The Battle of the Bay will have the attention of HBCU football fans on Saturday evening. Hampton and Norfolk State are set to battle in a can’t miss contest. These teams enter this one under different circumstances. HU is riding high after their 35-31 victory over Grambling, while Norfolk looks to recover from a loss to Virginia St. The last time these teams met was in 2022. Hampton won by a score of 17-7. They’ll surely hope to repeat that performance.
| Statistics | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hampton (1-0 Overall)
The Pirates will look to add another win to their earned record thus far of 1-0. They’ve had no trouble putting up points so far this season, averaging 35.0 per contest. The Pirates’ defense is conceding an average of 31.0 points per game.
Quarterback Christofer Zellous will be leading Hampton in this one. Zellous has averaged 155.0 pass yards per game with season totals of two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Hampton has a rush-heavy offense, with a 69-31 rush-pass play selection split.
Photo Courtesy of Hampton Athletics/Chris Brown-Breezyshots
Hampton went 4-7 in 2022. They’ll want to capitalize on this opportunity, as this is the first time they’ve had home-field advantage all year. Hampton is 1-0 in FCS HBCU games.
Norfolk State (0-1 Overall)
The Spartans will look to add another win to the 0-1 record they’ve earned so far this season. They’re putting up an average of 3.0 touchdowns and 24.0 points per contest. On the other side of the ball, the Spartans’ defense is giving up an average of 33.0 points per game.
Lex Henry gears up after an impressive performance in Norfolk State’s last game. Henry rushed for 71 yards and one touchdown in the team’s loss.
Norfolk State’s offense places a significant focus on the ground game. On the season they have a 58-42 rush-pass play selection split.
Norfolk State enters after putting up a 2-9 campaign in 2022. They’ll want to capitalize on this opportunity, as this is the first time they’ve been on the road all year. This is the first FCS HBCU matchup this season for Norfolk State.