Courtesy of Hampton Athletics
HAMPTON, Va. – No. 20-ranked Rhode Island (4-0, 2-0), which had made a habit of pulling out games after trailing, posted a come-from-behind 46-44 win over Hampton (3-3, 0-2) at Armstrong Stadium in a CAA football matchup. The Pirates forced three Rhode Island turnovers and held a 31-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
| Statistics | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
But Rhode Island scored a touchdown with 5:56 to pull within seven points and made the game-tying touchdown with 24 seconds left in regulation setting up the overtime period. In the first overtime, both teams scored easily but Rhode Island’s extra point attempt was blocked. An off-side penalty gave the Rams another chance and Troy Groff nailed the extra point setting up the second overtime.
Hampton scored in the second overtime but the two-point conversion pass failed. Rhode Island scored and added the two-point conversion to pull out the victory.
Already this season, Rhode Island has posted last-minute wins over Holy Cross (20-17) and Long Island (28-21).
But Hampton played the nationally-ranked Rams on even terms throughout the CAA football contest. Malcolm Mays came off the bench to ignite the offense. Hampton’s starting quarterback in 2022, Mays completed 24-of-28 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Brendan Ridley hauled in eight passes for 121 yards and two scores for the Pirates. In an offensive display, the two teams had 982 yards offense as Rhode Island amassed 544 total yards and the Pirates gained 438 yards on the day.
Midway through the first quarter, Rhode Island got the ball at the Hampton 46-yard line. After a short drive, Ty Groff connected with a 33-yard field goal to put the visiting Rams ahead 3-0.
Quarterback Mays spelled Chris Zellous later in the first quarter. Mays engineered a 10-play, 59-yard drive that moved the ball inside the red zone before the drive bogged down. Brian Csehoski booted a game-tying 32-yard field goal with 1:24 left in the opening period.
On the final play of the first quarter, Rams quarterback Hunter Helms dropped back for a pass but was blindsided by Christopher Eaton Jr. and fumbled the ball. Eaton picked up the errant ball at the 16-yard line and ran it in for the score, giving the Pirates a 10-3 advantage after one quarter.
Rhode Island came back to tie the score 10-10 with 9:06 to go in the second quarter. A 31-yard run by Dewan Silas capped a four-play, 54-yard drive. But Hampton responded, driving 81 yards on nine plays culminating in a touchdown when Mays bulled in from two yards out with 1:56 left before halftime. The Pirates held a 17-10 lead at intermission.
Hampton displayed a balanced offense in the opening half with 110 yards on the ground and 111 passing yards. Rhode Island came into the game with a minus-eight turnover margin and turned the ball over three times in the first half with two interceptions and a lost fumble. Rhode Island’s Malik Grant had 106 yards on the ground in the opening half highlighted by a 55-yard run from scrimmage. Mays completed 10-of-13 passes for 101 yards for the Pirates.
The Pirates struck again late in the third quarter. Mays connected with Brendan Ridley on a 57-yard scoring strike to put the Pirates ahead 24-10 with 1:52 left in the third period. The drive covered 80 yards on just six plays.
It took Rhode Island just 42 seconds to respond. Shawn Harris Jr. hauled in a 52-yard pass from Devin Ferrell putting the Rams in the red zone. From there, Silas broke loose and scored from 14 yards out to close the gap to 24-17 with 1:10 left in the third period.
In the fourth quarter, Hampton drove to the goal line before a penalty moved the Pirates back to the seven. Hampton struggled in the red zone but a pass interference penalty gave the Pirates a first-and-goal from the two. Mays tossed a two-yard TD pass to Tymere Robinson and Csehoski added the extra point to put the Pirates up 31-17 with 7:02 left.
The 14-point lead didn’t last long. Rhode Island drove 87 yards in just three plays covering exactly one minute, scoring on a 41 pass from Farrell to Marquis Buchanan. The extra point made the score 31-24 with 5:35 to go.
After a three-and-out by the Pirates, Rhode Island took over at the 19-yard line. A Hampton penalty put the ball at the 36-yard line. A scramble on fourth-and-five by quarterback Farrell gave the Rams a first down at midfield. The Rams later scored on a two-yard run by Grant. The extra point was blocked but a penalty gave Rhode Island another chance. On the next try, Groff booted it through the uprights tying the score at 31, sending the game into overtime.
In the first overtime period, it took Rhode Island just three plays to score on a 12-yard pass to Greg Gaines from Farrell. The extra point put Rhode Island ahead 38-31. But Hampton answered in just one play when Tyler Hatcher caught a Mays pass for 25 yards and the score. Csehoski tied the game at the end of the first overtime 38-38.
In the second overtime, Mays hit Ridley with a six-yard TD pass on a third-down play. The two-point conversion attempt failed and the Pirates led 44-38. Rhode Island scored a TD in the second overtime when Farrell bulled in from two-yards out to tie the score. Farrell called his own number and converted the two-point conversion on a two-yard run to give Rhode Island the victory.