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Mark Sutton

Football

PIRATES GEARING UP FOR CHICAGO FOOTBALL CLASSIC

Game Notes

CHICAGO, Ill. –
The Hampton University football team will open the 2011 season in the Chicago Football Classic on Saturday, as the Pirates square off against Alabama A&M at historic Soldier Field and 5 p.m. EST.

The Pirates are 0-1 all-time against Alabama A&M, having lost to the Bulldogs on the road 31-24 on Sept. 12, 2009.

Coming into 2011, two Pirates are on the MEAC's radar; sophomore running back Antwon Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.), the 2010 MEAC Rookie of the Year, is a Preseason First Team All-MEAC selection. He rushed for 607 yards and four touchdowns last season, and he rushed for over 100 yards twice en route to averaging 60.7 rushing yards per game – the eighth-best average in the MEAC.

Senior defensive back Micah Pellerin (New Orleans, La.) was also a Preseason First Team All-MEAC selection, after recording 41 tackles (including 30 solo stops) last season. He also led the MEAC with 16 defended passes last season, to go along with 14 pass breakups and two interceptions.

Senior quarterback David Legree (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and junior wide receiver Javaris Brown (Macon, Ga.) were each named Preseason Second Team All-MEAC. Legree will start under center for the Pirates this season, while Brown was Hampton's leading receiver from 2010 – to the tune of 40 catches for 639 yards and five touchdowns.

The Pirates coaching staff will have a new look in 2011, thanks to some key hires from third-year head coach Donovan Rose. Rose brought in new offensive coordinator Willie Snead III, who comes to Hampton from Muskegon Heights (Mich.) High School – where his high-tempo offense yielded a lot of wins. In 2009, Snead's first season with Muskegon Heights, he took a team that had gone 2-7 the year before and led it to a 10-3 record, a district title, a regional championship and an appearance in the state semifinals.

Joining Snead on the offensive side of the ball will be new offensive line coach Jason Eck, who came to Hampton from Ball State. In Eck's second year at Ball State, the Cardinals only gave up 16 sacks – the second best total in the Mid-American Conference. Lamar Thomas, who played his college ball at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 1988-92, will join the Pirates as wide receivers coach.

Gregory Taylor Jr. also came on as assistant wide receivers coach.

The Pirates also boast a new coach on the defensive side of the ball; Darryl Bullock comes on as defensive line coach after four years on the coaching staff at North Carolina Central.

The Pirates undoubtedly boasted one of the nation's best defenses in 2010, finishing the season ranked third among all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams in total defense – giving up just 271.5 yards a game. Hampton was also tied for ninth among FCS teams, with conference rival Florida A&M, in scoring defense after giving up just 18.4 points per contest.

Hampton was also fourth in the nation in passing defense, giving up just 141.6 yards per game in the air, and fifth in 4th down conversion percentage defense – allowing opponents to convert just 25 percent of their 4th down chances. Hampton's 3rd down conversion percentage defense, at 31.9 percent, was 16th-best in the nation.

The Pirates are 72-33-3 all-time in season openers and have won six of their last seven. The Pirates fell 33-0 to Central Michigan in their 2010 season opener. Hampton defeated North Carolina Central 31-24 at Armstrong Stadium to open 2009, and in 2008, the Pirates opened the schedule by beating Jackson State 17-13 in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. Prior to 2010, the last time Hampton had lost a season opener was in 2003, when Villanova beat the Pirates 41-6.

Rose is 1-1 in season openers as a head coach after falling 33-0 at Central Michigan to open last season. He won his head coaching debut in 2009, as the Pirates defeated North Carolina Central 31-24 at Armstrong Stadium.

Coming into the Chicago Football Classic, the Pirates are 12-8 all-time against teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Hampton is 0-1 all-time against Alabama A&M; 0-2 against Alcorn State; 1-0 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff; 6-2 against Grambling State; 3-0 against Jackson State; 1-0 against Mississippi Valley State; 1-2 against Southern; and 0-1 against Texas Southern.

The Pirates have never faced Alabama State or Prairie View A&M.

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.
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