The Hampton Pirates extended their win streak to eight games in the Battle of the Real HU after beating the Howard Bison 27-20.
This marks the longest win streak for Hampton over Howard since they won 14 straight from 1997-2010.
Hampton connected on the game’s first big play as Chris Zellous escaped a Howard pass rush, tossing a 38-yard completion to Kymari Gray to put the Pirates in the red zone.
Two plays later, Zellous put the Pirates in the end zone on a six-yard pass to Tyler Hatcher.
The Pirates kept their momentum on the defensive end as the game turned to the second quarter, holding Howard scoreless on a fourth down stop.
On its ensuing offensive possession, Hampton took advantage of a pass interference penalty, putting them across midfield.
With Malcolm Mays in at quarterback, he scored the second touchdown of the game for the Pirates on a 34-yard QB keeper.
another battle, another win#WeAreHamptonU #RYFP pic.twitter.com/lmRpNHJBga
— Hampton Football (@Hampton_FB) September 21, 2024
The next two possessions saw the opposing defense trade forced turnovers, the first coming on a Hampton interception by defensive lineman Christopher Eaton.
Down to the Howard five-line, with a chance to increase their lead, Zellous fumbled the ball short of the end zone, which Kenny Gallop recovered.
The Bison drove the ball downfield, putting their first touchdown of the game on the board on a wide receiver pitch to Richie Illarza before connecting with Kasey Hawthorne on a 24-yard pass. Hampton took a 14-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After both teams traded punts to start the second half, Howard had an opportunity to score on its next offensive drive to tie the game. However, with the ball on the one-yard line, Hampton’s Xavier Marshall forced a Jarett Hunter fumble and was recovered by the Pirates.
Both teams would later trade rushing touchdowns by Howard’s Eden James and Hampton’s Ja’Quan Snipes, giving Hampton a 21-14 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Hampton further extended its lead over Howard on yet another rushing touchdown by Snipes. Although Howard answered with a touchdown of its own, the Pirates put the game away on a first-down run by Zellous.
Hampton improves 3-1 with the win, while Howard drops to 2-2.
