HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team will return home this weekend to take on Florida A&M University of Saturday at Armstrong Stadium. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.

The Rattlers come into this year's contest riding a three-game winning streak after a 31-27 win over North Carolina A&T this past Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla., while the Pirates suffered a tough 27-24 loss at the hands of the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman this past Saturday.

The Rattlers come into the contest with an overall record of 7-2 and a 5-1 mark in MEAC play, while Hampton is just 4-5 on the season and 2-4 in MEAC play.

The game will also mark the first time since 1991, when the Pirates finished 2-9 and Fred Freeman was the head coach of the Pirates, that Joe Taylor walked along the other sideline of Armstrong Stadium. That year, the Pirates lost to Taylor's Panthers of Virginia Union 49-13 prior to his arrival to Hampton University.

This will be the 18th meeting between the Pirates and the Rattlers, with Florida A&M leading the all-time series 11-6. The rivalry dates back to 1937, when the two first met on the gridiron with the Rattlers coming out on top by a score of 35-20. Following that contest, the two teams would meet off and on over the next few decades until 1997, two years after the Pirates joined the MEAC. Since then, the Rattlers have won seven of those 13 meetings.

The Rattlers won last year's meeting by a score of 45-24 at Bragg Stadium in the Pirates' first trip down to Tallahassee, Fla. without Taylor at the helm.

The Pirates are playing at a slight disadvantage against the Rattlers, as they lead the series when playing at any venue. FAMU is 4-3 when playing at Armstrong Stadium.

A live statistical broadcast of the game, utilizing Internet Consulting Service's live statistical software, will be available on the official website of Hampton athletics at www.hamptonpirates.com. Fans may access the live stats by visiting the Hampton football home page and clicking on the “Live Stats” link.

The game will also be broadcast on WHOV 88.1 FM.

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.