NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- It's an electric energy whenever Norfolk State and Hampton get together on the gridiron and Saturday was no different at Dick Price Stadium.
In a lot of ways, it was the Pirate defense the provided the electricity.
Hampton shut out the Spartans in the second half and got enough on the offensive side of the ball to top Norfolk State, 17-7, and get a win in the Battle of the Bay. The Pirates grabbed the victory after losing last year's match-up, 47-44, in overtime.
HU struck first, as Malcolm Mays capped off the opening drive with a 26 yard touchdown pass to Jadakis Bonds to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead. Norfolk State would even it up in the frame on Otto Kuhns' 11-yard TD strike to Churchland alumnus Da'Quan Felton. That would be the only scoring the first half would see.
Hampton started the second half with a bang, as Ramon Copeland took a short pass and did the rest, out-running the defense 75 yards for a score to give the Pirates a 14-7 advantage. Axel Perez capped off the scoring with 4:04 to play in the game with a 24-yard field goal.
Each defense came up with two interceptions, but Hampton's seemed to come in key spots. Michael Crawford came away with a pick in the third quarter after a fake punt put the Spartans in excellent field position and Stafford Everett came up with an interception in the final seconds to seal the game.
"Any time you get into a rivalry game, you worry about turnovers and the emotions and mistakes," said Hampton head coach Robert Prunty. "Our coaching staff along with the players did a great job preparing for this game."
"It feels great. We've been thinking about it 365 days and it was great to come out here and get a good team win."
This marks the first 3-0 start for Hampton since 2007.
Norfolk State returns home next Saturday to face St. Francis, while Hampton kicks off in its first ever CAA game at Delaware.
