HAMPTON, Virginia – The Hampton University football team will be at home for the second straight week, as they take on No. 22 Richmond on Saturday at Armstrong Stadium. Kickoff will be at 12 p.m.Game Notes
Live Stats: Click here.
Radio: WHOV 88.1 FM.
Live Video: Pirates Sports Network.
Last Time Out: The Pirates (1-0) opened their season with a 35-20 win over Kentucky State this past Saturday – a game in which quarterback David Watford threw for 335 yards and five touchdowns (four of which went to wideoutTwarn Mixson). Richmond (0-1), entering its fourth season under head coach Danny Rocco, fell to Maryland 50-21 this past Saturday.
Coach Speak: "You can't duplicate game speed. You know, the pressure of the game – the officials, the other team, the atmosphere … it's a different type of pressure, and it's the first time a lot of our new guys faced that (against Kentucky State). Now we need to look at what we did wrong, and make sure we don't do it again this week."
Coach Maynor on Richmond: "(Richmond is) a playoff team every year. Nationally ranked again this year, well-coached, tough … they'll fight you. They know what it takes to win and to win championships. We have to be at our best this weekend … but we look forward to the challenge."
The Series: The Pirates are 0-2 against Richmond following last season's 42-17 loss in Richmond, Va. This will be the Spiders' second trip to Armstrong Stadium; the first meeting came in the 2005 Div. I-AA playoffs, when Richmond won 38-10.
Pirates at Home: Hampton is 1-0 at home this season after Saturday's 35-20 win over Kentucky State. 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 Against the CAA: The Pirates are 2-13 against teams that currently compete in football in the CAA, with both of those wins coming against James Madison. Hampton is 2-0 against JMU; 0-3 against New Hampshire; 0-2 against Richmond; 0-2 against Rhode Island; 0-1 against Villanova; and 0-5 against William and Mary. The Pirates have never faced Albany, Delaware, Elon, Maine, Stony Brook, or Towson.
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 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 Richmond will be the 999th in the history of Hampton University football, which means the Pirates' contest on Sept. 18 against rival Howard will be the 1,000th contest in program history. Heading into Saturday's game, the Pirates are 549-415-34 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. He opened the 2015 season in style against Kentucky State, catching seven passes for a career-high 135 yards and four touchdowns en route to being named MEAC Offensive Player of the Week.
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. In Saturday's opener against Kentucky State, Grooms had four quarterback hurries, seven tackles, and 1.5 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 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. In his Pirates debut against Kentucky State, Watford threw for 335 yards and five touchdowns – four of which went to Mixson.
Coaching Staff Changes: Michael Ketchum is but one of the new faces roaming the Pirates sideline this season, coming over from Delaware State to serve as defensive coordinator. Tremayne Henry, who served as defensive coordinator for part of last season, will coach the defensive line in 2015. Marc Bacote also joined the staff, where he will serve as safeties coach, and Bryant Foster has come on board to serve as cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator. Former Pirate Marcus Wade has also joined head coach Connell Maynor's staff, serving as a graduate assistant.
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, whileRashawn 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. Proctor caught five passes for 77 in the Pirates' win over Kentucky State this past Saturday.
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.
COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
No comments:
Post a Comment