Game Notes

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University football team will hit the road again on Saturday in search of its fourth straight win, taking on Morgan State at 1 p.m. in Hughes Stadium.

The Pirates (3-5, 3-1 MEAC), in their fifth season under head coach Donovan Rose, picked up their third win of the season this past Saturday by beating Delaware State 30-7 at home, while the Bears (2-6, 2-2 MEAC), under 12th-year head coach Donald Hill-Eley, fell 28-14 to Howard this past Saturday.

Freshman quarterback Bryan Bailey (Woodruff, S.C.) made his first start of the season on Oct. 12 against North Carolina A&T, completing 14 of his 26 passes for 90 yards and three touchdowns. He completed passes to seven different receivers in the Pirates' first win of the season, including a game-long 15-yard scoring strike to Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.).

He followed that up on Oct. 12 with a career-high 263 passing yards at Norfolk State and a touchdown, completing 19 of his 27 passes. For the season, Bailey is 43-for-75 through the air for 485 yards and five touchdowns. He is completing 57.3 percent of his passes and has a team-best efficiency rating of 120.32.

He has at least one touchdown pass in the three games he's started.

Senior running back Antwon Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.) actually ranks fifth in the MEAC in receptions, averaging 3.9 per game, and Washington is third in the MEAC in kickoff returns, averaging 25.3 yards per return.

Senior linebacker Delbert Tyler (Monroeville, Pa.) is one of the bright spots of the Pirates defense so far this season, leading the conference with 11.8 tackles per game. He has 94 total tackles so far this season (41 of them solo efforts), and Tyler has recorded double-digit tackles in six of Hampton's first eight games – including a season-high 17 stops on Sept. 21 at Coastal Carolina.

Tyler has 346 total tackles for his career after recording 16 stops this past Saturday against Delaware State, which currently ranks him second in program history; he is 43 tackles shy of the all-time record of 389 set by Gareth Brooks.

Sophomore linebacker Joshua Thorne (Oxon Hill, Md.) is tied for sixth in the MEAC in tackles, averaging 9.5 per contest. He is second on the team with 76 tackles so far this season, 40 of which are solo efforts. He had a season-high 15 tackles at South Carolina State on Sept. 28, and had recorded double-digit tackles four times this season.

He also has a quarterback hurry and two broken-up passes so far this season.

Senior defensive end Carvin Johnson (New Orleans, La.) currently ranks eighth in the MEAC in tackles, averaging 9.2 per game, and he is third on the team with 74 tackles so far this season – 44 of which were solo efforts. He also recorded an interception at South Carolina State back on Sept. 28; it wound up being Hampton's first interception on defense of the season, and it was Johnson's first pick as a Pirate.

He also recorded a pick late at Norfolk State.

Sophomore defensive end Miles Grooms (Richmond, Va.) has been a force in the backfield this season, currently ranking third in the MEAC in both sacks (6.5 total, 0.81 per game) and tackles for loss (11.0 total, 1.38 per game). He had a team-high 3.5 sacks in Saturday's win over Delaware State, and he leads the Pirates with 12 quarterback hurries and four forced fumbles so far this season.

The Pirates are 24-35-2 all-time against Morgan State, though Hampton has won the last three meetings – including a 27-17 defeat at Armstrong Stadium last season. Overall, the Pirates have won nine of the last 10 meetings between the two teams. Hampton has won the last three games played between the two teams at Hughes Stadium and all-time, the Pirates are 5-10 against Morgan State in Baltimore, Md.

The Pirates are 197-166-6 all-time against schools currently competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) after going 3-5 in the conference last season. Hampton is 9-9 against Bethune-Cookman; 25-14 against Delaware State; 8-13 against Florida A&M; 47-41-1 against Howard; 24-36-2 against Morgan State; 25-25-1 against Norfolk State; 26-15-2 against North Carolina A&T; 17-6 against North Carolina Central; 5-0 against Savannah State; and 11-7 against South Carolina State.

This is only the Pirates' 18th 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 have seven road contests this season, and are 1-4 away from Armstrong Stadium after falling 42-9 at Western Illinois, 31-7 at William & Mary, 50-17 at Coastal Carolina, and 30-6 at South Carolina State. Hampton's first road win of the season came on Oct. 12 with a 27-17 win at rival Norfolk State.

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.