NORFOLK, Va. (Hampton Athletics) - On a misty afternoon for the 55th annual Battle of the Bay, Hampton found a way to snap the three-game losing skid to Norfolk State.
Hampton celebrates after a touchdown.
Shai McKenzie scored two first quarter touchdowns, helping the Pirates jump out to a 14-0 lead.
Yahkee Johnson ran for 115 yards on 27 carries, as Hampton held off a last ditch drive from Norfolk State to score a 16-14 win in front of more than 6,100 at Dick Price Stadium.
Hampton (4-2, 3-0) scored its first win over Norfolk State under head coach Connell Maynor and maintained a share of first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) along with North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central.
Hampton head coach Connell Maynor gets his first win over NSU
The special teams unit for Hampton helped set up the next touchdown drive as Harry Freeman IV blocked a Taylor Goettie punt to give Hampton possession on the Norfolk State 24. McKenzie accounted for 14 of the 24 yards on that drive with a four-yard burst finishing it for a 14-0 Hampton lead with 1:22 left in the opening quarter.
Hampton outgained Norfolk State 137-40 in the opening quarter, but the Spartans responded in the second, outgaining Hampton 127-16.
They scored on the first possession of the second quarter as Juwan Carter found Marcus Taylor with a 52-yard scoring strike as Taylor weaved through several defenders for a 14-7 Hampton lead with 13:32 left in the half. The Pirates did dodge a scoring attempt at the end of the second quarter as a 34-yard field goal went wide right.
Norfolk State got within 16-14 on a four-yard touchdown pass from Carter to Taylor with 7:27 left in the game and had two chances down the stretch. After holding Hampton on a three-and-out, the Spartans drove to the Hampton eight before a 25-yard field goal went wide right.
Hampton went three-and-out again, but the Spartans had one last chance as a Carter pass at the end of the game was deflected by Dereon Carr for the win.
The Pirates return home for Homecoming on October 21 when they tangle with the Rattlers of Florida A&M University in a 2pm kickoff at Armstrong Stadium.
