HAMPTON — What began as a promising afternoon for Hampton quickly unraveled after halftime.
The Pirates (2-5, 0-3 CAA) surrendered 28 unanswered points as visiting Campbell stormed back for a 38-21 win Saturday at Armstrong Stadium.
“Definitely frustrating — that’s just not what you expect,” head coach Trenton Boykin said. “Our guys came out in the first half and played hard and did some things to get our rhythm going.”
That rhythm disappeared after the break.
Hampton led 14-3 midway through the second quarter before Campbell (2-5, 2-1 CAA) began its rally. The Fighting Camels sliced the deficit to four just before halftime when Mike Chandler dropped a 34-yard pass to Parker Jones, setting up JJ Cowan’s 1-yard touchdown run to make it 14-10.
The Pirates’ defense, which gave up 204 first-half yards, began to wear down. On Campbell’s first possession of the second half, a short field set up Cowan’s second score: a 5-yard run that gave the Fighting Camels their first lead, 17-14, with 9:33 left in the third quarter.
From there, the floodgates opened.
Ethan Lawrence broke free for a 41-yard touchdown later in the period to stretch the lead to 24-14. Less than four minutes later, Virginia Beach native and former Virginia Tech transfer Lakeem Rudolph intercepted Hampton quarterback Braden Davis and returned it for a pick-six, making it 31-14 with 1:50 left in the third.
Boykin pointed to the offense’s inability to stay on the field as the turning point.
“I don’t care what you’re playing — Little League to pros, you can’t go three-and-out that many times in a row and expect your defense to be able to just stay on the field like that,” Boykin said. “Give credit to our defense. They did do that at times, but at some point, you get worn down. That’s what happens.”
Hampton’s offense managed just three total yards in the third quarter, at one point sitting at minus-9 before a short completion closed the period. The Pirates got outscored 21-0 in the third frame.
“Coaching-wise, you got to be able to make adjustments,” Boykin said of what caused the offensive struggles in the second half. “I think we did a good job of that in the past, but we did not (today). I’m speaking offensively more than anything. We didn’t make adjustments that needed to be made after the first three-and-out and the second three-and-out.”
The Pirates had shown flashes early. Freshman running back Gracen Goldsmith provided a spark in the first half, punching in a 3-yard score to cap a 75-yard drive that gave Hampton a 7-3 lead. Moments later, cornerback Cam Sturdifen forced a fumble that Marcellus Nash recovered, setting up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Davis to receiver Maxwell Moss for a 14-3 advantage late in the second quarter.
After Campbell’s surge, Hampton finally broke through again midway through the fourth. Goldsmith scored his second touchdown from three yards out after Davis hit Moss on a 64-yard strike, trimming the deficit to 31-21. But any hopes of a comeback ended when Davis threw his second interception on the next drive.
Boykin said there was no consideration to bench the redshirt junior quarterback.
“We’re not gonna keep jumping back and forth,” Boykin said when asked why he stuck with Davis amidst his struggles. “Went with him. That’s who we go with, and that’s what we do. … We gotta keep coaching him up, give him the looks that he needs to see. But we’re not going to just swing the door of quarterbacks week in and week out.”
Davis finished 11-of-17 for 131 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Moss led all receivers with four catches for 81 yards and a score, while Goldsmith added two rushing touchdowns.
Still, Hampton was outgained 426-207 and committed three turnovers in the loss, its seventh straight in conference play.
The Pirates travel to Villanova (4-2, 3-1 CAA) next week looking to regroup.
