HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team fell 21-13 to rival Norfolk State on Saturday in the annual State Farm Battle of the Bay at Armstrong Stadium.
 
Senior running back Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.) had 85 rushing yards on 21 carries, averaging 4.0 yards per carry. Freshman running back Eric Carter Jr. (Fayetteville, N.C.) averaged 5.9 yards per carry, racking up 41 yards on seven carries.
 
Norfolk State, which won at Hampton for the first time since 1996, outgained the Pirates (1-6, 0-3 MEAC) 337-254; the Spartans (3-5, 2-2 MEAC) had 335 yards through the air.
 
Even though Norfolk State got possession to open the game thanks to a muffed kickoff, the Spartans turned the ball over on the first play from scrimmage. The Pirates responded on their opening drive, going 59 yards in 10 plays before sophomore kicker Anthony Prevost (Chesterfield, Va.) connected on a 26-yard field goal to give Hampton a 3-0 lead with 10:16 left in the first quarter.
 
The Spartans responded later in the quarter, taking a 7-3 lead at the 4:33 mark after Terrance Ervin, who threw for a career-high 335 yards, hit Keith Johnson from 29 yards out.
 
Hampton then went 80 yards in five plays, taking a 10-7 lead with 13:07 left in the second quarter after sophomore quarterback Bryan Bailey (Woodruff, S.C.) threw a 29-yard touchdown strike to sophomore wideout Rashawn Proctor.
 
The Spartans, though, closed the half with a quick 8-play, 82-yard drive – one that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Ervin to Isaac White with 43 seconds left in the half. That strike gave Norfolk State a 14-10 lead going into the half.
 
After the Spartans opened the second half with a three-and-out, the Pirates took over and went 48 yards in 11 plays, before Prevost hit a 39-yard field goal with 9:38 left in the quarter to cut Norfolk State's lead to 14-13.
 
But the Pirates couldn't score after that, with the second half seeing two field goal chances go awry – one on a straight miss and another on a block from the Spartans' Kevin Williams.
 
Norfolk State got some breathing room with 4:41 left in the contest, marching 80 yards on eight plays before Ervin hit White from 30 yards out for his third touchdown of the day. Ryan Lee's PAT gave the Spartans a 21-13 lead.
 
On defense, junior linebacker Keith McAfee (Charlotte, N.C.) had a team-high 12 tackles, while junior linebacker Joshua Thorne (Oxon Hill, Md.) added 10 tackles. Senior defensive end Robert Copeland (Hampton, Va.) had two sacks.
 
Junior defensive back Jordan Hill (Fayetteville, N.C.) had the Pirates' lone interception.
 
McAfee was named the game's Defensive MVP.
 
The Pirates will head to Dover, Del. next Saturday to take on Delaware State at 2 p.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.