BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University football team will close the 2012 season on the road on Saturday, squaring off against Morgan State at Hughes Stadium at 1 p.m.

This will be the last of three straight road games for the Pirates.

The Pirates (2-7, 2-5 MEAC) fell 35-27 to Delaware State in Dover, Del. this past Saturday, while the Bears (3-7, 2-5 MEAC) fell 30-0 at Norfolk State this past Saturday.

Senior running back Jeremiah Schwartz (Orlando, Fla.) is just 70 yards away from reaching 1,000 rushing yards for the season after rushing for 136 yards on 24 carries at Delaware State this past Saturday. Schwartz is leading the MEAC in rushing, averaging 116.3 yards per game.

He has six 100-yard rushing games so far this season.

Sophomore quarterback Travis Champion (Moreno Valley, Calif.) has completed 61.3 percent of his passes (117-for-191) for 1,223 yards and eight touchdowns. He's averaging 174.7 passing yards per game, the third-best average in the MEAC, and he is sixth in the conference in pass efficiency (119.4).

A bright spot for the Pirates so far this season has been its special teams play; heading into this week's game at Morgan State, Hampton leads the MEAC in punting, averaging 35.9 yards per kick, and in kickoff returns, averaging 24.1 yards per kick.

Hampton is second in the MEAC in field goals, going 8-for-11 on the season, and is tied for the conference lead with Delaware State in PATs at a perfect 20-for-20.

Individually, senior Jordan Stovall (Elgin, S.C.) is second in the MEAC in punting, averaging 39.8 yards per punt. Senior Taurean Durham (Uniondale, N.Y.) is seventh in the conference in field goals, having made eight of his 11 tries for a .727 clip.

The Pirates are 23-35-2 all-time against Morgan State, and Hampton has won 16 of the last 19 meetings between the two teams – including a 42-18 win in Armstrong Stadium last season. Dating back to 1995, when the Pirates first joined the MEAC and became a Div. I program, Hampton is 14-3 against the Bears. Morgan State last beat Hampton in 2009, when the Bears came to Hampton, Va. and took a 16-13 win.

Hampton is 5-10 against the Bears in Baltimore, Md. and has won the last two meetings at Hughes Stadium.

The Pirates are 193-164-6 all-time against schools currently competing in the MEAC. Hampton is 9-9 against Bethune-Cookman; 23-14 against Delaware State; 8-13 against Florida A&M; 47-41-1 against Howard; 24-35-2 against Morgan State; 24-25-1 against Norfolk State; 25-15-2 against North Carolina A&T; 17-6 against North Carolina Central; 5-0 against Savannah State; and 11-6 against South Carolina State.

This is only the Pirates' 17th year as a member of the MEAC, as they initially became a member back in 1995. Since joining the MEAC, the Pirates have won the conference championship five times, including three straight in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

The Pirates went 1-3 on the road last season, with their lone win coming at Savannah State on Oct. 29. Hampton also lost road contests last season at Old Dominion, at Bethune-Cookman, and at Norfolk State.

During Donovan Rose's tenure as head coach, Hampton is 7-13 on the road, and they are 0-5 this season away from Armstrong Stadium after their season-opening 41-31 loss at Tennessee Tech on Aug. 30, a 44-20 loss at Florida A&M on Sept. 15, a 37-20 loss at North Carolina Central on Oct. 18, a 20-10 loss at Howard on Nov. 3, and a 35-27 loss at Delaware State this past Saturday.

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.