BALTIMORE, Md. – The Pirates and the Bears had a defensive battle in a game that Hampton came out on top with a final score of 17-13 on Saturday. The Pirates closed out the regular season with a 6-5 overall record and a 5-3 mark in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play, while the Bears finished out the season with a 6-6 overall mark and a 4-4 mark in conference play.

 

“The players did a great job today and they wanted to end the season on a winning note, and they showed that today on the field,” said head coach Jerry Holmes.

 

In the first half, it was a defensive struggle between both teams as nether team wanted to give in, but it was the Bears getting on the board first on a 29-yard field goal by James Meade. Before it was all said and done, the Bears would also be the first to score a touchdown off a 34-yard fumble recovery by Darren McKhan to put Morgan State up 10-0.

 

Hampton would not go out without a fight, as the Pirates got on the board with less than 23 seconds left on the clock when Carlo Turavani hit a 20-yard field goal. Before the half, the Pirates would tie up the game on 76-yard interception return by junior cornerback Ricardo Kemp.

 

“Coach Rose did an excellent job calling the plays on defensive end today and an overall great job today in containing the quarterback and stopping their running game,” said Holmes.

 

The play of the Pirates defense carried over to the second half, as they held the Bears scoreless until the fourth quarter, when they scored on a 38-yard field goal by Meade. The Pirates scored the only touchdown of the half when quarterback Herbert Bynes (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) connected with Dyrri McCain (Norfolk, Va.) on a 38-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth.

 

The Pirates forced two key turnovers in the game; one came in the form of an interceptions late in the first half and the other a fumble that led to a Pirates touchdown in the second half. Hampton finished the day with only 167 yards of total offense with 124 of those coming on the ground. The Bears had 225 yards of offense with 192 rushing on the day.

 

Hampton was led by running back Dennis Mathis (Hampton, Va.), who had 137 yards rushing for his first career 100-yard rushing game and on the defensive end was Michael Swett (Nashville, Tenn.), who finished the game with game-high 10 tackles.

 

Morgan State was led by Devin James, who rushed for 112 yards rushing on the night and on the defensive side it was George Howard, who led the Bears with nine total tackles on the night with 1.5 tackles for a loss six yards on the day.

 

“Overall we did a great job today, because coming into the game today we wanted to change up the game a bit and establish the running game and allow our offensive line to work a little bit more and I feel like we did a great job with that today,” said Holmes. “It’s a great thing to finish the season with a winning record as it gives us a good feeling going into the offseason.”

 

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.