HAMPTON, Va. – An 11-yard touchdown pass from Jaylian Williamson to Jack Willenbrock with 9:49 left provided the final margin for Hampton on Homecoming as they defeated Morgan State 21-12 in front of 12,122 at Armstrong Stadium.
“It always makes Homecoming extra special to get a win,” said Hampton Head Coach Connell Maynor. “The fans are happy, the alumni are happy and it makes everything extra special.”
Hampton’s defense set up the first touchdown of the day on a Morgan State fourth and six from their 31 the Bears fumbled the punt to set Hampton up on the Bears 15. The next play saw some trickery by the Pirates as Williamson handed off to Twarn Mixson who found Williamson on a 15-yard scoring pass to lead 7-0 with 7:40 left in the first.
Morgan State’s Defense returned the favor later in the quarter to set up the first touchdown by the Bears. Carl Gaines picked off a Williamson pass and returned it 44 yards to the Hampton 41. Chris Andrews finished off a three-play, 41-yard drive with a 19-yard connection to Ladarious Spearman. The extra-point attempt missed as Hampton held a 7-6 lead with 4:14 remaining in the opening quarter. [easyazon_infoblock align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B00P45E9A8″ locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″]
The Pirates secondary helped set up the next scoring drive as Brendan Cole picked off a pass by Andrews at the Morgan 40. Three Williamson passes later the Pirates scored as he connected with Rashawn Proctor on a 37-yard scoring pass for a 14-6 Hampton lead with 8:38 left in the half.
The Bears had an answer on the ensuing drive as they marched 67 yards in six-plays with Andrews connecting with Grayling Harrison for a 10-yard scoring strike to finish an eight-play, 67-yard drive. The two-point run failed as Hampton held a 14-12 lead with 5:41 remaining in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Bears had two drives that took nearly six minutes apiece, but Hampton’s defense stood strong when needed forcing punts on both drives.
Hampton’s special teams gave the Pirates a good starting spot on the eventual game-clinching drive as Robert Scott deflected a punt which gave the Pirates possession at their 37. Four Yahkee Johnson runs and a Williamson connection to Mixson put the Pirates at the Morgan 11. On second down, Williamson hit Willenbrock on a screen pass for the final touchdown.
Johnson was the leading rusher for Hampton with 14 carries for 64 yards. Williamson connected on 15-of-25 for 143 yards with two touchdowns to lead the passing attack. Proctor was the leading receiver with six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Devin Vandyke and Steven Smith were tops with 11 tackles apiece. Vandyke had one tackle for a loss, while Smith had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss to go with a quarterback hurry.
Hampton will hit the road again on October 22 when they take on Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla. for a 3 pm kickoff.
Courtesy: Hampton Athletics
