You know something has gone terribly wrong when Norfolk State and Hampton fans alike are wondering who Dr. Harvey is going to fire after this game. That’s how bad the Pirates 46-6 defeat at the hands of the Spartans was – somebody deserves to lose a job.
But really, who could he fire? Head coach Donovan Rose? Harvey and athletic director Lonza Hardy just gave him the gig. The players? Once the throttling begun, could you really blame them if they just wanted to get it done, over with, and back on the bus?
There aren’t many numbers that I could cite that would make this outcome more convincing and disparaging than the final score itself. Norfolk State ran when it wanted to, passed when it wanted to, and did most of its damage in the first half without retaliation from Hampton.
But unlike the result from the FAMU-SCSU game, there would be no second half gasps of pride from the Pirates. The Pirates gained only 203 yards in four quarters of futility, and in the second half, gave up a safety to end the contest.
Despite the carnage, this game had some conference race implications. Norfolk State can keep hope alive for contention in the championship chase, and Hampton is not all the way out of it. Of course, it may be all for naught if South Carolina State runs the table, and if Morgan State is a better team than they look; but it makes for a much better conference RPI that the teams appear so evenly balanced from week to week.
But there was nothing balanced about this year’s Battle of the Bay, and you can only wonder if the Pirates pick themselves up after this loss, or melt down completely as has become the custom in recent years.
