HAMPTON — Just when it appeared Hampton University had escaped the thought of losing to a Division II opponent in its home opener, things got weird. And in the end, the Pirates came within inches — if not closer — of living it.
On the game’s final play, an untimed down from the Pirates’ 23-yard line, Elizabeth City State receiver E.J. Gatling was stopped just short of the end zone first by MJ Moultrie II and then JuJu Ganthier. That was the official ruling, and it was upheld by review.
Final score: Hampton 27, Elizabeth City State 20. Pirates exhale.
“All credit goes to them,” HU coach Trenton Boykin said, referring to the Vikings. “They won every phase of the game. We just found a way to make a play here and there. It was tough to see some of the stuff that was going on.
“We kept shooting ourselves in the foot offensively and defensively. We’ve got to do a much better job as a coaching staff. It was good to see the players fight, but as a staff, we’ve got some work to do.”
The FCS Pirates (1-1) trailed 20-10 at halftime, which became even stranger for about 10 minutes when the officials announced a weather delay. That was quickly erased, and the third quarter began more or less on time.
After stopping ECSU (0-2) on its opening drive, Hampton got to work. Fifteen plays and nearly seven minutes later, Ja’Quan Snipes’ 5-yard run on fourth-and-1 cut the Vikings’ lead to 20-17. Snipes rushed for 30 of his career-high 174 yards on that possession.
ECSU still had the lead, and with nearly nine minutes remaining in the game, it had first-and-10 at the HU 34-yard line. But after a holding penalty backed the Vikings to the 44, Pirates cornerback Andre Jackson Jr. stripped the ball from ECSU quarterback Chris Perkins — and then recovered the fumble.
“We kept saying in the huddle that somebody had to make a play, and the opportunity was there,” Jackson said. “I saw the ball and tried to strip it, pick it up and give the offense another chance to put points on the board, which they did.”
That led to a 30-yard field goal by Brett Starling to tie the score at 20.
The Vikings moved the ball to the Hampton 38, where they had fourth-and-2. But ECSU coach Marcus Hilliard left 230-pound Traquan Johnson (80 yards, 17 carries) on the bench, and Michael Matthews-Candy sacked Christopher Perkins for a 10-yard loss.
Two plays later, Snipes ran 47 yards for his second touchdown to put HU ahead 27-20 with 39 seconds remaining.
“It really means a lot that we continued to fight for the win,” Snipes said. “You didn’t see guys quit at halftime when we were down 10 points. It was a blessing to see these guys fight and keep on fighting.”
The night started promisingly for Hampton, which eight plays into the game had a first down at the Elizabeth City State 16-yard line. But after a false start and sack moved them behind the chains, the Pirates had to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Starling.
The Vikings not only answered, they got the touchdown HU could not. After converting a fourth-and-10 from the Pirates’ 29-yard line, ECSU took a 7-3 lead on Perkins’ 15-yard run with 4:09 left in the first quarter.
HU regained the lead on its next possession on freshman Jah’Kei Chavis’ 3-yard touchdown run, which made it 10-7 with 50.5 seconds left in the quarter.
Back came the Vikings. On second-and-7 from the Hampton 25, Perkins found tight end Joe Griffin wide open down the left sideline. Perkins underthrew him, but Griffin had plenty of time to wait, make the catch at the 8-yard line and race to the end zone.
The PAT try was blocked, leaving the score at 13-10 with 1:59 left in the first half.
On the first play of Hampton’s next possession, quarterback Braden Davis fumbled and ECSU’s Sir’Sean Ingram recovered at the HU 26-yard line.
The Vikings’ drive appeared done when they faced a fourth-and-19 from the 22-yard line and left the offense on the field. Unable to find a receiver, Perkins went into scramble mode and beat a Hampton defender to the pylon with 2.4 seconds left in the half.
Elizabeth City State led 20-10 at the break.
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Hampton Pirates linebacker Michael Matthews-Canty (51) sacks ECSU Vikings quarterback Chris Perkins (5) during the fourth quarter at Armstrong Stadium in Hampton, Va., on Sept 6, 2025. (Peter Casey / For The Virginian-Pilot)
The Pirates will return to action at North Carolina A&T at 7 p.m. Sept. 13.
