Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team, fresh off its first win of the season, will open MEAC play this Saturday, taking on defending co-champion South Carolina State at 2 p.m. in Armstrong Stadium.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (1-3) picked up their first win of 2014 this past Saturday, defeating Miles College 34-30 in Armstrong Stadium. Sophomore quarterback Bryan Bailey (Woodruff, S.C.) threw for a career-high 267 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with nine different receivers as Hampton racked up 411 yards of total offense.
 
S.C. State's Last Game: The Bulldogs (2-2), preseason MEAC favorites, defeated nationally-ranked Furman 17-7 in their home opener this past Saturday. Running back Jalen Simmons rushed 19 times for 127 yards and a touchdown, and South Carolina State rushed for 232 yards as a team.
 
The Series: The Pirates are 11-7 all-time against South Carolina State, despite the Bulldogs winning last year's meeting 30-6 in Orangeburg, S.C. Overall, South Carolina State has won the last six meetings between the two teams. The two teams first met in 1937, with Hampton winning 7-6 – kicking off a string of eight straight wins in the series for the Pirates. Hampton is 5-2 all-time against South Carolina State at home.
 
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 1-1 at home after falling 42-14 to William and Mary on Sept. 6 and defeating Miles College 34-30 this past Saturday. 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 198-169-6 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; 26-15-2 against North Carolina A&T; 18-6 against North Carolina Central; 5-0 against Savannah State; and 11-7 against South Carolina State. Since joining the MEAC in 1995, the Pirates have won the conference championship five times, including three straight in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
 
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. Oliver "Buddy" Pough is in his 13th season at the helm at South Carolina State, where he has made four NCAA FCS playoff trips and won or shared in five MEAC titles.
 
Coach Maynor Says: "Last week was a big week, our first win … I said the whole time we expected to win. (Miles) came to play, they competed. We have to do a better job of finishing, do a better job on defense, but we got the W, and that's the most important thing. We're not where we want to be, we're not where we could be. I told the guys, our season starts this weekend."
 
Coach Maynor on S.C. State: "They're well-coached … they've run the same system they've run the whole time (Pough) has been there, so they'll be ready. They played a tough schedule to get ready for the MEAC, just like we did. "They'll try to run the ball, pound us … we need to shut down the run, force them to throw the ball."
 
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).
 
Bailey Takes Advantage: Bailey got the start this past Saturday against Miles College, and he responded by throwing for a career-high 267 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Pirates to their first win of the season. Bailey completed 20 of his 31 passes against the Golden Bears, as he helped the Pirates rack up 411 yards of total offense.
 
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. Senior Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.) is tied for third in the MEAC in receiving yards per game with 59.5, along with junior Rayshad Riddick (Portsmouth, Va.). Redshirt sophomore Rashawn Proctor's 54.2 receiving yards per game are tied for sixth in the MEAC. Riddick is second in the conference with 5.8 receptions per game, while Proctor (Hampton, Va.) is third with 5.5 catches per contest. Washington's 3.5 catches per game are tied for eighth in the MEAC.
 
Pirates Land Six on MEAC Preseason 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: Despite being listed as a running back, 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 this past Saturday, Washington rushed for 92 yards on 14 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per rush and scoring once. Washington leads the MEAC with an average of 203.5 all-purpose yards per game.
 
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 this past Saturday against Miles, and he led the team with three quarterback hurries.
 
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.