HAMPTON, Va. (Oct. 25, 2025) … No. 10-ranked Monmouth (7-1, 4-0) outlasted Hampton (2-7, 0-5) 28-10 before a Homecoming audience of 8,693 at Armstrong Stadium. In addition, many more celebrated in the tailgate areas throughout the seaside campus.

But Hampton kept the explosive Monmouth offense off-balance for most of the afternoon. Monmouth, which boasts the top offense in the Coastal Athletic Association as well as in the national rankings, averaged 45.3 points and 534.4 yards offense coming into the game. But the swarming Pirate defense kept Monmouth well below those gaudy numbers.

"I'm proud of how our team played today," Pirate coach Trenton Boykin said. "The players gave it all they had and after three quarters we were just one score away from taking the lead."

It was Hampton that drew first blood. Taking over at the 42-yard line after holding the Hawks on a fourth down play, the Pirates marched 58 yards in 11 plays. The drive bogged down at the Monmouth two-yard line and Brett Starling scored the game's first points with a 19-yard field goal exactly halfway through the first quarter.

Just 2:14 later, Monmouth took a 7-3 lead when Rodney Nelson ran it in from the five-yard line as the Hawks moved 75 yards in six plays. The first quarter ended with Monmouth nursing the four-point lead.

The Hawks rushed for 102 yards and finished with 127 total yards in the opening quarter while the Pirates managed 33 rushing yards with 69 total yards. Monmouth's Nelson, who had rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the first seven games of the season, finished the first quarter with 82 rushing yards.

Monmouth extended the lead to 14-3 with 10:44 before halftime when Nelson completed an 87-yard drive with a three-yard TD run, marking the lone score in the period. Monmouth's Nelson totaled 132 rushing yards and scored both Monmouth touchdowns in the first half. Hampton, the league's second-leading rushing team, had 59 yards on 25 totes in the opening half while finishing with 139 total yards.

Hampton started the second half at its own nine-yard line. The Pirate offense steamrolled the Hawk defense, moving 91-yards to close the gap to 14-10 with 12:44 left in the third quarter. The key play was a 44-yard pass from Braden Davis to Tae'Shaun Johnson who was stopped at the one-yard line. Gracen Goldsmith ran it in from there and Starling added the PAT.

But that was as close as the Pirates could come. Monmouth tallied a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to win its fifth consecutive game. Hampton had won seven of its last 10 Homecoming contests before falling to the Hawks.

Nelson ran 33 times for Monmouth for 233 yards and four touchdowns, while Davis was 21-of-33 for 242 yards passing for Hampton. Johnson was his favorite target with nine receptions for 104 yards.

The Pirates have a bye week before returning to action on Nov. 8 when Hampton hosts Maine at Armstrong Stadium with a 1 p.m. kickoff.