Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team will be back at Armstrong Stadium on Saturday for the annual State Farm Battle of the Bay, squaring off against rival Norfolk State at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com and on ESPNU via tape delay.
 
TV: ESPNU via tape delay (Saturday, 10 p.m.).
Radio: WHOV 88.1 FM (Richie Summerville, Donovan Rose, and Jay Lang on the call).
Live Stats: Click here.
Live Video: ESPN3.com.
 
Last Time Out: The Pirates (1-5, 0-2 MEAC) fell 31-14 on the road against North Carolina A&T on Thursday, Oct. 9, despite 182 passing yards from junior quarterback Jaylian Williamson (Chesapeake, Va.) and 71 rushing yards from senior running back Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.). Junior linebacker Keith McAfee (Charlotte, N.C.) led the defense with 12 tackles and a sack.
 
The Spartans' Last Game: Norfolk State (2-5, 2-1 MEAC) fell 13-10 in overtime to Delaware State this past Saturday for its third straight Homecoming defeat and first conference loss of the season. Tyler Clark led the Spartans with 71 rushing yards on 22 carries, while Brendon Riddick added 67 yards on the ground, averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
 
The Series: The Pirates are 25-25-1 all-time against Norfolk State, having won four of the last six meetings – including a 27-17 win in Dick Price Stadium last season. Since 1996, after Hampton's transition to Div. I, the Pirates are 13-5 against the Spartans. Norfolk State last defeated Hampton in 2011, when the Spartans won 34-24 in Norfolk, Va. Norfolk State has not defeated Hampton in Hampton, Va. since 1996; overall, the Pirates are 12-13 against Norfolk State at home.
 
Pirates at Home: Hampton went 3-2 at home last season, picking up wins against North Carolina A&T (31-26), Delaware State (30-7), and North Carolina Central (29-21). In five games at Armstrong Stadium in 2013, the Pirates averaged 31.2 points per game on offense. So far this season, the Pirates are 1-2 at home after falling 42-14 to William and Mary on Sept. 6, defeating Miles College 34-30 on Sept. 20, and falling 17-10 to South Carolina State on Sept. 27. It was Hampton's first home win over a non-conference opponent since 2011, when the Pirates defeated Princeton 28-23.
 
Against the MEAC: The Pirates are 198-171-6 all-time against schools currently competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) after going 4-4 in the conference last season. Hampton is 9-10 against Bethune-Cookman; 25-14 against Delaware State; 8-13 against Florida A&M; 47-42-1 against Howard; 24-37-2 against Morgan State; 25-25-1 against Norfolk State; 26-16-2 against North Carolina A&T; 18-6 against North Carolina Central; 5-0 against Savannah State; and 11-8 against South Carolina State.
 
The Coaches: Connell Maynor is in his first season at the helm at Hampton after four years at Winston-Salem State – where he went 45-6 and made three straight trips to the NCAA Div. II Playoffs. Pete Adrian is in his 10th season at Norfolk State, and he led the Spartans to their first-ever MEAC title in 2011 en route to being named MEAC Coach of the Year.
 
Coach Maynor Says: "This is my first year in this rivalry, but I'm accustomed to rivalries. It's like another Homecoming. We need to come out on Saturday, play hard for 60 minutes, and try to get this W against our rival. We're looking forward to the chance of competing against Norfolk State."
 
Coach Maynor on Norfolk State: "We expect a great game. Norfolk State has a very good football team. They're very good on defense, and they're sound on offense. They very easily could be 5-1 or 1-5 right now … game by game, they could've won them all or lost them all. They've played some tight games. They're in the same boat we are: we both need wins."
 
Williamson With a Strong Start: Williamson had a record day at Old Dominion on Aug. 30, throwing for a school-record 407 yards against the Monarchs. He did so in completing 32 of his 45 passes, throwing for three touchdowns – including a 75-yard catch-and-run connection with Washington. Williamson's performance marked the first time since Herbert Bynes in 2008 that a Pirate has thrown for 400 yards in a game – and it's only happened three times in program history. He followed that up on Sept. 6 with 335 passing yards against William and Mary, completing 23 of 34 passes. Williamson didn't eclipse the 200-yard mark in 2013, and he's already broken the 300-yard barrier twice this season. His 238.8 passing yards per game lead the MEAC, and he is second in the MEAC in total offense (233.4 yards per game) and third in pass efficiency (134.4).
 
Strong Receiving Corps: Through this past Saturday's action, three Pirate wide receivers rank in the top 10 in the MEAC in both receiving yards, while two rank in the top 10 in receptions per game. Junior Rayshad Riddick (Portsmouth, Va.) is second in the MEAC in receptions with 5.0 per game, and his 50.2 receiving yards per game are fourth in the conference. Redshirt sophomore Rashawn Proctor's 4.7 receptions per game rank third in the MEAC, and he is eighth in the conference with 46.2 receiving yards per game. Washington is tied for eighth in the MEAC with 3.5 catches per game, and he is fifth in the MEAC with 49.2 receiving yards per game.
 
Pirates Land Six on Preseason MEAC Squads: The Pirates landed six players on the conference's preseason teams, headlined by junior defensive lineman Miles Grooms (Richmond, Va.) and sophomore kicker Anthony Prevost (Chesterfield, Va.) – both of whom were named Preseason First Team. Three Pirates were named Preseason Second Team All-MEAC: junior linebacker Joshua Thorne (Oxon Hill, Md.), senior defensive back Khambrel McGee (Miami, Fla.), and junior punter Christian Faber-Kinney (Williamsburg, Va.). Washington was named Preseason Third Team All-MEAC.
 
Pirates Land Four on CFPA FCS Watch List: Four Pirates are on the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS Watch List: Washington, Faber-Kinney, Grooms, and Prevost. The CFPA is entering its seventh year of recognition, and the 2014 CFPA award winners will be announced on Jan. 14, 2015.
 
Washington a Threat Everywhere: Washington did his damage on Aug. 30 at Old Dominion as a receiver, catching four balls for 99 yards and a score – a 75-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter. On Sept. 6 against William and Mary, he had 250 all-purpose yards – including 113 receiving yards and a touchdown (a 50-yard catch-and-run in the second half). Against Miles on Sept. 20, Washington rushed for 92 yards on 14 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per rush and scoring once. On Sept. 27 against South Carolina State, he rushed for a career-high 176 yards and a score. Washington leads the MEAC with an average of 194.2 all-purpose yards per game, and his 74.2 rushing yards per game are fourth-best in the conference.
 
Grooms Raking in the Awards: Grooms turned a lot of heads in 2013, ranking second in the MEAC in both sacks and tackles for loss en route to earning First Team All-MEAC honors. Because of that, Grooms comes into the 2014 season on the CFPA FCS Watch List, and he is a Preseason First Team All-MEAC selection. Grooms tallied 9.5 sacks last season to lead the team, and his 18.5 tackles for loss amounted to 88 yards. He recorded 3.5 sacks against Delaware State on Oct. 26 of last season, and he had 3.0 tackles for loss at Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 16. Grooms was sixth on the team with 57 total tackles in 2013. He recorded his first sack of 2014 against William and Mary on Sept. 6. He added five tackles on Sept. 20 against Miles, and he led the team with three quarterback hurries. Three of his four tackles against North Carolina A&T were for a loss.
 
Prevost an All-American: Prevost wasn't just a First Team All-MEAC honoree last season; he was named an SBN Sports Black College All-American and an FCS Honorable Mention All-American by the Beyond Sports Network. All of this after hitting 17 of 19 field goals and tying for second in the conference in scoring among kickers last season. Prevost is a Preseason First Team All-MEAC selection coming into this season, and he is on the CFPA FCS Watch List. In addition, Prevost – who hit three field goals against Delaware State last season – has been named a Preseason First Team All-American by Beyond Sports Network, while the Sports Network named him a Preseason FCS Second Team All-American.
 
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.