HAMPTON, Va. (September 27, 2024) -- Although the Hampton campus is just 31.3 miles from William & Mary, the two schools don't have a long history on the gridiron. The two squads did not meet until 1997. Now that both schools are members of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), they are scheduled to play every season
 
The Tribe has won the previous nine match-ups but the series has hardly been one-sided. William & Mary has won games by margins of 6, 7, and 7.
 
Despite a final score of 31-10 in the 2023 meeting, the game was in doubt. Tied 10-10, Hampton drove inside the red zone midway through the fourth quarter. But William & Mary turned three turnovers in 21 points to pull away at the end.
 
The game pits the top two running attacks in the CAA. Behind running back Bronson Yoder (101.5 ypg) and quarterback Darius Wilson (62.9) William & Mary boasts the top running attack in the CAA, averaging 245.5 ypg. Hampton is just a step behind. The Pirates average 208.0 yards, second best in the league. Hampton is led by senior running back Elijah Burris. Burris was second in the CAA in rushing last year, averaging 114.6 ypg. This season, Burris ranks fifth in the CAA in rushing, averaging 85.8 ypg.
 
Coach Trent Boykin has the luxury of two first-string quarterbacks on the roster. Chris Zellous started every game in 2023. Malcolm Mays was the starting signal caller in 2022 but played in just one game in 2023.
 
The versatile Zellous has 498 passing yards with a TD and 148 rushing yards with four scores.
 
A senior, Mays has 101 yards rushing with a touchdown and 316 passing with three scores.
 
While Zellous has seen most of the action, both have taken snaps from center.
 
Next Up for the Pirates
Hampton returns home to take on CAA foe Rhode Island. The teams have only played twice, the last time in 2001. In that contest. the Rams beat Hampton 56-7 at Armstrong Stadium.