HAMPTON — Hampton University’s football team has shown flashes of what it can be. The problem is, those flashes haven’t lasted long enough.
The Pirates enter Saturday’s matchup at No. 14 Villanova still searching for consistency after another loss in which they started fast but faded late.
In last week’s 38–21 loss to Campbell, Hampton built a 14–3 lead in the first half before giving up 21 unanswered points. Earlier this season, against No. 13 Jackson State, the Pirates entered the fourth quarter tied before surrendering two touchdowns in a 28–14 defeat.
Head coach Trenton Boykin said the challenge isn’t just the opponent. It’s the Pirates themselves.
“We have to be better,” Boykin said. “We have to be able to stay on the field offensively and help our defense. We’re playing too much in spurts and not all four quarters. What we’ve talked about this week is playing four quarters and being great at what we do.”
That theme has been constant for Boykin and his staff. Hampton has had issues with penalties, turnovers and communication, all of which have stalled momentum and prevented them from closing out games.
“When you have 13 penalties, two turnovers, a pick six, when we don’t get the right personnel in the game — those are things that beat us,” Boykin said. “When do we turn on the film and say, ‘We corrected all of those things, and at the end of the day, they beat us because they were just better.’”
Instead, Boykin and the Pirates feel they’ve beaten themselves in their losses this year.
Villanova (4-2, 3–1 CAA) presents the biggest challenge yet, both physically and mentally. The Wildcats are ranked No. 14 nationally and are riding a three-game winning streak.
Boykin said that while Villanova is well-coached and disciplined, his team’s focus has to remain internal.
“We have to do us,” he said. “We’ve played great first quarters, great first halves — but we haven’t put it all together, and we have to focus on us.”
Inside the locker room, the message is the same.
Wide receiver Maxwell Moss said the team’s mindset is about staying together through adversity.
“Sometimes it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” Moss said. “It’s about picking your brother up and saying, ‘OK, that game’s over. It’s on to the next one.’”
Hampton (2–5, 1–3) has been simulating late-game and high-pressure situations in practice this week, hoping to improve its execution when the moments matter most.
Whether that focus translates against a top-15 opponent will depend on if the Pirates can finally do what they’ve been preaching: play all four quarters.
