WASHINGTON (September 3, 2022) - Howard University football team shook off its early offensive doldrums and staged a furious rally, but it came up just short, 31-28, in a loss to rival Hampton University before a crowd of 12,245 at Armstrong Stadium.
 
Following a scoreless first quarter, the Bison (0-2) capitalized on an interception by graduate defensive back Christian Brown (Boynton Beach, Fla.), which was his first as a Bison.
 
Off the turnover, it took Howard eight plays to go 67 yards with senior quarterback Quinton Williams (Upper Marlboro, Md.) connecting with junior wide receiver Kasey Hawthorne (Sebring, Fla.) from three yards. However, the conversion attempt by sophomore kicker Dylan West (Akron, Ohio) failed.
 
From there, the Bison had opportunities to add to the score but each time they got something going, an untimely penalty or a failed third down conversion stopped potential scoring drives.
 
The explosive Pirates (1-0) finally took advantage when reserve quarterback Christian Zellous capped off a 70-yard drive with an 11-yard run to give his team 7-6 lead with 3:41 on the clock before halftime.
 
Now in a groove, Hampton had another 70-yard drive, this time it took seven plays as quarterback Malcolm Mays found wide receiver Jadakis Bonds from 30 yards to give the Pirates a 14-6 lead at intermission.
 
The Pirates extended their lead in the third quarter when Mays found wide receiver Roman Copeland from 15 yards out, giving the hosts a 21-6 bulge at the 9:18 mark of the third quarter.
 
The Bison, sensing urgency, finally got out of their doldrums and began their comeback attempt, mounting on a five-play, 91-yard trek, its longest of the season. The big play in the drive was a 54-yard reception from graduate wide receiver Antoine Murray (Miramar, Fla.). Williams (21 of 31, 339 yards, 4 TDs) finished off the drive with a 25-yard pass to senior tight end Christian Carter (Detroit) and kept Howard within striking distance to start the fourth quarter, 21-13.
 
Then came one of the of the biggest, if not biggest plays of the game.
 
On first down from its own 25-yard line, Hampton running back Darren Butts burst through the middle of the Bison defense, made a pirouette move at midfield and raced 79 yards to the end zone. The Pirates would add a 30-yard field goal with a little under seven minutes to give what appeared to be an insurmountable lead, but the resilient Bison had other ideas.
 
With Williams looking sharp and, in a groove, he took his team 87 yards in less than 90 seconds with sophomore wide receiver Na'Shawn Hezekiah (Orangeburg, S.C.) teaming with Willaims from 16 for the score with 4:02 on the game clock.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, the Bison executed a perfect onside kick that gave them the ball at their own 46-yard line. It took Willaims six plays to take his team 54 yards to make things interesting, 31-28, with still time left on the clock.
 
The onside kick attempt failed, giving Hampton the ball and an opportunity to run out the clock.
The Bison defense got the ball back for the offense but because it was out of timeouts, Howard ran out of time.
 
The Bison had another prolific offensive game with their rivals, amassing 430 yards of total offense. But special teams play (a missed PAT a missed 20-yard field goal and two shanked punts), along with a key roughing the passer penalty that wiped out an interception proved to be too much to overcome.
 
Individual standouts include Hezekiah (6 receptions for 113 yards, a TD), Murray (3 receptions for 125 yards and Carter (3 catches for 31 yards and 2 TDs).
 
The defense, which had only three takeaways all last season, came up with two interceptions from Brown and senior defensive back Ray Williams (Detroit). Brown had an outstanding game on defense with six tackles, two for losses, and an interception. Junior safety Kenny Gallop, Jr. (Portsmouth, Va.) and sophomore linebacker Terrance Holton (Cleveland) chipped in with eight and seven tackles, respectively.
 
NEXT UP: Howard continues its challenging road swing, this time traveling Tampa, Fla. to take on South Florida Saturday (Sept. 10) at 7 pm. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and it will be a homecoming for Howard head coach Larry Scott, who played there.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.