Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team will celebrate Homecoming on Saturday, when the Pirates square off against Morgan State at 2 p.m. in Armstrong Stadium.
 
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Radio: WHOV 88.1 FM (Richie Summerville, Donovan Rose, and Jay Lang on the call).
Video: Pirates Sports Network.
 
Last Time Out: The Pirates (2-6, 1-3 MEAC) picked up their first conference win of the season this past Saturday, shutting out Delaware State 23-0 in Dover, Del. Senior running back Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.) ran for 142 yards on 23 carries, while freshman running back Eric Carter Jr. (Fayetteville, N.C.) added 113 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Junior linebacker Joshua Thorne (Oxon Hill, Md.) led the defense with a career-high 19 tackles, three sacks, and an interception.
 
The Bears' Last Game: The Bears (4-4, 3-1 MEAC) fell to Nov. 4 Villanova 48-28 this past Saturday. Moses Skillon threw for 204 yards and a touchdown, completing 23 of 38 passes. Paul Eatman Jr. had 12 tackles to lead the Bears on defense, while Antonio Jefferson added 11 tackles.
 
The Series: The Pirates are 24-36-2 all-time against Morgan State, despite last year's 30-27 loss in Baltimore, Md. Dating back to 1995, the Pirates have won 15 of the last 19 meetings between the two teams, including a stretch of six straight wins from 2003-08. Prior to last season's loss, the Pirates had won three straight in the series. Hampton is 9-16-1 against Morgan 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 1-3 at home after falling 42-14 to William and Mary on Sept. 6, defeating Miles College 34-30 on Sept. 20, falling 17-10 to South Carolina State on Sept. 27, and falling 21-13 to Norfolk State on Oct. 18.
 
Homecoming: Dating back to 1928, the Pirates are 51-33-2 in Homecoming games. Hampton has won its last three Homecoming contests, including a 31-26 win over North Carolina Central last season. This will mark the first time since 1949 in which Morgan State will be the Pirates' Homecoming opponent; the Bears won that contest 26-0.
 
Against the MEAC: The Pirates are 199-172-6 all-time against schools currently competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) after Saturday's 23-0 win over Delaware State. Hampton is 9-10 against Bethune-Cookman; 26-14 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. Lee Hull is in his first season at the helm at Morgan State after spending several seasons as an assistant coach at Maryland.
 
Coach Maynor Says: "We executed in the red zone better (against Delaware State). We ran the ball well, but we ran the ball well the game before that, so that wasn't anything different. The difference is, we got touchdowns in the red zone. We just played one play at a time (on defense) and didn't give up any big plays."
 
Coach Maynor on Morgan State: "They've got a good football team. They very easily could be 4-0, but that's the way this conference is; anybody can beat anybody. Offensively, they do a lot; they run their quarterback, put up a lot of yards and points, and defensively they fly around, put on some pressure and jump routes."
 
Carter Making His Mark: Saturday's game at Delaware State was Carter's coming-out party. The Fayetteville, N.C. native carried the ball 10 times for 113 yards and a score, marking the first 100-yard performance of his collegiate career. Carter averaged 11.3 yards per carry against the Hornets.
 
Strong Receiving Corps: Through this past Saturday's action, two Pirate receivers rank in the top 10 in the conference in receptions per game; Junior Rayshad Riddick (Portsmouth, Va.) is tied for third in the MEAC with 4.4 catches per game, while redshirt sophomore Rashawn Proctor (Hampton, Va.) is tied for fifth in the MEAC with 4.2 catches per contest. Proctor is also sixth in the MEAC in receiving yards, averaging 48.9 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: Thorne, 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, and he rushed for a team-high 142 yards against Delaware State this past Saturday. Washington leads the MEAC with an average of 176.8 all-purpose yards per game, and his 84.0 rushing yards per game are third-best in the conference.
 
Thorne a Tackling Machine: Thorne was one of four Pirates to record over 100 tackles last season, ranking third with 115 (65 solo, 50 assisted). He is the Pirates' top returning tackler for 2014, and Thorne was named Preseason Second Team All-MEAC. Thorne recorded 12.5 tackles for loss last season, ranking second on the team, and his 4.0 sacks were third-most on the squad. He had a season-high 15 tackles at South Carolina State last season, before recording 14 stops against Howard. Thorne led the Pirates on defense on Sept. 6 against William and Mary, racking up 10 tackles and half a sack. Against Miles on Sept. 20, Thorne had 10 tackles, including a team-high two sacks. He also had a team-high 11 tackles against South Carolina State on Sept. 27, before adding 10 tackles against Norfolk State on Oct. 18. Thorne, who is second in the MEAC in tackles, third in tackles for loss, and seventh in sacks, had a career-high 19 tackles – including six for loss and three sacks – at Delaware State this past Saturday.
 
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. His career-long field goal is 43 yards, which he tied 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.