NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — No team had won back-to-back games in the Battle of the Bay rivalry since 2016.
Hampton ensured that streak will last another year on Saturday afternoon.
Behind a stout defensive effort and a tremendous effort from quarterback Chris Zellous, the Pirates posted a dominant 37-7 victory over Norfolk State at Dick Price Stadium.
"We just said we're going to play to win. Not play to play, we're going to play to win," said Hampton interim head coach Trent Boykin. "We know what this game's about, so all we talked about, 'Are we going to fight or are we going to quit?' Our guys didn't quit, we're going to fight."
Watch more: Steelers legend Jerome Bettis makes stop at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth
Hampton took the lead on a field goal after a 20-play drive to start the game and never looked back. Zellous scampered in from three yards out on the Pirates next drive to make it 9-0 to end the first quarter.
An Elijah Burris 28-yard gain on a second quarter drive sparked the visitors to another touchdown, Tymere Robinson punching it in from two yards out to take a 16-0 lead into halftime.
A second Robinson touchdown followed by a Zellous "tush push" play extended the lead to 30-0 after the third quarter.
"We just have to keep building. We dropped one early, I think we really beat ourselves in week one," Zellous said. "Understanding that each week is a new opportunity."
Watch similar coverage: Virginia Beach's Price makes Commanders' debut in 'dream come true'
Zellous talled 185 passing yards and rushed for 60. On a day that saw wind play a major factor early, Hampton rushed the ball 49 times for 227 yards.
"It wasn't so much run the ball but that we were going to play with tempo," Boykin said. "We said that we were going to play speed up and make them play our type of football. That's what we did, and we just kept our foot on the gas pedal."
Watch: Maury claims dominant win over Highland Springs to highlight Friday high school action
The Spartans couldn't find much rhythm with the football, only mustering 104 yards of total offense and possessing the ball for a little more than 23 minutes of the game. Jalen Daniels went 6-12 for 46 yards and the lone touchdown for the green and gold, a 26-yard connection to Jahee Blake in the fourth quarter.
Hampton improves to 2-1 on the season with a trip to Howard coming up next for a team starting to find its confidence.
"We have to clean up little stuff," Zellous said. "We just have to go out there and play hard and smart football. Just to our simple stuff, do it effectively and no one can stop us. We've got a lot of talent on this football team."
Norfolk State falls to 1-3 in 2024, they'll head to VMI on Saturday.
