COOKEVILLE, Tennessee – The Hampton University football team will open the 2012 season on the road on Thursday, taking on Tennessee Tech at Tucker Stadium at 8 p.m. EST.
The Pirates, in their fourth season under head coach Donovan Rose, won seven games last season and went 5-3 in the MEAC. Tennessee Tech won the Ohio Valley Conference championship in 2011, also going 7-4 overall with a 6-2 mark in conference play.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Hampton and Tennessee Tech.
Game Notes
The Pirates averaged almost 29 points per game last season – 28.4, to be exact – ranking third in the MEAC in total offense. Hampton eclipsed the 30-point mark in five contests in 2011 – including a season-high 42 in back-to-back games against Delaware State and Morgan State to close out the season. The Pirates also scored 41 points at Old Dominion on Sept. 17, 31 points in a road loss to Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 22, and 30 points in an overtime Homecoming win over North Carolina Central on Oct. 22.
Junior running back Antwon Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.), the 2010 MEAC Rookie of the Year, comes into his junior season as a Preseason Second Team All-MEAC selection. He was the team’s leading rusher last season, ranking fifth in the MEAC with 72.4 rushing yards per game.
He carried the ball 192 times for 796 yards and eight touchdowns. He rushed for over 100 yards twice last season – including a season-high 141 yards against Alabama A&M – and for his career, Chisholm has four 100-yard rushing games in his career.
Defense has long been a strength for the Pirates – particularly given Rose’s background – and 2012 appears to be no different as Keith Goganious enters his third season as defensive coordinator. The Pirates will return their top five tacklers from last season, led by linebackers Delbert Tyler (Monroeville, Pa.) and Lyndell Gibson (Virginia Beach, Va.), both of whom eclipsed 100 tackles last season.
Tyler led the Pirates with 110 total stops, including 41 solo efforts, while Gibson – a transfer from Virginia Tech – had 108 total tackles, including a team-high 52 solo stops. Gibson also led the team in tackles for loss (14.0) and tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles.
The Pirates were fourth in the MEAC in scoring defense last season, giving up just 21.8 points per contest. The Pirates also led the MEAC in pass efficiency defense, holding opponents to an efficiency rating of just 98.4 – the only rate under 100 in the conference. Hampton was also fourth in the conference in passing defense, holding opponents to just 183.9 yards per game through the air.
Hampton also had 14 interceptions as a defense in 2011, sitting fifth in the MEAC. The defense was also a major part of Hampton leading the MEAC in turnover margin at +13, between those 14 picks and 15 recovered fumbles.
The Pirates are 0-2 all-time against teams currently in the Ohio Valley Conference, having gone 0-2 all-time against Tennessee State. Tennessee State is the only school from the OVC that Hampton has faced to this point; the Pirates have never played Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Murray State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee Tech, or Tennessee-Martin.
The Pirates went 1-3 on the road last season, with their lone win coming at Savannah State on Oct. 29. Hampton also lost road contests last season at Old Dominion, at Bethune-Cookman, and at Norfolk State. During Rose’s tenure as head coach, Hampton is 7-9 on the road.
The Pirates have six road contests this season.
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.
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