The three FCS programs in Hampton Roads all wrapped up their regular seasons on Saturday, and all three found themselves on the wrong side of those finales.
Norfolk State, Hampton, and William & Mary all lost road affairs to put a bow on their 2024 campaigns.
Norfolk State falls to South Carolina State
ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WTKR) — Norfolk State said their matchup against newly crowned MEAC champion South Carolina State would be a measuring stick kind of game.
Saturday showed flashes of a Spartan program making progress, but looking to take another step as the offseason arrives.
The Bulldogs scored five touchdowns in the second half en route to a 53-21 win over the green and gold.
Dawson Odums' group got out to a rousing start when Sage Beuchert-Irvine picked off a pass on the second play of the game, setting up Norfolk State at the three-yard line. Jalen Daniels would score three snaps later to give Norfolk State the early 7-0 lead.
The home team would retake a 10-7 advantage but Kevon King got it right back for the Spartans on a 29-yard touchdown run with 2:39 left in the first quarter, making it 14-10. King led the way with 144 yards on the ground on 21 carries. They'd head into the half with plenty to build off of, trailing 17-14.
SC State, however, found a rhythm early out of the locker rooms and never looked back. Kazarius Adams scored a trio of touchdowns in the final 30 minutes, finishing with a 128 rushing yards.
For the game, the Spartans were outgained in total yards 510-261.
Norfolk State finishes its season with a 4-8 record.
Hampton lets 28-point lead slip away against Albany
ALBANY, N.Y. (WTKR) — In the first half, Hampton scored at a rapid pace and found itself in position to close out 2024 with on a dominant note.
The second half played out in nightmare fashion for the Pirates.
After lead 28-0 in the second quarter, HU surrendered 34 second half points in a 41-34 collapse against Albany on the road.
Tymere Robinson came out of the gates flying for the visitors, scoring all four of his touchdowns in the opening 30 minutes of the game. He would rush for 80 yards on 21 carries and Trent Boykin's team led 28-7 at halftime.
The Great Danes, however, would storm into the third quarter by scoring the game's next 18 points to the cut the deficit down to 28-25. Malcolm Mays seemed to stem the tied for Hampton with a 25-yard touchdown run to make it 34-25, but extra point was blocked and returned for two points to make it a 34-27 game.
UAlbany added to its momentum quickly, with Alex Jreige scoring on a 53-yard rush to tie the game with 7:45 left to play. On the ensuing drive, Mays lost a fumble on the first play which gave the home team possession at HU's 24.
Jojo Uga would cap off the comeback with a 2-yard touchdown with 4:36 left to play in the game. Hampton got the ball back twice but punted on its first drive and turned it over on downs with 0:33 left in the game.
Mays passed for 87 yards and ran for 76 more. Chris Zellous also got in at quarterback, going 5-for-8 with 50 yards through the air.
Hampton heads into the offseason with a 5-7 record, it's first spring with Boykin as the program's permanent head coach.
William & Mary shutout in Captial Cup rivalry with Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. (WTKR) — William & Mary walked into Saturday still holding onto playoff hopes. A win over top ten ranked Richmond would help that cause, but the Spiders had other plans.
The Tribe gained just 164 yards and were shutout in a 27-0 loss on the road.
Darius Wilson threw for 95 yards on 9-of-19 passing with an interception. A usually potent rushing attack for the Tribe could only post 64 yards against Richmond's defense.
Mike London's squad held the ball for just a shade over 24 minutes, losing the time of possession battle by 11 minutes. Richmond went 9-for-14 on third downs with Zach Palmer-Smith rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown to lead the way for the Spiders.
With the loss, William & Mary's season comes to an end with a 7-5 record. A win would've helped them increase their chances at a second FCS playoff birth in the last three seasons.
