Miles Crawley and the Grambling offense got to work right away, scoring on their first possession with a 12-play 75-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard pass from Crowley to Joshua Quiett that made the score 6-0 after Grambling was unable to capitalize on two attempts at a 2-point conversion.
Hampton took the lead on their next offensive possession when Darran Butts broke up the middle for a 40-yard touchdown scamper that put the Pirates up 7-6.
Grambling answered back early in the second quarter with a field goal to reclaim the lead at 9-6, but Hampton scored two touchdowns later to take a 21-9 halftime lead.
The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter, Grambling’s coming on a 1-yard run from Chalk Floy and Hampton’s trip to the endzone via a 22-yard scamper from Christopher Zellous to leave the score 28-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers’ defense picked off a Zellous pass, setting up the Grambling offense at their 41-yard line. Three plays later, a 36-yard scoring toss from Crowley to Lyndon Rash and a subsequent two-point conversion drew Grambling to within three at 28-25.
The teams exchanged punts on their next offensive possessions, and Hampton put together a 10-play, 63-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard run from Zellous to extend the lead to 35-25 with 3:08 left in the contest.
Win ✅
Celebrate ✅@Hampton_FB defeats Grambling, 35-31, at @RedBullArena in the @BCHBCUKickoff! #caafb pic.twitter.com/qXgC9S6yYE— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) September 2, 2023
Crowley, who ended the afternoon with 311 yards and two scores, guided the Grambling offense 92 yards in just seven plays, with 43 of those yards coming on a completion to Antonio Jones down to the 5-yard line.
The extra point was missed after scoring on a Chance Willams run, leaving the score 35-31, taking a potential game-tying field goal off the table. Hampton recovered the subsequent onside kick to secure the win.
Both teams racked up more than 400 yards of total offense, 411 for Grambling and 434 for Hampton; the Pirates were able to pile up 295 rushing yards on 47 attempts, with 12 running plays of 10 yards or more. Zellous and Buuts topped 100 yards with 114 and 103 yards, respectively.
Hampton now leads the all-time series between the two teams 7-2.
Up next for the Pirates is a matchup on September 9 with Howard University in the “Battle of the Real HU.” Grambling will head to Baton Rouge next week for a matchup against LSU.
