Box Score

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – In front of over 22,000 fans at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, the Pirates of Hampton University went head-to-head with the two-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Bulldogs of South Carolina State in a defensive battle for the ages.

 

Hampton forced four turnovers and a turnover on downs, while the Bulldogs had two interceptions of their own, but it was not enough as the Bulldogs came out on top 10-7 Saturday afternoon.

 

The Pirates dropped to 5-2 on the year and suffered their first loss in conference play as they dropped to 4-1 in the MEAC, while the Bulldogs improved to 5-2 and 3-1 in conference play.

 

“It was truly a defensive battle that came down to the team who was going to make a play,” said head coach Donovan Rose. “What more could you ask from your defense in a game like this? They had three fumbles, an interception and a turnover on downs … we just have to get things going offensively.”  

 

The battle started early on, as Pirates quarterback David Legree (Brooklyn, N.Y.) threw an interception on the third play of the opening drive, but the Pirates defense was ready for the Bulldogs. Delbert Tyler (Monroeville, Pa.) forced a Bulldogs fumble early to give the ball back to Hampton.

 

The two teams would go back and forth until SCSU was able to sustain a drive late in the first quarter. The Bulldogs went 80 yards in 12 plays in 5:49 for the first and only score of the first half.

 

Hampton's defense would come up big once again in the beginning of the third quarter, when defensive end Brandon Peguese (Greensboro, N.C.) sacked quarterback Malcolm Long and forced a fumble that would be recovered by Darius Collins (Andrews, S.C.). The offense, led by Legree, would use 10 plays to go 37 yards in 4:39 to tie the score up at 7-7 with 9:39 left in the third quarter.

 

From that point on, the game would remain scoreless until SCSU's Blake Erickson kicked a career-long 48-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs what would become the game-winning score at 10-7.

 

Hampton would get three more attempts at a score, but every attempt stalled.

 

Defense was the order of day, as the Bulldogs were able to hold the Pirates to just 144 yards of total offense and just 13 yards on the ground. Hampton was able to hold the Bulldogs to 241 yards and 126 yards on the ground.

 

Hampton also forced four turnovers, as the Pirates were led by defensive linemen Kenrick Ellis (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Peguese. Ellis finished the game with 11 tackles, while Peguese finished with nine tackles and two tackles for a loss of 21 yards and a sack. 

 

“I told the guys that we have to take this game and learn from it and get ready for the next game,” Rose said. “We are still in the hunt and cannot hold our heads down.”

 

The Pirates will head back to Armstrong Stadium to face off against the Monarchs of Old Dominion on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports of Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.