HAMPTON, VA. (Sept. 9, 2023) … Thousands of fans wandered around Hampton's Armstrong Stadium in preparation for the annual Hampton-Norfolk State match-up. But the Battle of the Bay took a new turn when lightning and heavy rain began to fall and the 6:00 p.m. contest was delayed. Finally, after an abbreviated pregame warm-up, kickoff was moved to 6:30 as a light rain continued to fall.

Quarterback Otto Kuhns completed 15 of 20 passes for 199 yards and three scores and running back Xavier Evans rushed for 82 yards on 10 carries as Norfolk State (1-1) topped Hampton (1-1), 31-23, before 10,021 soggy fans at Hampton's Armstrong Stadium.

"It was a tough game," Hampton coach Robert Prunty said. "It's a big rivalry and give Norfolk State credit. They played well, especially on defense."

Junior Elijah Burris rambled for 137 yards and redshirt senior Darran Butts had a 53-yard touchdown run to lead the Pirates. Quarterback Chris Zellous, a redshirt junior, completed 14 of 26 passes for 211 yards and two scores but suffered a pair of interceptions.

"Elijah played extremely well for us," Prunty continued. "We need to put the ball in his more. He's a playmaker and gives our offense a boost."

Norfolk State scored first when Kuhns connected with Aaron Moore on a 41-yard pass to cap a four-play, 80-yard drive to give the Spartans a 7-0 advantage. Hampton answered with a 21-yard field goal by Tristan Heaton and a 28-yard TD pass from Zelllous to tight end TK Paisant to give the Pirates a 9-7 lead.

Norfolk State responded on a 38-yard pass from Kuhns to Mohammed Nyangamukenga with 1:20 left in the first half to take a 14-9 lead to the locker room.

Norfolk State scored twice in the third quarter on a 38-yard pass from Kuhns to Jayden Homuth and a 33-yard field goal by Grandin Wilcox to build a 24-9 lead. But Zellous connected with Paisant again, this time for an 18-yard score, to close the gap to 24-16.

"TK has matured a great deal on and off the field. He was highly-recruited out of high school and he has worked hard to improve his skills," Prunty stated.

Following a Hampton turnover at the six-yard line, Norfolk State scored on a nine-yard pass from Kuhns to Tremayne Talbert with 10:06 left in the contest to build the lead to 31-16. But Butts broke away on his long scoring run to close the gap to 31-23.

The Spartans gained a measure of revenge after losing last week to underdog Virginia State, 33-24. Hampton posted an impressive 35-31 victory over Grambling State in the season-opener and Zellous was named Coastal Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.

Hampton travels to Washington, D.C. next weekend to take on longtime rival Howard in the Battle of the Real HU.