HU's offense needs to reverse course for final three games of season

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

HAMPTON, Virginia — In its 40-7 loss to William and Mary last week, Hampton University was the very definition of inept on offense. The Pirates averaged 1.1 yards per rushing attempt, 2.9 yards per play from scrimmage. Just about every offensive stat from that game was a season low.

Which led to the following comment from head coach Connell Maynor: “We played like it was week one.”

The truth is, HU looked far more in sync in the early weeks of the season than it has lately. In their first five games, the Pirates averaged 29 points and 393 yards a game. In the last three, those numbers dropped to 16 points and 273 yards a game.

True, the schedule should be considered, and Hampton was shut down by the nation’s 16th-ranked team last week. But in the season’s second game, the Pirates hung 28 points and 352 yards on Richmond, now No. 6 in FCS.

The Pirates were expected to have one of the most prolific offenses in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and early on they did. Quarterback David Watford was on a record-setting pace, and wideout T.J. Mixson was among the nation’s leading receivers.

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