Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team will return to Armstrong Stadium on Saturday in search of its first win of the season, as the Pirates will square off against Miles College at 6 p.m.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (0-3) struggled on offense this past Saturday, falling 42-17 at nationally-ranked Richmond. Hampton racked up just 281 yards of total offense against the Spiders. Junior linebacker Tyrone Ward (Oakland, Calif.) led the defense with 13 tackles, while freshman defensive back Chaka Diarrassouba (Atlanta, Ga.) had 10 stops.
 
Miles' Last Game: The Golden Bears (1-1) dropped their first game of the season this past Saturday, falling 26-0 to the University of West Georgia. Demetric Price was held to just 7-for-23 passing for 121 yards, and he was sacked four times.
 
The Series: This will be the first-ever meeting between Hampton and Miles.
 
Pirates at Armstrong Stadium: 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 0-1 at home after falling 42-14 to William and Mary on Sept. 6. Hampton's last home win over a non-conference opponent came in 2011, when the Pirates defeated Princeton 28-23.
 
Against the SIAC: The Pirates are 30-23-3 all-time against schools currently in the SIAC, with most of those meetings coming before the Pirates moved up to Div. I in 1995. Hampton's last game against a SIAC school came in 2006, when the Pirates beat Central State 42-12 on a neutral field. The Pirates are 1-0 against Albany State; 1-0 against Clark Atlanta; 1-1 against Central State; 14-6-3 against Morehouse; and 13-16 against Tuskegee. Hampton has never faced Benedict, Fort Valley State, Kentucky State, Lane, Miles, Paine, or Stillman.
 
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. Reginald Ruffin is in his fourth season at the helm of the Golden Bears; in his first season in 2011, he was named SIAC Coach of the Year after leading Miles to their first-ever SIAC title.
 
Coach Maynor Says: "We faced a very tough opponent (in Richmond); I said before we played them that they were probably the best team we'd play all year, and I still feel that way. We couldn't muster any rushing attack on (Richmond), but then again, neither could (Virginia) the week before, so we knew it would be tough."
 
Coach Maynor on Miles: "They've got a good program. They made the playoffs last year. To be honest, being a Div. I school opposed to them being a Div. II school, we're got more bullets. This game's not really about them, it's about us. We have to execute. We should come away with the win if we execute."
 
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 276.7 passing yards per game lead the MEAC, and he also leads the conference in both pass efficiency (149.2) and total offense (272.7 yards per game).
 
Washington a Threat: Despite being an all-around threat, senior Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.) 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). Washington leads the MEAC with an average of 208.7 all-purpose yards per game, and he is sixth in the MEAC with 4.0 receptions per game, while his 73.0 receiving yards per game rank second in the MEAC.
 
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 and receptions per game. Washington is second in the MEAC in receiving yards per game with 73.0, and junior Rayshad Riddick (Portsmouth, Va.) is third, averaging 63.3 receiving yards per contest. Reshirt sophomore Rashawn Proctor's 49.3 receiving yards per game are sixth-best in the MEAC. Riddick leads the conference with 6.3 receptions per game, while Proctor (Hampton, Va.) is tied for second with 5.3 catches per contest. Washington's 4.0 catches per game are sixth-best in the MEAC.
 
Pirates Land Six on MEAC Preseason Squads: The MEAC preseason poll, voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, picked the Pirates to finish seventh this season. In addition, 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.
 
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.
 
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.