Game Notes

DOVER, Del. – The Hampton University football team will hit the road this weekend looking to get back into the win column, as the Pirates will square off against Delaware State on Saturday in Alumni Stadium at 2 p.m.
 
Live Stats: Click here.
Radio: WHOV 88.1 FM (Richie Summerville, Donovan Rose, and Jay Lang on the call).
Live Video: Click here.
 
Last Time Out: The Pirates (1-6, 0-3 MEAC) fell 21-13 to Norfolk State in the annual State Farm Battle of the Bay this past Saturday, despite 145 yards on the ground. Senior running back Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.) had 85 rushing yards to lead the offense, while junior linebacker Keith McAfee (Charlotte, N.C.) was named the game's Defensive MVP after recording a team-high 12 tackles.
 
The Hornets' Last Game: Delaware State (2-6, 2-2 MEAC) fell 33-20 to North Carolina A&T in its annual Homecoming game this past Saturday. The Aggies held a 30-0 lead before the Hornets scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
 
The Series: The Pirates are 25-14 all-time against Delaware State, including last season's 30-7 win at Armstrong Stadium. Since 1995, the Pirates have won 15 of the last 19 meetings between the two teams. Delaware State last beat Hampton in 2012, when the Hornets won 35-27 in Dover, Del. The Pirates are 11-7 against the Hornets on the road.
 
Pirates on the Road: Hampton went 1-6 on the road last season, with that win coming at Norfolk State – where the Pirates beat their rivals 27-17. The Pirates are 0-3 on the road so far this season, having dropped their season opener at Old Dominion, 41-28, on Aug. 30, fallen 42-17 at Richmond on Sept. 13, and fallen 31-14 at North Carolina A&T on Oct. 9.
 
Against the MEAC: The Pirates are 198-172-6 all-time against schools currently competing in the 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; 25-26-1 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. Kermit Blount is in his fourth season at the helm at Delaware State; like Maynor, Blount also spent time as the head coach at Winston-Salem State.
 
Coach Maynor Says: "We just got to do a better job of executing. There were some plays out there to be made, and we didn't hit the throw or the guy didn't get open, so we gotta clean that up … and do a better job of executing in the red zone; we can move the ball from the 20 to the 20, but for some reason, we're not getting it in (the endzone)."
 
Coach Maynor on Delaware State: "(They've) got a very good defense. It might be a little underrated; watching film (of the Hornets' game against North Carolina A&T), I watched the first half and I saw (A&T) score one time on offense … their offense is struggling a little bit right now, but so was Norfolk State's coming into (last week's game), so we gotta do a better job of, when we have a team struggling, keep them struggling."
 
Williamson With a Strong Start: Junior quarterback Jaylian Williamson (Chesapeake, Va.) 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 209.8 passing yards per game lead the MEAC, and he is third in the MEAC in total offense (205.5 yards per game) and fourth in pass efficiency (130.6).
 
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 4.9 per game, and his 43.6 receiving yards per game are ninth in the conference. Redshirt sophomore Rashawn Proctor's 4.3 receptions per game rank fourth in the MEAC, and he is eighth in the conference with 44.4 receiving yards per game. Washington is 10th in the MEAC with 42.1 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 181.3 all-purpose yards per game, and his 75.7 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.