Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Pirates of Hampton University (3-2; 2-1 MEAC) will travel through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) to face the Spartans of Norfolk State (2-3; 1-2 MEAC) in a key MEAC match-up on Saturday at William “Dick” Price Stadium. The game will be the 2009 edition of the Battle of the Bay and it is set for 1 p.m. kick-off time.

 

Coming into the game, the Spartans suffered a tough 37-10 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs of South Carolina State this past Saturday, while the Pirates are coming off a 37-0 win over Howard in the “Battle for the Real HU,” for their first shutout since 2003.

Saturday's game will be the 47^th meeting between the Pirates and the Spartans, with Norfolk State holding a 23-22-1 advantage in the series. The rivalry dates back to 1963, when the Spartans defeated the Pirates 42-0. Following that contest, the series was dominated for nine years by the Spartans. It was not until the 1980s when the Pirates started making the game a little more interesting, winning five games in the decade. Since the Pirates made a bid to join the MEAC, they have only lost three games to the Spartans (1996: 7-14, 2001: 20-28 and 2007: 19-20). The Spartans broke the Pirates' five-year winning streak in 2007 by defeating Hampton 20-19 at Dick Price Stadium. The Pirates have won eight of the last 10 meetings in the series, including a 35-17 decision last year at Armstrong Stadium.

 

The rivalry between these two schools dates back to 1963, but the intensity picked up in 1988 when the game was labeled the “Battle of the Bay.” The tag “Battle of the Bay” is derived from the short distance between these two institutions and the fact that the cities of Hampton and Norfolk are separated by the Chesapeake Bay. Since the initial “Battle of the Bay” in 1988, the Pirates hold a 14-6-1 advantage in the series.

For tickets, contact the Norfolk State ticket office at (757) 823-9009. Anyone who can't attend the game can follow along via live stats; just visit www.hamptonpirates.com, click on the football page and click the “Live Stats” link. For those fans who want to view the game, just go to www.nsuspartans.com, click on the football page and click on the “Spartan All-Access” link and view the game for $19.95

 

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.