Jackson, Miss. — Ahmad Miller ran for 172 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Jackson State pulled away late to beat Hampton 28-14 in Saturday’s season opener at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Miller’s 2-yard score with 5:32 remaining broke a 14-all tie. Less than two minutes later, he sealed it with a 76-yard touchdown run, giving the Tigers (1-0) a two-score cushion.
Hampton (0-1) struck first when quarterback Isaiah Freeman ripped off a 63-yard run to set up Ja’Quan Snipes’ 3-yard touchdown. Jackson State answered after a muffed punt gave it prime field position, with Emari Matthews finishing the short drive on a 2-yard scoring run.
Donerio Davenport’s 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter put Jackson State up 14-7 at halftime. Freeman later connected with MarShawn Ferguson Jr. on a 30-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 14, but the Tigers controlled the finish.
Jackson State rushed for 283 yards on 32 carries, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. Hampton managed 175 yards on the ground but committed two turnovers and went just 1 of 3 in the red zone.
Freeman led the Pirates with 94 rushing yards and 117 passing yards. Ferguson caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Jackson State’s defense recorded four sacks and forced two turnovers, highlighted by Quincy Ivory’s eight tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
This story was drafted using an AI tool based on the official game box score and was then reviewed and edited by a journalist before publishing.
