In their final game of the season, the Hampton Pirates football team were utterly humiliated by the Elon Phoenix with a 51-14 loss. By the end of the first half, the Phoenix were up 44-7. Elon finished with 451 total yards of offense compared to 192 from Hampton.

With the loss, the Pirates finish the season with a 5-6 record, and improvement from their 4-7 record last season. They went 3-5 in the CAA, a considerable improvement over their 1-7 conference record in 2022.

Hampton head coach Robert Prunty finished his sixth season with the school with a losing record. The Pirates have not had a winning season since 2018, when they went 7-3.

The first play of the game was indicative of how the rest of the afternoon played out. On the initial kickoff, Phoenix receiver and returner Chandler Brayboy broke off a 56-yard return. With that huge gain, Brayboy became the school's leader in single-season kickoff return yardage. Immediately following the return, quarterback Matthew Downing threw a jump ball to receiver Jamarien Dalton for a 33-yard touchdown. Dalton, standing a 6'2″, jumped over the defensive back, snatched the ball out of the air, and waltzed into the end zone for the score.

Without Elijah Burris, the run game for the Pirates lost its edge. However, on their first drive, they found some success through the air. Hampton got a couple first downs, but the drive stalled at mid field. On a third-and-four, quarterback Chris Zellous threw a deep ball, but the pass fell incomplete. The Pirates complained for a pass interference to no avail.

Hampton's punt put Elon inside their own 10-yard line. Phoenix running back Jalen Hampton got them out of potential danger with a run that ended close to their own 20-yard line. A few plays later, Elon took a 14-0 lead as Downing found Brayboy for a 60-yard touchdown. Brayboy drew coverage from a linebacker, which allowed him to use his speed to get open downfield.

On the Pirates' second possession, they continued to find success throwing the ball. Zellous hit receiver Romon Copeland for two big third down conversions to keep the drive going. They capped off the possession with a 43-yard touchdown to receiver Paul Woods off a play action fake. Hampton's prospects looked bright as they got the ball back right after the kickoff. Jalen Hampton ran for a big gain, but defensive back Tre Stafford forced the ball loose on the tackle. Pirate linebacker DeAndre Faulk recovered the ball, giving his team a chance to tie the game. Unfortunately, a three-and-out forced the Pirates to punt, failing to take advantage of the turnover.

A series of chunk plays for the Phoenix gave them a 21-7 lead. First, Downing hit Cornell Hendrick Jr. for a 31-yard completion. Then, he found Christian Da-Silva for a 33-yard touchdown.

The rest of the half went about as poorly as possible for Hampton. As they started their next possession, Zellous threw the Pirates' 14th pick of the season to defensive back Bo Sanders. Sanders returned the interception for a touchdown. Elon missed the point after, keeping the scoreboard at 27-7. On Hampton's next offensive play, Zellous lost the snap. Linebacker Marco Patierno recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown to take a commanding 34-7 lead.

The Phoenix got the ball back again after a punt, though the Hampton defense held them to just a field goal. However, the Pirates' last offensive possession of the half ended in disappointment. Back to back sacks on second and third down forced them to punt with over a minute remaining. Downing and the Elon Phoenix took advantage of the little time left. He hit tight end Johncarlos Miller II for a 53-yard touchdown to enter half time with a 44-7 lead.

The start of the third quarter provided a sliver of positivity for Hampton. They actually began with a three-and-out, but the Pirates recovered a muffed punt. They got to the red zone for the first time in the afternoon, basically running the ball all the way to the goal line. Zellous kept the ball on a zone read for the touchdown, shortening the deficit to 44-14.

The rest of the third quarter presented a series of three-and-outs and punts from both teams. On one particular possession, Elon ran a fake punt on fourth-and-two, though the play was unsuccessful. Hampton could not do much with the ball after the turnover on downs.

To start the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Justin Allen checked in for Downing. Additionally, Wayne Dixie III subbed in for Jalen Hampton. Dixie, a redshirt junior, took full advantage of his opportunity. Elon fed him almost exclusively for the entirety of the opening drive of the quarter. Dixie got seven carries on the drive, turning them into 89 yards and a touchdown. On the scoring play, Dixie rumbled on a 27-yard rush, trucking through and stiff arming potential tacklers on his way to the end zone. With the score, Elon took a 51-14 lead; the 51 points are the most in program history under head coach Tony Trisciani.

Hampton gave the Phoenix the ball again off of a punt. In turn, Elon ran clock with their backup running backs, taking it all the way to the goal line once again. They turned the ball over on downs again, but Hampton's offense couldn't get anything going for the last time. They punted, and the Phoenix burned the rest of the clock.

Everything went right offensively for the Elon Phoenix. Matthew Downing completed 10 of his 18 passing attempts for 261 yards and four touchdowns. Jamarien Dalton led all receivers with three catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Wayne Dixie III, on just one drive, led all rushers with seven carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Hampton finished behind him with 66 yards on his 11 carries.

Meanwhile, the Pirate offense sputtered in its final showing. Chris Zellous went 12-26 through the air, throwing for 129 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. He finished the year with 14 interceptions and 13 passing touchdowns. Romon Copeland was his favorite target today, hauling in four catches for 32 yards. Paul Woods led the Hampton receivers with 59 yards and a touchdown on his two catches. Darran Butts had 39 yards on his 16 carries.