibula. He’s likely to miss the rest of the season.
Friday’s win ended the Pirates’ four-game losing streak to the Bison. It won’t be the last time the two teams face off at RFK – they’re scheduled to meet in the Football Classic next year and in 2018.
Next up
Hampton visits Norfolk State in the Battle of the Bay next Saturday, while Howard hosts Morgan State.
Source : http://www.dailypress.com/sports/hampton-university/dp-spt-howard-hampton-rfk-20150918-story.html
Note : If there any complain from author about the post then the post will be remove.
Hampton’s 1,000th game will not go down in the record books as an undeniable blowout, a legendary comeback win or even a particularly pretty contest. But it will go down as a win, and that’s all coach Connell Maynor and the Pirates are concerned about.
Despite committing five turnovers and again struggling with penalties, Hampton took a quick lead and never trailed on its way to a 37-19 win against Howard in the Nation’s Football Classic before a crowd of 16,342 at RFK Stadium.
“We got off to a good start, but then were a little sloppy,” Maynor said. “We didn’t really know what to expect from Howard … but they beat us last year. We had to stay solid.”
The Pirates (2-1, 1-0 MEAC) appeared ready to name their score after the first quarter. They carved through the Bison defense on their first drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from David Watford to a very open Thomas Allen. They stopped a Howard drive when Jaston George picked off a Jamie Cunningham pass at Hampton’s 19-yard line. And they ended the quarter with a 15-play, 72-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes and culminated with a 9-yard scoring run by Watford.
A 13-0 lead could have been more, but a chop-block penalty with the ball at the Howard 36 pushed the Pirates out of scoring range and forced them to punt.
“That killed that drive,” Maynor said.
It also turned out to be a sign of what was to come. After a flag-free first quarter, Hampton racked up nine penalties for 94 yards, adding to totals that were already among the worst in FCS.
“We’ve got to be smarter,” Maynor said. “It was national TV; someone pushes you, you push them back. It put us in bad situations.”
Watford finished with 279 yards and three touchdowns – two on the ground, one in the air. Favorite target T.J. Mixson, who entered the game ranked in the top 10 in FCS for receiving yards, added another 119 yards to his total on six catches.
“The credit goes to the offensive line,” Mixson said. “They put me in the position to make plays.”
Added Maynor: “They haven’t given up a sack in three games.”
Watford threw three interceptions to go with two Hampton fumbles. However, while the defense bent at times, it held off a flurry of Bison comeback attempts. Howard, which suffered back-to-back-shutouts against FBS opponents Appalachian State and Boston College, broke its season-long scoring drought in the second quarter and drew within 30-19 midway through the fourth, but a Dewayne Garrett touchdown run with 3:09 left effectively clinched the victory.
It was the fourth rushing touchdown for the Pirates after not getting one in their first two games – Christopher Dukes also scored and led Hampton with 70 yards on the ground.
“We definitely wanted to work on our running game,” Maynor said.
The game was delayed in the second quarter when senior linebacker Treshawn Council suffered a broken fibula. He’s likely to miss the rest of the season.
Friday’s win ended the Pirates’ four-game losing streak to the Bison. It won’t be the last time the two teams face off at RFK – they’re scheduled to meet in the Football Classic next year and in 2018.
Next up
Hampton visits Norfolk State in the Battle of the Bay next Saturday, while Howard hosts Morgan State.
Source : http://www.dailypress.com/sports/hampton-university/dp-spt-howard-hampton-rfk-20150918-story.html
Note : If there any complain from author about the post then the post will be remove.
0 comments:
Post a Comment