HAMPTON, Va. -- Hampton University honored its 17 seniors in their last game of the season against the Salukis of Southern Illinois. Unfortunately for those soon-to-be graduates, the Pirates fell short against the visiting Salukis, losing by a score of 27-45.

 

The SIU Salukis scored in the first 24 seconds of the game, taking an early 7-0 lead over the Pirates. In the second quarter, T.J. Mitchell led the offense down the field, capping a 15-play, 83-yard drive as Carlo Turavani connected on a 22-yard field goal, narrowing SIU’s lead to 7-3 with 12:15 remaining before intermission.

 

From that point, the Salukis would go on to outscore the Pirates 14-to-3 to take a 21-6 lead into the locker room at the half.  

 

In the second half, HU’s Jeremy Gilchrist would be the go-to man for the Pirates. He scored for the Pirates in the third quarter,  bringing the Pirates within nine of the Salukis at 21-12.  The Pirates’ attempt at a two-point conversion failed.

 

Gilchrist would finish with 70 yards on the day and a new school record. He broke the single-season receiving record with 1,043 yards for the season, surpassing the record which was held by Jerome Mathis, who tallied 997 yards receiving in 2003.

 

In the fourth quarter, Kevin Teel would score for the Pirates and bring them within eight of the Salukis at 28-20 with 14:18 left to play.  From that point, the Pirates were outscored 17-to-7, accounting for the final score of 45-27.

 

 

T.J. Mitchell would finish the season breaking a new school record for single season passing yards with 2,309. The record was previously held by Matthew Montgomery with 2,118.

 

Seniors Kendall Langford and Vernon Bryant came up big on the defense for the Pirates, with nine total tackles each.  Langford also had a sack for a loss. Seniors Kevin Beverly and Van Morgan were key performers for the offense with 62 and 30 yards rushing, respectfully, for the Pirates.

 

The victorious Salukis were paced by quarterback Nick Hill, who completed 24 of 28 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns.  John Randle led all rushers with 88 yards on eight carries with one score.

 

With the loss, the Pirates concluded their season with a 6-5 record.  Southern Illinois’ win increased their season record to 10-1.