The 2024 edition Battle of the Bay was over before it started as Hampton rolled up yards and points at a consistent pace, defeating Norfolk State 37-7 at Dick Price Stadium Saturday, improving to 2-1, and dropping the Spartans to 1-3.
Here are the takeaways from the Pirates’ second rivalry win in two weeks.
Offense, offense and more offense
The Pirates rolled up 466 yards of total offense, scoring the game’s first 30 points before NSU could make a dent in their defense. Everyone contributed to Hampton’s success as 10 different receivers caught passes, and six different players collected rushing yards.
Pirates with another TD! 35 yard touchdown pass from Malcolm Mays to Christian Greenlaw!#WeAreHamptonU pic.twitter.com/AdzkcVPhp0
— Hampton Football (@Hampton_FB) September 14, 2024
Chris wasn’t Over-Zellous in his efforts
Hampton’s two-quarterback system has worked well for them this season, but this was Chris Zellous’ game to shine. Zellous completed 20 of 25 passes for 185 yards and ran seven times for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
Norfolk State’s offense couldn’t get going
While Hampton rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense, the Spartans struggled mightily, accounting for only 104 yards during the entire game. 82 of those came on their lone scoring drive as quarterback Jalen Daniels connected with Jahee Blake on a 26-yard touchdown pass to avoid the shutout. Norfolk State has to find some answers offensively quickly as MEAC play is just around the corner.
Hampton stacking wins as CAA play approaches
Credit goes to the Pirates for making sure their non-conference schedule is HBCU heavy. They’re 2-1 heading into next week’s always-contentious Battle of HU with Howard at Audi Field in Washington. The more wins the Pirates pick up in non-conference action, the more confidence they’ll have going into the Coastal Athletic Association battle, which has proven to be tough for both Hampton and North Carolina A&T.
This series belongs to the Road Warriors
Oh, what a rush. In the last six seasons of the Battle of the Bay, the road team has won each game. If there’s any consolation for Norfolk State, they can pencil in a win at Armstrong Stadium in 2025…maybe.
