HU's Rose aims for turnaround after 0-5 start

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
AND MARK'S DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

HAMPTON, Virginia — Each week Hampton U. head coach Don Rose flips on the video and sees more self-inflicted damage this side of the halls of Congress.

Turnovers, line play, busted coverages, missteps, overzealousness, inconsistency, a bad read here, a poor decision there. All of it has contributed to Hampton University's 0-5 start, the worst as a Division I program and the worst since 1991 — coincidentally, Rose's first year as an assistant at his alma mater.

"My thing now is just to compete," Rose said Wednesday. "We're trying to find the formula to do that. It's real simple. Guys have to buy into what we're doing and do your 1/11th (your job on the field)."

Video review of Pirates' games routinely shows, he said, "Somebody's not doing their 1/11th. We have to find a way for them to process what they've learned in meetings and practice and put it on the field. It's not complicated. We've just got to simplify and stress to them to practice hard and play hard. Enough is enough. You've got to have a little pride. Your back is against the wall. We have another opportunity."

Seven of them, to be precise. Though the Pirates are 0-5 overall, they are just 0-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after last Saturday's 30-6 loss at South Carolina State.

CONTINUE READING