Game Stats
Entering the matchup with South Carolina State, the 11th ranked Pirates were the top offense in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) averaging over 37 points and 360 yards of total offense per game. However, the Bulldogs held visiting Hampton to just 201 total yards and ended the Pirates’ 17-game conference winning streak with a 13-6 victory at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg.
After nearly fumbling away the opening kickoff, the Pirates took just over three minutes to get on the board. Highlighted by a 32-yard, one-hand catch by Marquay McDaniel, Hampton marched 54 yards in just six plays to take a 3-0 lead on a 38-yard field goal by Andrew Paterini.
The Bulldogs quickly responded with a score of their own on the ensuing possession. Quarterback Cleveland McCoy kept the ball for a 15-yard gain on an option and followed that up with a 15-yard completion to Dustin Dubose down to the Pirates’ 23. Two plays later McCoy cruised in untouched from 17 yards out to put S.C. State on top 7-3 with just over six minutes played in the first.
The rushing attack continued to be successful for the Bulldogs on their next possession as they rushed for 67 yards, 32 on another long run by McCoy, setting up a 30-yard field by Michael Gaston to give S.C. State a 10-3 lead at the end of the first.
With starting running back Alonzo Coleman limited to just one carry in the first quarter due to a nagging injury, the Pirates turned to Kevin Beverly to get their ground game going. He rushed for 27 yards during Hampton’s only possession of the second quarter that took more than seven minutes off the clock. McDaniel came up with two more big receptions, the second gaining 18 yards on 3rd-and-8 from the Hampton 46 that moved the ball inside the Bulldog 40-yard line. The Pirates drove as deep as the S.C. State 17, but Princeton Shepherd was sacked on consecutive plays, forcing Hampton to settle for a 41-yard kick by Paterini.
S.C. State came out in the second half looking to overpower the Pirates on both sides of the ball. Offensively the Bulldogs featured the bruising running back DeShawn Baker on their first drive. He rushed eight times for 45 yards on the drive, but the Hampton defense kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone and Gaston connected on a 32-yard field goal which pushed S.C. State’s lead to 13-6.
Defensively the Bulldogs kept constant pressure on Shepherd and the Hampton passing game, while limiting Beverly’s effectiveness as well. The Pirates had 134 yards at the half, but were limited to a mere 67 yards in the final two quarters.
Despite the offensive struggles Hampton still had a chance to tie the game on the final drive. However, on 4th-and-9 at the Bulldog 49-yard line Shepherd’s pass intended for McDaniel was picked off by Marshall McFadden to seal the win and help the Bulldogs end a three-game losing streak to the Pirates.
The Bulldogs finished the afternoon with 268 yards rushing, 114 from McCoy and 91 by Baker, while the Pirates were held to just 50 yards on the ground. The six points were the fewest scored by Hampton since the opener of the 2003 season when the Pirates fell at Villanova 41-6.
