WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Howard football team opened the season by facing consecutive Big Ten opponents, losing in lopsided fashion both times. On Saturday afternoon, the Bison finally drew a lower-division adversary in Hampton for the Nation’s Football Classic at RFK Stadium.
Players for Howard, particularly upperclassmen, entered the renewal of one of the longest running rivalries among historically black colleges and universities with the added incentive of redeeming themselves for last year’s loss to the Pirates.
What unfolded instead was another demoralizing result, 34-7, in which significant breakdowns in all three phases sent the Bison to their sixth consecutive defeat dating from last season.
“I can accept losing, but I can’t accept the way we lost,” Bison Coach Gary “Flea” Harrell said. “We’ve got to find out who we are, going back to our identity. Are we tough enough to move forward?”
In the MEAC opener for both schools, Howard (0-3) absorbed its most lopsided loss to Hampton (1-2) since a 37-0 defeat in 2009. The Bison’s only points this time came courtesy of tailback Anthony Philyaw’s three-yard run with 13 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. The touchdown ended Howard’s streak of six straight quarters without scoring.
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