The Howard University Bison defeated the Hampton University Pirates 27-13 in the Battle of the Real HU on Saturday before a crowd of 15,389 fans at Audi Field.
“When you think about Howard and Hampton, just the relevance and the history of these universities and what they mean to the community, not only the African American community, but to all of our communities,” D.C. United President of Business Operations Danita Johnson said to ABC7 News, “to host that and to have this moment here with them is always special.”
The victory marked Howard’s second consecutive win over Hampton in the 101st meeting between the two historically Black programs.
“Just to be able to play in this game and win two years in a row and start a new streak for the young guys,” said graduate student defensive back J. Augustus Olidge to WUSA9. “The young guys haven’t experienced a loss against Hampton, and that’s the way we want to keep it.”
Saturday’s historic matchup marked Ted White’s first Battle of the Real HU as Howard’s head coach. It was also Van Malone’s first appearance in the rivalry since assuming the head coach position at Hampton in December 2025. White, however, was no stranger to the historic rivalry, having played quarterback for the Bison from 1995 to 1998 and previously faced Hampton during his college playing career.
“[This win] means momentum,” White said. “We didn’t worry about any other game on our schedule but the [Battle of the Real HU] today. And I’m proud of these guys because they worked tremendously hard this week, and to see them reap the benefits of their hard work is always great.”
Howard’s balanced offensive attack and dominant defensive performance proved to be the difference maker in the highly anticipated game. The Bison established their run game early, with running backs Travis Kerney, Eden James, Billy Roberson II, and quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins working together to keep Hampton’s defense under pressure.
Kerney opened the Bison’s scoring effect with a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and James added another 2-yard touchdown in the second to extend Howard’s lead 14-3. The Hampton Pirates responded with an 83-yard touchdown drive before halftime, but Howard answered with a 25-yard Matt Conord field goal to take a 17-10 lead into the break.
The Bison’s defense took control in the second half, holding Hampton to just 36 rushing yards and recording a season-high six sacks. Linebacker Aidan Foster led the defensive effort with five tackles, four solo stops and 1.5 sacks, as defensive backs Kaleb Gallop, Joseph Tabe and linebacker Cameron Demma also finished with five tackles apiece.
“Kyshoen Jarrett, our defensive coordinator, he’s a star, and our guys have really done a great job, led by Rodney Roane, [Kaleb] Gallop, [Kedrick Green], and all of those guys who have done a really good job of just making sure that we were able to stay true to what we do,” White said
Conord added a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter, remaining perfect on the season at 5-for-5, to extend Howard’s lead to 20-10. Hampton managed another field goal in the fourth, but the Bison put the game out of reach when Roberson turned a short pass from Scroggins into a 52-yard touchdown, marking the first touchdown reception of his career.
Scroggins was the key to Howard’s offensive success, rushing for a team-high of 64 yards while completing 23-of-34 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown. The Bison’s ability to run effectively while limiting Hampton on the ground allowed Howard to control the game down the stretch and secure its second straight victory in the rivalry.
“Our offensive start by Ja’Shawn Scroggins has done a tremendous job all year,” Coach White continued. “He had some rushed passes the last couple of games. But to see him come out here and really lead the guys the right way is always good.”
Howard’s victory in the nation’s capital snapped the program’s three-game losing streak and improved the Bison to a 2-3 record on the season, while the Pirates dropped to 1-5.
The Howard Bison will travel to Philadelphia to take on Ivy League UPenn Quakers in week five of the college football season, before returning home to Greene Stadium for their 102nd Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 17, against the Morehouse Maroon Tigers.
“We have a lot of things to clean up, but to be able to get the win and do that on the winning side is always great,” White said. “We’re looking forward to celebrating this for 24 hours, and then we’ll get started on [University of Pennsylvania].”
