Hampton AD: Rose to return as Pirates' coach in 2012

HAMPTON, Virginia - Donovan Rose is confident Hampton University's football program has improved in his three seasons as head coach. He'll get a chance to continue that progression in Year 4. Rose, 18-15 in his three-year tenure after his Pirates went 7-4 this past season, will return to the HU sideline in 2012.

"Coach Rose will definitely be back next year," Hampton athletic director Keshia Campbell said Tuesday. "I feel confident that he'll take the program in the right direction." Rose will once again work on a one-year contract.

"At this point, there haven't been any further discussions regarding any extensions," Campbell said. Rose, an 18-year Pirates assistant who was promoted to head coach in 2009, went 5-6 in his first season, 6-5 in his second and 7-4 in 2011.



READ MORE

FLORIDA A&M at HAMPTON

FLORIDA A&M (1-0, 0-0 MEAC) at HAMPTON (1-0, 0-0 MEAC)
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. THURSDAY, SEPT. 8, 2011
TV: ESPNU
WHERE: Armstrong Stadium, Hampton, Virginia

THE BUZZ: The Pirates and the Rattlers open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference season play in a clash of coaches who know each other very well. Donovan Rose, whose Pirates beat Alabama A&M 21-20 on Saturday, coached for many years on the staff of Joe Taylor, whose Rattlers are coming off a 28-22 win against Fort Valley State. Taylor went 136-49-1 in 16 seasons at HU before leaving in December 2007 for FAMU, where he's gone 25-9 in three seasons. Rattlers sophomore quarterback Austin Trainor threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns last week.



READ MORE

2010 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team

NEW HAVEN, CT – Three-time selection Mark LeGree (Appalachian State) headlines the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2010 Football Championship Subdivision All-America team. The team was selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of the Football Championship Subdivision schools and certified by the accounting and auditing firm, Marcum LLP.

A defensive back, Legree is just the third player to be a three-time Walter Camp All-America selection, joining former New Hampshire standouts, wide receiver David Ball (2004-2006) and quarterback David Santos (2005-2007).

Legree and repeat All-America linebacker J.C. Sherritt (East Washington) lead the defensive unit. Legree had five interceptions on the season, while Sherritt has totaled 125 tackles and three interceptions to lead the Eagles to a berth in this weekend’s FCS semifinals against Villanova.

The 2010 Walter Camp All-America defensive squad includes 10 players who are candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award, presently annually to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

On offense, lineman Ben Ijalana (Villanova) is a repeat All-American selection. Ijalena has been a key part of a Wildcats’ rushing attack ranks in the top five in the nation. Placekicker Matt Bevins (Liberty) is also a repeat selection to the team. Bevins connected on 20-of-26 field goals and all 45 of his point-after kicks in 2010.

The quarterback is Jeremy Moses (Stephen F. Austin). A Walter Payton Award finalist, Moses led the Lumberjacks to the FCS quarterfinals. He passed for 3,998 yards and 34 touchdowns on the season.

Joining Moses in the backfield are Henry Harris (Southeast Missouri State) and Nate Eachus (Colgate). Harris has rushed for 1,735 yards and 18 touchdowns, while Eachus has totaled 1,871 yards and 21 touchdowns.

In all, players from twelve different conferences and 24 institutions were represented on the 2010 Walter Camp FCS All-America team. The Big Sky and Southern Conferences had the most selections with 4 selections each. The Colonial Athletic Association and Missouri Valley Conference each had 3. Two schools - Appalachian State and Stephen F. Austin (2) - had multiple players selected.

Download the PDF

2010 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team

OFFENSE

Pos. Name, School Class Hgt Wgt Hometown

QB Jeremy Moses, Stephen F. Austin Sr. 6-0 195 Baytown, TX

RB Henry Harris, Southeast Missouri State Sr. 5-8 185 Memphis, TN

RB Nate Eachus, Colgate Jr. 5-10 216 Drums, PA

WR Tysson Poots, Southern Utah Sr. 6-3 220 Las Vegas, NV

WR Raymond Webber, Arkansas-Pine Bluff Sr. 6-3 220 St. Louis, MO

TE Andrew Kennedy, Columbia Sr. 6-3 242 Westport, CT

OL Ben Ijalana, Villanova * Sr. 6-4 320 Hainsport, NJ

OL David Arkin, Missouri State Sr. 6-5 302 Wichita, KS

OL Mike Person, Montana State Sr. 6-5 295 Glendive, MT

OL Johnny Culbreath, South Carolina State Sr. 6-6 310 Monroe, GA

C Ryan McKnight, South Dakota State Sr. 6-1 295 Sioux Falls, SD

PK Matt Bevins, Liberty * Jr. 6-2 185 Newport News, VA

DEFENSE

Pos. Name, School Class Hgt Wgt Hometown

DL Ameet Pall, Wofford Jr. 6-0 245 Montreal, Quebec

DL Kendrick Ellis, Hampton Sr. 6-3 280 West Palm Beach, FL

DL Jabari Fletcher, Appalachian State Sr. 6-3 265 Atlanta, GA

DL Martin Parker, Richmond Sr. 6-3 290 New Haven, CT

DL Brent Russell, Georgia Southern Soph. 6-2 287 Comer, GA

LB J.C. Sherritt, Eastern Washington * Sr. 5-10 220 Pullman, WA

LB Kyle Glazier, Western Illinois Sr. 6-1 220 Geneseo, IL

LB Matt Evans, New Hampshire Soph. 6-0 219 Hanover, MA

DB Mark LeGree, Appalachian State # Sr. 6-0 220 Columbus, GA

DB Eugene Clifford, Tennessee State Sr. 6-2 205 Cincinnati, OH

DB Moses Ellis, Prairie View A&M Jr. 5-8 175 Fort Worth, TX

DB Trumaine Johnson, Montana Jr. 6-3 197 Stockton, CA

P David Harrington, Idaho State Jr. 6-3 185 Huntington Beach, CA

KR Gralyn Crawford, Stephen F. Austin Soph. 5-10 175 Palestine, TX

* 2009 Walter Camp All-America selection

# - 2008 and 2009 Walter Camp All-America selection

Walter Camp, "The Father of American football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp — a former Yale University athlete and football coach — is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation — a New Haven based all volunteer group — was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All America team.

Hampton Pirates 24, North Carolina A&T Aggies 14

Hampton deals A&T its first loss of season

GREENSBORO — Hampton hasn't needed extra motivation against N.C. A&T in recent years. The Pirates' averages of 46.6 points and 32-point margins of victory during five straight wins hardly necessitated it. But after reading some comments made by members of Aggies this week, Don Rose clipped out the statements anyway and passed them around the Pirates locker room. "I know with coach (Alonzo) Lee, I know he does a lot to motivate his team or whatever," Rose said. "But a lot of times by doing that, we just took advantage of it. We don't need that to necessarily get us going, but it was a little fire."

Watch Replay : ESPN 360 -- HU vs. NCA&T Game

HU awakens in second quarter, wins 24-14

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Hampton University needed some extra effort this time, but the final result looked familiar.After devouring North Carolina A&T by an average of 32 points in their previous five meetings, the Pirates scrapped through early offensive struggles Saturday before bouncing back with several momentum-swinging plays to pick up their sixth straight win over the Aggies, 24-14 at Aggie Stadium.Hampton quarterback Herb Bynes completed 11 of 20 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in his first start of the season. HU (2-1, 1-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) rolled up 333 yards of offense against a defense that had given up a total of 391 in its first two games.

Bynes throws 2 touchdown passes to lead Hampton to 24-14 victory ...

Herbert Bynes threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns to lead Hampton to a 24-14 victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday night.Bynes hit Damon McDaniel on touchdown passes of 62 and 23 yards and LaMarcus Coker rushed for 112 yards on 24 carries for the Pirates (2-1, 1-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference). McDaniel finished with five catches for 104 yards.Brand Roundtree scored on a 5-yard interception return for Hampton's other touchdown with 12:27 left in the game.

IMPROVEMENT STILL EVIDENT DESPITE LOSS

Hampton head coach Don Rose predicted the change in the days leading up to Saturday’s Hampton-North Carolina A&T football clash. “It is no longer as it once was; when you travel to play North Carolina A&T, you have to be ready to play,” Rose said in a Hampton press release early in the week. Saturday’s 24-14 win, though Hampton’s sixth straight in the series, could mark a shift in recent Pirates vs. Aggies history. Unlike some of the previous contests, the 2009 clash was competitive throughout. From 2006-08, Hampton outscored the Aggies 151-35. The Pirates’ average margin of victory in those three games was 38 points.

Attendance: 13,502@Aggie Stadium, Greensboro, N.C.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK EACH BLOG TITLE.

Six takes over HU women's program

Former Hampton High girls basketball coach David Six was named the interim women's basketball coach at Hampton University late Tuesday in a quick move by athletic director Lonza Hardy. Six will replace four-year coach Walter Mebane, whose contract expired Tuesday and was not renewed. "I'm very excited," said Six, who coached 14 years at Hampton High before resigning in May 2008 to become HU's Director of Intramurals for the 2008-09 school year. "It's a tremendous opportunity for me. I'm very appreciative for the administration at Hampton University to think that I can come in and do a good job."

Six won two Group AAA state titles (2001, 2007) and compiled a 331-93 mark in his time at Hampton High. Six also coached Gloucester's boys basketball team from 1995-97 and went 24-39. Six officially was named the interim coach for the upcoming season, but Hardy is looking beyond. "Our thought process was that this would evolve into a permanent position," Hardy said late Tuesday. "We wanted to get him started and have him get our program back on track. We have every intention of making it a full-time position after the upcoming season.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Hampton's Vernon Bryant Signed by Rams

The St. Louis Rams announced on their official website Monday that they have signed Hampton University defensive tackle Vernon Bryant to a free-agent contract.

Terms of the contract were not immediately available. Bryant, 6-foot-2/285 pounder, had 47 tackles last season as Hampton went 6-5, and finished his career as a Pirate with 100 tackles and 11 sacks. He recorded a career-high nine tackles - seven assisted - in the 2007 season finale, a 45-27 loss to Southern Illinois.

The Rams had the No. 2 overall pick in the draft on Saturday, taking University of Virginia defensive end Chris Long. Should Bryant make the team, he could find himself on the same defensive line as Long and 2007 first-round pick Adam Carriker.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Bryant is from Courtland, Virginia, Southhampton High School.

Nickelberry has Hampton winning with defense

Photo: Hampton University Pirates men's head basketball coach Kevin Nickelberry (Virginia Wesleyan '86).

The Pirates excel defensively, whether in passive zone, half-court trap or overplaying man-to-man. Among the 328 Division I teams ranked in the NCAA's statistics, Hampton is 31st in scoring defense and 39th in field-goal percentage defense. But if basketball were all slides, steals and switches, no one would play or watch. Scoring is not only necessary but also cool. It's why we play pick-up at the Y and watch Sports Center morning, noon and night.

Here the Pirates are lacking. They rank 269th nationally in scoring, 288th in field-goal percentage, 295th in 3-point percentage and 314th in free-throw percentage. Wall Street's recent numbers aren't that bleak.

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING BLOG TITLE.

Second half big for HU

By KEITH CANNON, Special to the Daily Press

The Pirates struggle in the first half, then blow out N.C. A & T.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - After a listless first half, the Hampton University Pirates came out flying in the second half of their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game against North Carolina A&T Saturday night.

Quarterback T.J. Mitchell passed for three touchdowns, two of them in a 28-point third quarter, and 210 yards, and the Pirates' defense scored twice as Hampton beat the Aggies 59-14 in front of 12,547 fans at Aggie Stadium. For a long time, it wasn't as easy as that final score indicated.

The Pirates (2-0, 2-0 MEAC) had to overcome their own mistakes — two lost fumbles and a pair of interceptions — and a spirited effort by the Aggies (0-3, 0-1), who entered the game on a 18-game losing streak, the longest in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision.

"Any time you win a conference game, it's important," Hampton coach Joe Taylor said. "We ended up with enough players making plays, but we just didn't look as polished as we should be."

The Pirates hung on to a 17-7 lead at halftime but turned the game into a rout in the third quarter, which ended with Hampton up 45-14. Kevin Teel's 70-yard return of the second-half kickoff for a touchdown was the turning point.

"We expected them to kick it short, because they had done that at the end of the first half and caught us off-guard," said Teel, who also caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell. "We set it up well and I found an opening."

But, typical of the kind of up-and-down night it was, Teel fumbled the ball away on the Pirates' next possession to set up the Aggies at the Hampton 39. Shelton Morgan fired a 6-yard scoring pass to tight end Michael Christen to cut the lead to 24-14 with 10:46 left in the third quarter.

But the Pirates came back with a 41-yard pass from Mitchell to Jeremy Gilchrist on the second play of the short drive. Mitchell and Gilchrist connected for a 22-yard touchdown pass on the next play. Gilchrist finished with 112 yards on six catches.

Hampton senior defensive end Kendall Langford lumbered 23 yards with an interception with four minutes left in the quarter for a 38-14 lead. It happened just one play after Mitchell had thrown an interception in Pirates territory. Mitchell threw a 29-yard scoring pass to Teel in the last minute of the quarter.

Van Morgan added a 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and safety Vaughn Mansfield returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown.

"At halftime we talked about them not having the energy level that we had in the first game," Taylor said. "We didn't seem to have a lot of focus, and they were playing pretty well."

The Pirates scored their first touchdown with 3:50 left in the first quarter. Mitchell directed a six-play, 66-yard drive ending in a 9-yard touchdown pass to Justin Brown. But the biggest play in the drive was a 41-yard strike across the middle from Mitchell to Teel. Teel raced to the Aggies' 9 and Hampton scored three plays later.

After that, the Pirates began to win the battle of field position. Hampton's defense backed A&T up to its 2 on the next possession, and Gilchrist set Hampton up at the Aggies' 16 with a 26-yard punt return. On third down at the A&T 11, tight end Ernie Lomax pulled in a high pass from Mitchell just across the end line, and Hampton settled for a 28-yard field goal by Carlo Turavani and a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Pirates' biggest mistake of the first half gave A&T a scoring opportunity midway through the second quarter. Mitchell lost control of the ball while fading back to pass, and A&T linebacker Jamison Hedgepath recovered at the Hampton 24. But three plays netted the Aggies 2 yards, and the Pirates partially blocked Michael Caldwell's 39-yard field-goal attempt.

Hampton didn't take long to score again. Morgan romped 47 yards to the Aggies' 30 on the first play of the drive, and he scored on a 6-yard run four plays later for a 17-0 lead with five minutes left in the half.

But that's as good as it got for the Pirates in the first half. The Aggies marched right back with their first touchdown, scoring on a 9-yard pass from Morgan to Ortiz Green with 47 seconds left in the half to end a 78-yard drive. And after some indecision on the kickoff return resulted in the Pirates starting from their own 9, A&T ended the half with an interception by Ihsan Shaheed at midfield.