Hampton caps winning season with victory over Howard

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Senior Yahkee Johnson rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns to push Hampton to a 20-17 win over rival Howard on Saturday afternoon at Armstrong Stadium.

Delmon Williams added 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground and passed for 150 yards as the Pirates (6-5, 5-3 in MEAC) picked up their third straight win over the Bison.

The Pirates win deprived Bethel High graduate Mike London of a pleasant homecoming. London, who led Richmond and Virginia, is in his first year as the head coach at Howard.

Hampton’s Dereon Carr intercepted Caylin Newton as time expired to preserve the victory. Howard started its final possession at its 20 with 1:32 to play, but the Bison could only advance to its 42. Steve Smith and Darius Commissiong sacked Newton in the final series, which ended with Carr’s interception at the Hampton 32.

Hampton led 20-10 early in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard touchdown run by Johnson, who started the scoring with a 2-yard score in the first quarter. Newton answered with a 1-yard touchdown with 8:14 to play in the game to pull within 3 points, but that was as close as Howard would get.

The Bison (7-4, 6-2) gained 416 yards of total offense, but the Bison struggled to find the end zone. Newton — younger brother of Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton — passed for 259 yards but was intercepted twice. He rushed for 26 yards and a score. He entered the game leading the MEAC in rushing with 102 yards per game.

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