Saturday, November 10
Hampton, Va.
1 p.m.
Hampton University
30
vs
15
Florida A&M
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Gilchrist returned to punts for touchdowns in the Pirates 30-15 victory over FAMU (Photo by Mark Sutton)
Gilchrist and Mitchell Set New Records in Pirates’ 30-15 Victory Over Rattlers
11.10.07 | Football
Hampton, VA – The Pirates of Hampton University faced the Rattlers of Florida A&M University in their final Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game of the season on Saturday, squaring off against the only MEAC team that holds an advantage over the Pirates in head-to-head competition.
Following a 23-6 lead at the half, the Pirates went on to guarantee another winning season, registering a 30-15 victory over the visiting Rattlers. The win increased Hampton’s record to 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the conference, while Florida A&M fell to 3-7, 2-6 in the MEAC.
Coming into Saturday’s contest, four of Hampton’s all-time records stood to be broken by either sophomore quarterback TJ Mitchell or junior wide receiver Jeremy Gilchrist. After all the smoke had cleared, Mitchell tied the school’s all-time record for most completions in a season with 150, tying the mark set by Matt Montgomery back in 1994. Mitchell now needs just 93 yards to establish a new season record for passing yards.
After Saturday’s performance, Gilchrist, who had 23 yards receiving against Florida A&M, now needs just two yards to set a new all-time record for receiving yards in a season. The current record is 977 yards, set by Jerome Mathis in 2003.
The one record set by Gilchrist was his 86-yard punt return against the Rattlers, which established a new standard in that category.
Records aside, the Pirates’ defense and special teams came through in the clutch on Saturday as the special teams scored 12 of the team’s 30 points while the defense allowed only 114 yards rushing on a team that is known for its adeptness at running the ball. Hampton’s defense also picked off two passes from each of the Rattlers' quarterbacks, including picks by Sam Pope and Jackie Bates. Bates’ interception was returned for 51 yards, setting up a 43-yard field goal by Carlo Turanani to carry the Pirates into the half with their 23-6 lead.
The Pirates’ defense was led by Marcus Dixon, who had 15 total tackles (4 solo, 11 asst.), 2.5 tackles for a loss of 11 yards, and a sack for a loss of 10 yard in the victory. Behind Dixon was Kendal Langford, who had 11 tackles (2 solo, 9 asst.), three tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks for 13 yards lost on the day.
The offense got off to a slow start, but they were still able to accumulate 212 yards of total offense on the night, including 185 yards on the ground behind running back Kevin Beverly. Beverly had 29 carries for a total of 161 yards on the day with a touchdown.
The Pirates are now set to close out their season on Saturday, November 17, when Southern Illinois University comes to Armstrong Stadium for a 1 p.m. match-up. The Rattlers will face their in-state rivals, the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University, in the Florida Classic in Orlando, FL. For information on this and all Hampton athletics, please go to www.hamptonpirates.com.
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