Hampton University spoiled Richmond's Family Weekend event with a 31-14 rout over the Spiders. The Pirates moved to 3-1 on the season and opened up the CAA Conference play 1-0 this Saturday.

Hampton came into the game looking for its first win against Richmond. Until Saturday, the Spiders enjoyed a 4-0 record against the Pirates. Their most recent victory was last season at Armstrong Stadium, where Richmond disrupted Hampton's homecoming, 41-10.

For much of the first quarter, the game was a defensive battle. Each team possessed the ball three times before either one put points on the board. At the end of the game, there were a combined 14 punts for a total of 585 yards. Both punters' longest kick flew for 53 yards.

The competition for field position finally ended when Hampton's offense got on track. The Pirates seemed to be rusty early on, likely due to their bye the previous week. However, once they marched the ball down the field, quarterback Chris Zellous worked his magic. In the red zone, he juked defenders as he ran in for the first score of the game.

Hampton's next possession ended in a missed field goal from 40 yards, but they swiftly moved the ball down the field once again on the ensuing possession. The drive ended in a touchdown run from Tymere Robinson, giving them a 14-0 lead.

While the Pirates were busy moving the ball up and down the field, the Spiders' offense couldn't get out of their own way. They started the game with redshirt freshman Ashten Snelsire, but the young playcaller couldn't get his footing in his first career start. He finished the game with just four passing attempts, including one completion for six yards and an interception.

Eventually, Richmond switched to true freshman Camden Coleman, though his early play was nearly as rough as Snelsire's. With 3:24 to go in the second quarter, the Spiders had run 20 plays for just 32 yards and hadn't gotten a first down.

Meanwhile, Hampton's final possession of the half was a microcosm of the afternoon. With just a little over a minute remaining, the Pirates got to work on the ground with runs from both Zellous and Elijah Burris. Then they worked through the air with two completions to wide receiver Kymari Gray. Hampton finished the half with a field goal.

The Pirates opened the second half with a 17-0 lead. They did not continue dominating immediately, however, as Zellous threw an interception. With the momentum, the Spiders finally got into the end zone off a touchdown throw to their tight end, Brooks Heagarty.

Though the Spiders' offense had some success, their defense was stuck looking for answers. Despite a holding penalty, Zellous threw a touchdown to Dorrian Moutlrie, extending the lead to 24-7.

Richmond struck back with another touchdown, trying to cut into the lead, but the Pirates offense was too overwhelming. Zellous rushed for his second touchdown to put the game nearly out of reach at 31-14. The Spiders mounted one last comeback, but Coleman was picked off by Stanley Garner (his second of the game) to seal the deal.

Coleman finished the day with a respectable stat line: he was 24-34 for 224 yards and two touchdowns. 91 of those passing yards went to veteran receiver Nick DeGenarro, including a touchdown.

Zellous had a complete game. He was also 24-34 with 256 yards and a touchdown. He had 14 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns.

Hampton's “Killer B's,” the nicknames for running backs Elijah Burris and Darran Butts, dominated the ground game. Butts finished with 14 carries for 67 yards, while Burris totaled 115 yards on his 16 carries.

The Pirates return home next week to play the 2-3 Campbell Fighting Camels.