HU looks to break three-game skid in Battle of the Bay

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Haampton University defensive end Steven Smith has only played in one Battle of the Bay. That was enough to teach him what’s on the line.

And that would be who gets to talk during the offseason.

“Hear about it?” said Smith, who grew up in Virginia Beach before playing two seasons for San Jose (Calif.) City College. “I don’t hear the end of it. They’re going to continue talking until something is done about it.”

Norfolk State has been able to talk a while now. The Spartans have won three consecutive games in this series for the first time since 1978-80. Current NSU coach Latrell Scott wasn’t even in the first grade yet.

The true stakes for Saturday’s game are that the winner remains tied for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference while the loser does not. This is the first time in series history that both Hampton (3-2, 2-0) and Norfolk State (2-3, 2-0) come in with undefeated MEAC records.

But HU coach Connell Maynor, who is 0-3 against the Spartans, knows the importance of breaking that streak.



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