HAMPTON, Va. (WTKR) — In its season opener, Hampton showed plenty of resilience but didn't find itself on the right side of a nip-and-tuck game.
The Pirates went down 14 points in the second quarter to Morgan State and their rally came up just a bit shy in a 30-28 loss at Armstrong Stadium on Saturday night.
Right from the first whistle, the Bears flexed their muscles on the ground. The visitors tallied 244 rushing yards and scored four times on the ground, including two touchdowns from Myles Miree.
A Miree scoring run with 9:00 to play in the second quarter made it a 20-7 defecit.
Playing its first contest under interim head coach Trent Boykin's guide, Hampton started with Chris Zellous at quarterback but switched to Malcolm Mays after Miree's touchdown to make it a two-score game.
Mays would get the Pirates into the endzone just before the half with a 33-yard strike to Elijah Burris to make it 20-14. The redshirt senior quarterback would finish up going 13-of-17 for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He would also lead the team in rushing with 63 yards.
Burris tallied 43 rushing yards and ran for another score, while Ja'Quan Snipes would get himself into the scoring category in the third quarter.
Down 30-21 in the fourth quarter, Mays would hit Kevin Johnson Jr. for a 29-yard touchdown to cut the lead down to two points. Morgan State would get the ball back with 4:29 left in the game and never gave it back. Hampton had two chances to get off the field on third down on the drive, but couldn't come up with the crucial stop.
Hampton begins the season 0-1 but get right back to work next weekend with a visit from Virginia Union. Kickoff from Armstrong Stadium is at 6:00 PM.
