GREENSBORO, N.C. – Despite holding a halftime lead Thursday night at Aggie Stadium, the Hampton University football team fell to North Carolina A&T 31-14.
 
The Pirates (1-5, 0-2 MEAC) had 402 yards of total offense, including 234 in the first half.
 
Senior running back Jorrian Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.) rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while redshirt sophomore wideout Twarn Mixson (Charlotte, N.C.) had a team-high 71 receiving yards and a score on eight catches.
 
Junior quarterback Jaylian Williamson (Chesapeake, Va.) threw for 182 yards a touchdown, completing 16 of his 26 passes.
 
For the second straight week, the Pirates struck first, marching 80 yards in 11 plays – on a drive that included a punt fake on 4th-and-4 that netted 32 yards on a rush from Christian Faber-Kinney (Williamsburg, Va.) – before Williamson found Mixson from eight yards out with 29 seconds left in the first quarter.
 
With the Pirates up 7-0, the Aggies needed just two plays to tie the game after a 68-yard run from Tarik Cohen with 14:45 left in the first half.
 
Hampton answered later in the quarter, capping a 5-play, 45-yard drive on a 15-yard touchdown run from Washington. The Pirates went up 14-7 and took that lead into the intermission.
 
The Aggies (5-2, 2-1 MEAC) answered by opening the second half with an 18-play, 92-yard drive that took nearly seven and a half minutes, tying the game at 14-14 on a 2-yard run from Marquell Cartwright with 7:45 left in the quarter.
 
A 60-yard run from Cohen with 3:04 left in the quarter gave N.C. A&T a 20-14 lead after the PAT failed.
 
Desmond Lawrence opened the fourth quarter with a 68-yard touchdown run, before Hasaan Klugh hit Dequan Swann for the two-point conversion to give the Aggies a 28-14 lead.
 
Cody Jones added a 23-yard field goal with 3:53 remaining to put N.C. A&T up 31-14.
 
Junior linebacker Keith McAfee (Charlotte, N.C.) led the Pirates defense with 12 tackles, 2.5 for a loss. Both he and redshirt senior defensive end Robert Copeland (Hampton, Va.) each had a sack.
 
The Pirates will return to Armstrong Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18 for the annual Battle of the Bay against rival Norfolk State at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com and shown on ESPNU via tape delay.
 
For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.