Saturday, October 28
Hampton, Va.- Armstrong Stadium
2:00 PM
Hampton University
vs
N.C. A&T State
Photo by: Carson Clark
Pirates Entertain Aggies for Homecoming
10.26.23 | Football
omecoming is a special time when friends and alumni come back to visit their alma mater, rekindle relationships with friends and and remember the good old days.
That is especially true this year as Hampton welcomes longtime rival North Carolina A&T to Armstrong Stadium.
The series began in 1909 and will be renewed for the 37th time when the Aggies and Pirates take the field on Oct. 28. Through the years, the two teams shared membership in the CIAA, and later in the MEAC and then the Big South before both teams landed in the CAA. Hampton joined in 2022 and the Aggies made the move this season.
The teams last met on Oct. 23, 2021 with the Pirates winning a 30-9 decision over the Aggies.
While fans and alumni will be reliving shared experiences and long ago memories, the two teams will be writing the next chapter in the long relationship between the Aggies and Pirates.
It's a Homecoming tradition.
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The Game
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Hampton (3-4, 1-3) and North Carolina A&T (2-6, 1-4) do battle as the Pirates celebrate Homecoming.
Both teams look to snap three-game losing streaks. After a 3-1 start, Hampton has lost to Campbell, at Monmouth, and Delaware. The Aggies have lost consecutive games to Villanova, at Delaware, and to Richmond.
A win for the Pirates would provide momentum down the stretch as Hampton looks to finish above .500. A victory for the Aggies would be their first ever win in the CAA.
Aggies return specialist Taymon Cooke earned CAA Special Teams Player of the Week honors after returning a kickoff 91 yards for a score against Richmond. He leads the FCS in kickoff return average (41.5 avg.) He has four kickoff returns for scores in his career.
The Aggies have struggled on offense scoring just nine touchdowns in the first seven games of the season, last in the league. Placekicker Owen Daffer has converted seven-of-11 field goals attempts for the Aggies, fifth best in the conference. Linebacker B.J. Turner is second in the CAA in tackles with 11.7 per contest.
Playing without its entire starting backfield against No. 7-ranked Delaware on Oct. 21, the Pirates tallied three points. Quarterback Chris Zellous, Elijah Burris, the second-leading rusher in the CAA (113.4 ypg), and teammate Darran Butts, sixth in the league with 83.8 ypg, all missed the game with the Blue Hens a week ago.
Hampton linebacker Qwahsin Townsel ranks third in the CAA, averaging 9.9 tackles per game, including a career-best 18 stops including a tackle for loss and a forced fumble on Oct. 7 against Campbell.
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Hampton leads the series with the Aggies by a 27-18-2 margin and the Pirates have won nine of the last 12 meetings including a 30-9 victory in 2021, the last meeting between the teams.
Next Up for the Pirates
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Hampton travels to Orono, Maine to take on the Black Bears on Nov. 4 at 1:00 p.m. The Black Bears defeated the Pirates, 31-24, last year in the first meeting ever between the teams.
Players Mentioned
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RB
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