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HAMPTON, Va. – In the 48^th Battle of the Bay Classic, the Pirates of Hampton University came out on top once again over the Spartans of Norfolk State 7-6, surviving a defensive struggle on Saturday at Armstrong Stadium in a pivotal MEAC match-up.

 

“In the red zone, I felt better (about the defense). I've seen it week in and week out. We've stopped opponents from getting (in the end zone),” Pirates coach Donovan Rose said. ”It takes a lot for them to get in there. We've shown that over the weeks.”

 

The Pirates improved to 5-1 on the season and stayed a perfect 4-0 in the MEAC, while the Spartans dropped to 2-4 on the year and 1-3 in conference play.

 

The Pirates defense has been known for holding teams scoreless in any given half, and that was the case again for the Pirates. Hampton's defense would hold the Spartans to four punts in the first half alone, including after an impressive 13-play, 49-yard drive by NSU in the second quarter.

 

Hampton, on the other hand, would get on the board first in the second half when freshman running back Antwon Chisholm ran in from seven yards out to give the Pirates their only score of the day, then kicker Rodrigo Hernandez made the extra point to make the score 7-0 in favor of the Pirates.

 

The second half would prove to be more exciting, as the Spartans would be the only team to score. NSU took their opening drive 77 yards for a one-yard touchdown run by DeAngelo Branche, but a missed extra point by kicker Ryan Estep would help the Pirates keep the lead at 7-6.

 

From that point on, it was all about the defense.

 

The Pirates would silence the Spartans and kill a drive when Ricardo Silva intercepted Chris Walley on the 5-yard line to stop a potential game-winning drive by NSU. Hampton would turn the ball over on downs and punt again before Hernandez missed a 40-yard field goal with 1:07 remaining in the game.

 

“If we make it, it would be 10, so they would have to go for a touchdown, and I knew they were going to try to drive the ball down and get a field goal,” said Rose.

 

Norfolk State got the ball back and began to make their attempt at a game-winning drive. The Spartans would make it all the way down to Hampton's 36-yard line before the Pirates defense forced a turnover on downs to end the game.

 

Hampton would compile 282 yards of total offense, with 153 yards coming on the ground. Chisholm accounted for 98 of those yards, with David Legree passing for 129 yards.

 

The Pirates defense was led by Darius Johnson, who had 10 tackles with five solo stops.

 

The Spartans were led Branche, who rushed for 136 yards.

 

Johnson and Branche were name the defensive and offensive Battle of the Bay MVPs.

The Pirates will be back in action on Saturday, when they travel to Orangeburg, S.C. to face the Bulldogs of South Carolina State. The game is set to kick-off at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised via tape delay on ESPNU at 10:30 p.m. Saturday night.

 

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.