HAMPTON, Va. (Aug. 31, 2024) … The
Trent Boykin era at Hampton (0-1) began with a 30-28 loss at the hands of longtime rival Morgan State (1-0) in the season-opener for both teams. Although the Pirates never had the lead in the game, the contest remained close throughout and the game was in doubt until the closing minute.
With an energetic and enthusiastic crowd of 7,714 on hand at Armstrong Stadium, the Pirates tried a surprise on-side kick to open the game trying to catch the Bears off-guard. But Morgan State recovered the ball at the Hampton 45-yard line. Myles Miree capped a nine-play 45-yard drive bulling in from the two-yard line to open the scoring. Beckett Leary added the extra point to put Morgan State ahead 7-0 with 9:35 left in the opening quarter.
Hampton responded with its first touchdown of the 2024 season when
Elijah Burris scored from two-yards out.
Brian Csehoski's PAT tied the score, 7-7 with 4:58 left in the first quarter.
Morgan State added two second quarter touchdowns one on a 41-yard jaunt by Jason Collins and another on a 16-yard run by Miree, who finished with two touchdowns on the day. Hampton blocked the extra point attempt but the Bears had a 20-7 advantage.
Hampton answered on a 33-yard TD reception by Burris on a pass from
Malcolm Mays, Hampton's starting quarterback in 2022, closing the gap to 20-13 at intermission.
Morgan State amassed 161 yards in the first half with just six yards coming through the air. The Bears held Hampton to 123 total yards. Burris, who was the Coastal Athletic Association's second-leading rusher a year ago, was held to 18 yards on the ground.
The Bears drove 73 yards on 13 plays to score the first points of the third quarter. Leary's 23-yard field goal with 6:00 left boosted Morgan State's lead to 23-13.
Aided by a 30-yard run by Mays, which put the ball on the Morgan State 42-yard line, Hampton drove 75 yards on eight plays for a score.
Ja'Quan Snipes ran it in from two-yards out and Csehoski's extra point made it 23-21 with 1:40 to go in the third quarter.
Morgan State's opened the fourth quarter with a 37-yard pass inside the red zone setting up a 15-yard TD run by JJ Davis. The score put the Bears ahead 31-21 with 14:27 left in the game. Hampton's Burris sprinted 54 yards inside the five-yard line but the play was called back by penalty. The Pirates regrouped and moved to the 19-yard line before a fumble ended the drive.
But Hampton wasn't done yet. Led by Mays, Hampton drove the ball 79 yards on eight plays and closed to 30-28 with 4:29 to go when he connected with
Kevin Johnson Jr. on a 29-yard TD pass over the middle.
Hampton's defense forced a third-and-five situation but Morgan State's Tahj Smith ran seven yards for the first down and a Hampton penalty moved the ball to midfield with 2:00 to go. On third-and-eight, Miree broke loose for 15 yards enabling Morgan State to run out the clock.
Mays, who saw limited action in 2023, completed 13-of-17 passes for 168 yards and two scores. He also rushed for a team-best 63 yards on four carries. Quarterback
Chris Zellous started the game and completed 6-of-9 passes for 48 yards. Burris was held to 43 yards on the ground but also caught four passes for 61 yards. He rushed for one touchdown and caught a pass for another.
Morgan State finished with 319 yards including 244 on the ground and 75 through the air. Hampton had 339 yards of offense with 123 rushing yards and 216 passing yards.
Hampton returns to action on Sept. 7 when the Pirates host Virginia Union at Armstrong Stadium at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are available at hamptonjpirates.com/tickets.
Morgan State (0-0) 7 13 3 7 -- 30
Hampton (0-0) 7 7 7 7 -- 28
MSU- Myles Miree 2 run (Beckett Leary kick)
MSU- Jason Collins Jr. 41 run (Leary kick)
MSU- Miree 16 run (kick blocked)
MSU- Leary 23 FG
MSU- JJ Davis 15 run (Leary kick)
A-7,714
