Washington, DC—The Howard University football team will close out the 2014 season when it hosts the Pirates of Hampton University in a MEAC showdown.  It will be Seniors Day as 10 members of the team will be honored in the pregame ceremony beginning at 12:30 pm.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 pm.
 
It should be another Epic battle between the two HU's.  The Pirates, under first year head coach Connell Maynor, have struggled most of the season but they may have found the magic formula as they pulled off a huge upset in a 40-35 win over nationally ranked and defending MEAC champion, Bethune Cookman last Thursday.
                 
Hampton (3-7, 2-5 MEAC) is explosive.  Their freshman quarterback Jerrell Antoine is coming into his own and multi-talented running back Jorraine Washington is a home run threat.  The Pirates are second in the MEAC in passing offense and third in total offense.
                 
The Pirate defense is anchored by Joshua Thorne and Miles Grooms, who are both All-MEAC candidates.
                 
Kicker Anthony Prevost is one of the top kickers in the FCS as is their punter, Christian Fabian-Kinney.
 
"The Pirates are going to be a tough challenge," said Howard Coach Gary Harrell.  "Jerrell Antoine is good at quarterback and their defense is tough.  They put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.  This is a great rivalry and everyone wants to win. Both teams are coming off big wins.  Hampton will be prepared.  It should be a great game."
                 
Howard (4-7, 2-5 MEAC), which has been decimated by injuries, losing 12 starters during the course of the season, has begun to play well of late with a three-game win streak.  The key has been the play of senior quarterback Greg McGhee, who will be among the 10 players honored.
                 
McGhee set a new MEAC record for career total offense in last week's win over Central Connecticut State and now has 9,914 in his career.  He needs 86 yards to reach the 10,000-yard plateau, something no MEAC player has ever accomplished.
                 
He leads the conference is passing and total offense and is among the Top 10 rushers and scorers.
                 
"He (McGhee) is a dual threat at quarterback," said Hampton head coach Maynor.  "He can hurt you with his arm and his legs.  You can't stop him; you just have to contain him and hope he misses throws."
                 
The Bison defense will be tested by the Pirates' explosive offense.  Despite being undermanned, Howard has been able to play a bend-but-don't-break style that has been effective during the three-game streak.
                 
Junior linebacker Devin Rollins is second in the MEAC in tackles and has spearheaded the defense along with red-shirt sophomore cornerback, Kenneth Russ and senior linebacker Khari Brown.