HAMPTON, Va. (November 18, 2017) – Coach Mike London and the Howard University Football team fell on the road at rival Hampton, 20-17, inside Armstrong Stadium. With the loss, HU saw its five-game winning streak come to an end.
Howard racked up 416 total offense, including 157 on the ground. Senior Anthony Philyaw led the rushing attack with 107 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.
After intermission, Philyaw scored on Howard’s first play of the second half with a 43-yard run up the middle and gave HU its first lead of the game, 10-7.
Hampton responded with a 10 play, 83 yard drive, capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run by Delmon Williams, 14-10.
Early into the fourth, Hampton’s Yankee Johnson reeled off a 15-yard run and gave the Pirates a double-digit advantage, 20-10.
Howard fought back with an eight play, 65 yard drive, highlighted by a 37-yard grab from sophomore Jequez Ezzard. A play later, freshman Caylin Newton executed a 1-yard QB sneak and pulled the game within a field goal, 20-17.
HU had an opportunity to tie or take the lead, but an interception from Hampton’s Dereon Carr sealed the victory for the Pirates.
Ezzard and fellow classmate Kyle Anthony each recorded 100-yard performances. Anthony caught eight balls for 121 yards while Ezzard complied 106 yards on five grabs in the loss.
Johnson scored a 2-yard touchdown and gave the Pirates a 7-0 advantage.
In the second, senior Dakota Lebofsky drilled a 26-yard field goal and put HU on the board, 7-3.
Defensively, redshirt junior Dominique Smith had a team-high 11 tackles (five solo), including a pair of tackles for loss. Seniors Devin Rollins and Elijah Anglin combined for 17 tackles (7 solo) and a sack.
Hampton (6-5, 5-3 MEAC) played their final football contest as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Thursday, the Pirates announced its move to the Big South Conference, effective July 1, 2018.
HU finished the regular season with a 7-4 overall record and 6-2 in league play. Howard placed second in the conference standings behind North Carolina A&T State, who will represent the conference at the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Ga. on Dec. 16. Kickoff at noon.
Courtesy: Howard Athletics
