Braden Davis helps Hampton hold off Norfolk State for 41-34 victory

Oct 4, 2026, 08:50 pm

HAMPTON, Va. -- — Braden Davis threw a touchdown pass and had one of four rushing touchdowns for Hampton, helping the Pirates hold off Norfolk State for a 41-34 win on Saturday.

Davis ran 21 yards for a touchdown with 8:52 left to play to give Hampton (2-4) a 41-31 lead. He completed 16 of 28 passes for 202 yards with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Shepard to get the Pirates within 14-10 after one quarter.

Otto Kuhns followed a 65-yard scoring strike to DreSean Kendrick with a 9-yard touchdown toss to Jaylen Laudermilk to give Norfolk State (1-5) a 14-3 lead 10 minutes into the game.

Xzavion Evans scored on a 1-yard plunge early in the second quarter to push the Spartans' lead to 21-10.

The Pirates answered with Gracen Goldsmith's 30-yard touchdown run, Brett Starling's second field goal and MarShawn Ferguson Jr.'s 14-yard run to the end zone for a 27-21 advantage at halftime.

Jah'Kei Chavis scored on a 4-yard run midway through the third quarter and Hampton led 34-24 heading to the fourth.

Kuhns connected with Ikeem Wright for an 18-yard score to get the Spartans within 34-31 with 10:23 remaining. Marco Peery had two second-half field goals.

Kuhns finished with 242 yards on 15-for-26 passing.

------ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football