The Hampton Pirates drop their second game in a row in a deplorable effort against the Monmouth Hawks, losing 61-10. The Hawks dominated all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and especially in special teams.

Despite the final score, the Hawks and Pirates have been nearly identical statistically. Coming into today, Monmouth ranked fourth in scoring offense and third in total offense in the league. Hampton ranked sixth and fourth in those respective categories. Both offenses rely heavily on their run games. Hampton's Elijah Burris lead the CAA in average yards per game with 113.4. Right behind him is Monmouth running back Jaden Shirden, averaging 107.2 yards per game.

Even the defenses were similar, with the Pirates having the eighth best defense, right behind the Hawks' seventh ranked defense.

However, stats are only half of the game. The most important part is what takes place on the field, and Hampton certainly did not deliver.

The first half went about as poorly as possible for the Pirates. After receiving the opening kickoff, the offense looked good and unaffected by the rain in the first few plays. Once they got towards the red zone, however, the drive stalled. The Pirates settled for the field goal, taking the early 3-0 lead.

Hampton did not score for the rest of the half. In fact, they barely even crossed the 50-yard line. They clearly missed Elijah Burris, who did not play due to injury.

Monmouth did not have the same scoring problems.

On the ensuing kickoff, returner TJ Speights nearly took it to the house. The 69-yard return set the Hawks up nicely in the red zone. To finish off the incredible start, running back Sone Ntoh got his first touchdown of the half from a Wildcat formation, where he lined up as the quarterback, took the snap, and ran for a touchdown.

Hampton immediately went 3-and-out on their next drive, giving it back to Monmouth. The Hawks turned their second possession into another set of points. They drove down the field with ease on their first full offensive possession, with Jaden Shirden giving them a 14-3 lead with a nine yard touchdown run.

Once again, Hampton's offense sputtered once they go the ball back. Their passing game was essentially non-existent, which was likely due to the rain. Quarterback Chris Zellous had a couple fumbled snaps and sprayed throws, while the receivers had a hard time corralling the football. The Pirates were forced to punt once again.

The Hawks eagerly took the field once again. This time, they only needed one play to score. Jaden Shirden broke off a 63-yard touchdown run with just 14 seconds left in the first quarter, extending their lead to a dominating 21-3 advantage.

The second quarter was nearly just as bad for Hampton. Though they ended the first quarter with an encouraging 21-yard rush by Darran Butts, they opened the following quarter with an interception. The turnover marked Zellous' eighth interception of the season.

Again, Monmouth marched down the field and converted another Sone Ntoh Wildcat touchdown. They immediately got the ball back due to a fumbled Pirate snap, but could not convert a 44-yard field goal.

The Pirates began a decent drive to close the half, but, despite head coach Robert Prunty's calls for conversions on fourth and short situations, Hampton could not convert a fourth and one to sustain the possession. Monmouth took control with only seconds remaining in the half, scoring one more time to close it out. Quarterback Marquez McCray threw a beautiful deep ball to a wide open Ashanti Caviness Jr., the Hawks' tight end, to finish the half with a 35-3 lead.

The second half opened up with a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown from TJ Speight. The Pirates got their first touchdown on a run from Zellous, but Monmouth literally didn't care. On back-to-back possessions, Jaden Shirden put all of his talents on display, rushing for two touchdowns and extending the lead to an impossible 54-10 score.

The Hawks scored one final time in the fourth quarter, ending the game with a season-high 61 points.

Jaden Shirden had the game of his life against Hampton's defense. In just 16 carries, he rushed for 276 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 17.3 yards per carry. McCray didn't have to do much because of Shirden's domination. He finished with 140 passing yards and a touchdown on 10-16 passing. Assanti Kearney was the leading receiver for the Hawks, catching two balls for 66 yards.

Hampton hardly had anything going for them offensively. Darran Butts, the lead back today, ran for 85 yards on 18 carries. Zellous had a better day rushing than throwing. He turned his 13 carries into 40 yards and a touchdown. On the other hand, he threw for just 45 yards on 7-18 passing, no touchdowns, and an interception.

The Pirates return to Armstrong Stadium on Oct. 21 to take on the Delaware Blue Hens. Delaware is currently the eighth ranked team in the FCS, carrying an overall record of 4-1 and a 2-0 record in the conference. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.