Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University football team will kick off the 2015 season on Saturday at Armstrong Stadium, when the Pirates square off against Kentucky State at 6 p.m.
 
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"I'm looking forward to the start of the 2015 season, the second under head coach Connell Maynor," Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall said. "I'm excited to get this season started off on the right foot and set things in motion for a successful campaign."
 
Coach Speak: "We're just excited and happy to finally get to hit somebody else. We've been hitting each other all through camp, and you don't really know how good you are on either side of the ball. You want to think you're pretty good, but you're going against the same guys every day, so you don't really know … you can't really judge it until you play somebody else."
 
Coach Maynor on Kentucky State: "They were a lot like us last year. They were 3-9, so they've got a little work to do on both sides of the ball, just like we did. We do expect to play well and expect to win the game, but we're not disrespecting them by no means. We respect all and fear none."
 
The Series: This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
 
Pirates at Home: The Pirates went 2-4 at home last season, with the highlight coming in the form of a 40-35 win over nationally-ranked Bethune-Cookman in the team's home finale on Nov. 13. The Pirates fell 42-14 to William and Mary on Sept. 6, defeated Miles College 34-30 on Sept. 20, lost 17-10 to South Carolina State on Sept. 27, fell 21-13 to Norfolk State on Oct. 18, and lost 38-35 to Morgan State on Nov. 1 of last season.
 
Pirates in Home Openers: The Pirates are 44-27-1 in home openers (dating back to 1943), but have lost each of their last three following last season's loss to William & Mary. From 2003 through 2011, the Pirates had won nine straight home openers – culminating in a 23-17 win over Florida A&M in 2011.
 
Pirates in Season Openers: Hampton is 74-36-3 all-time in season openers, despite losing each of the last three – including last season's 41-28 loss at Old Dominion. The Pirates' last season-opening win came in 2011, when they defeated Alabama A&M 21-20 in Chicago, Ill. From 2004 through 2011, the Pirates had won seven out of eight season openers.
 
Pirates Against the SIAC: The Pirates are 31-23-3 all-time against schools currently in the SIAC, with most of those match-ups coming before the Pirates moved to Div. I in 1995. Hampton's last game against a SIAC school came last season, when the Pirates defeated Miles College 34-30. The Pirates' last game against a SIAC school before that was in 2006, when the Pirates beat Central State 42-12 on a neutral field. The Pirates are 1-0 against Albany State; 1-0 against Clark Atlanta; 1-1 against Central State; 1-0 against Miles; 14-6-3 against Morehouse; and 13-16 against Tuskegee. Hampton has never faced Benedict, Fort Valley State, Kentucky State, Lane, Paine, or Stillman.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Sixth: The MEAC preseason poll, voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, picked the Pirates to finish sixth this season. In addition, the Pirates landed eight players on the conference's preseason teams, headlined by wideout Twarn Mixson, defensive lineman Miles Grooms, linebacker Joshua Thorne, and punter Christian Faber-Kinney – all of whom were First Team selections. Four Pirates were named Preseason Second Team All-MEAC: offensive lineman Michael Young, defensive lineman Charles Owens, wideout Rashawn Proctor, and offensive lineman Torrian White.
 
Counting To 1,000: Saturday's game against Kentucky State will be the 997th in the history of Hampton University football, which means the Pirates' contest on Sept. 26 at Norfolk State will be the 1,000th contest in program history. Heading into Saturday's game, the Pirates are 548-415-34 all-time (a .550 winning percentage).
 
Mixson Leading Pirates Receivers: Mixson was a First Team All-MEAC selection last season and was on the conference preseason First Team. In 2014, Mixson led the team and the MEAC in receiving, averaging 68.3 yards per contest. He caught 5.6 passes per game, and Mixson had a team-high 615 receiving yards on the season with six touchdowns. His season-high of 123 receiving yards came early in 2014 against William & Mary. He also had a season-high nine catches in the season opener at Old Dominion, and Mixson ended the 2014 season with a touchdown catch in each of Hampton's last four games.
 
Grooms a Force on the Line: Grooms was a Preseason First Team All-MEAC selection coming into 2015, after being named Third Team All-MEAC in 2014. He was sixth on the team with 52 total tackles in 2014, while also ranking second on the team in tackles for loss (13.0) and third in sacks (5.0). His 10 quarterback hurries were a team high, and Grooms also forced a pair of fumbles last season. He had his best game of the 2014 season on Nov. 13 against Bethune-Cookman, racking up 10 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
 
Thorne a Tackling Machine: Thorne had 113 total tackles last season, leading both the team and the MEAC while recording 100 tackles for the second straight season. Thorne was a Second Team All-MEAC selection in 2014, and he also led the team with 13.5 tackles for loss – while his 5.5 sacks tied for the team lead. Thorne averaged 5.5 tackles per contest, and twice last season he racked up a career-high 19 tackles: at Delaware State and at North Carolina Central. He also had three sacks and six tackles for loss in Hampton's shutout win over the Hornets. Thorne was a Preseason First Team All-MEAC selection leading into the 2015 season.
 
Faber-Kinney One to Watch Out For: After being named Second Team All-MEAC in 2013, Faber-Kinney was a First Team All-MEAC selection last season. He led the conference in punting in 2014, averaging 42.9 yards per kick and recording 14 punts of at least 50 yards. The VaSID Second Team All-State selection pinned 10 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, and he had a career-long 72-yard punt at Delaware State. Faber-Kinney, who was also a Third Team All-MEAC honoree in the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon, was a Preseason First Team All-MEAC selection coming into the 2015 campaign.
 
Quarterback Returns Home: For incoming quarterback David Watford, who transferred to the Pirates from the University of Virginia, Hampton is home. Watford played his high school football at nearby Hampton High, totaling over 3,000 yards as a senior en route to All-District and All-Region honors. He did not throw an interception that season, guiding the Crabbers to an 11-2 record – the only losses coming to eventual state champion Phoebus. In 2012 with U.Va., Watford set a school record with 244 completions, and against Georgia Tech, he completed a school-record 43 passes for a career-high 376 yards. It was one of five 200-yard performances for him that season.
 
Carter Made His Mark: The Pirates' contest at Delaware State on Oct. 25 of last season was running back Eric Carter's coming-out party. The Fayetteville, N.C. native carried the ball 10 times for 113 yards and a score in that contest, marking the first 100-yard performance of his collegiate career. Carter averaged 11.3 yards per carry against the Hornets. Carter racked up his second career 100-yard rushing game on Nov. 13 against Bethune-Cookman, carrying the ball 13 times for a 124 yards – an average of 9.2 yards per carry. For the season, Carter averaged 5.8 yards per carry, racking up three 100-yard rushing games. Carter ran the ball 94 times for 541 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman.
 
Pirates Wideouts Standing Out: Mixson received all of the accolades, but the Pirates receiving corps boasted two other high-caliber threats on the outside. In fact, two Pirate receivers ranked in the top 10 in the conference in receptions per game last season; Rayshad Riddick was tied for fourth in the MEAC with 4.2 catches per game, while Proctor was sixth in the MEAC with 4.1 catches per contest. Proctor is also seventh in the MEAC in receiving yards, averaging 50.0 per game.
 
For more information on Hampton University athletics, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.