HAMPTON, VA (WTKR)- The trend of the visiting team winning the Battle of the Bay continued on Saturday, courtesy of Norfolk State.
The Spartans opened up a double-digit third quarter lead and held off a Pirate charge to top Hampton, 31-23, at Armstrong Stadium. The win puts the green and gold at 1-1 for the season, while HU falls to 1-1 with the defeat.
Otto Kuhns found Aaron Moore for a 41-yard touchdown to give NSU the early lead, but Hampton responded with nine unanswered points. Chris Zellous connected with TK Paisant for a 28-yard score to put the Pirates in front, 9-7, in the second quarter.
That's when the Spartans took control. Mohamed Nyanamukenga plunged into the endzone from two yards out to put NSU up 14-9 at halftime and the green and gold continued the surge in the third quarter. Kuhns found Jayden Homuth on a 38-yard catch and run and Grandin Willcox knocked in a 33-yard field goal to give Norfolk State a 24-9 cushion.
After Paisant pulled in his second TD catch of the night, Tremayne Talbert grabbed a nine yard TD pass from Kuhns in the fourth to round out the scoring for NSU and give it a 31-16 lead. Hampton would pull to within eight with a 53-yard touchdown rush by Darran Butts with 8:11 to play, but neither team would find the scoreboard for the rest of the contest.
Kuhns had an efficient night, completing 15 of his 20 passes for 199 yards and the three touchdowns, in addition to an interception. Zellous threw for 211 yards, two scores and two picks.
Elijah Burress dominated the ground game for the Pirates, gaining 137 rushing yards on 12 carries. Xzavion Evans led NSU with 82 rushing yards.
The Spartans hit the road for the second straight week next Saturday when they visit Temple for a 2:00 PM kickoff. Hampton takes on Howard at Audi Field in Washington, DC, Saturay at 3:30 PM.
