Hampton, VA--In what was one of most thrilling and bizarre games in school history, it ended dramatically when  Anthony Philyaw scored from four yards out in the second overtime to give Howard a hard-fought 42-39 win over Hampton in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season finale at Armstrong Stadium.
               
It was a game of two halves as the Bison (6-6, 4-4 MEAC) took control early, scoring on their second possession when Philyaw scored from three yards out at the 8:03 mark of the first half.  The Pirates (4-8, 4-4 MEAC)) appeared to be a bit off balance on offense and Howard took advantage, adding three more points on a John Fleck 33-yard field goal near the end of the first quarter.
               
The Pirates finally responded when Bryan Bailey capped off a 65-yard drive with an 18-yard TD pass to Antwon Chisholm early in the second period.
               
Howard was back at it again when Philyaw scored his second and third touchdowns, three minutes apart to open a 23-7 lead.  The Bison were not finished and were able to tack on three more points just before the half on a 29-yard Fleck field goal.  It appeared to be a seemingly comfortable lead at 26-7  Nothing could be further from the truth.
               
The rejuvenated Pirates came out of the locker room with a different approach and scored back-to-back touchdowns during a six-minute span to cut the deficit to 26-21 with less than two minutes to go.  Bailey was responsible for both, the first on a 20-yard connection to Rayshad Riddick and the second to Twan Mixson from 56 yards.
               
"In the second half, they came out running the ball more, more downhill than they had in the first half," said Howard red-shirt junior safety Cameron Alston.  "But to be honest, on a lot of that, we killed ourselves, making a lot of mistakes, not being lined up and being in the right place at the right time."
               
Bailey was not finished.  Howard turned the ball over on its next possession and Bailey made them pay by sprinting 18 yards untouched to give his team its first lead at 29-26 following a two-point conversion.  Hampton had run off 22 straight points and clearly had the momentum.
               
"I thought that they did a good job of making the adjustments," said Howard head coach Coach Petty.  "We talked about it at halftime.  They were in the same spot as we were, trying to win their fourth conference game, so they came out in the second half and put up a good fight."
               
Howard quarterback Greg Mc Ghee, who had his best day of his career, would not let his team quit as the junior led the Bison on a 70-yard drive.  The Hampton defense held, however, and forced a 20-yard Fleck field goal, sending the game into overtime.
               
Howard got the first possession and it took McGhee six plays to get his team in the end zone and take the short-lived lead at 36-29.  McGhee's bullet to Brandon Flanagan finished off the drive.
               
"I just walked into the huddle and told everyone this is where you get remembered," said McGhee.  "Coach did a great job dialing up plays and we did a great job executing.  We did a good job of getting the ball in the end zone and not settling for field goals."
               
Hampton came right back and took three plays with Marcus Hampton capping off the drive from five yards out to tie the game at 36 and send it into another extra period.
               
The Pirates appeared to have the momentum, but a big sack took them out of the Red Zone and they had to settle for a 29-yard Anthony Prevost field goal.
               
"I went to the defense and said, 'we need a stop now'," said McGhee.  "I had been holding in for the last three years.  It is the same thing that I told the offensive line.  'You have got to live your legacy and this is where you get remembered, especially you seniors.'  And we went out there and got the win."
               
One the Bison's possession, McGhee rushed for seven  yards on first down.  He followed with an 11-yard connection to Philyaw, getting the ball down to the Pirates' seven-yard line.  A rush by Philyaw gained three yards, setting up a second and goal from the Hampton four-yard line.
               
The 6-1, 210-pound freshman from Los Angeles, CA, ended the drama with a four-yard sweep around the left side.  It was his fourth TD of the day and 15^th on the season
               
"Offensively, we didn't get the ball into the end zone in the second half until the overtime but we got it in there when it really counted."              

McGhee rushed for a career-high 147 yards and passed for 256 more for a career-best 413 yards of total offense.  Philyaw contributed 111 yards and four TDs while also adding 53 yards on four receptions.

"They are two outstanding players and they have made great plays for us all year, " praised Petty. " Greg just plays consistently for us.  He had a couple of lapses, but he made up for it in the overtime.  He is going to b e a great one.  He has one more year to go and Philyaw three.  There is a lot of promise on this team for the next couple of years."