
DATE: Sunday, October 5, 1997               TAG: 9710050198

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:   73 lines

FG WITH 12 SECONDS LEFT LIFTS HAMPTON

The conclusion of last year's Hampton-Florida A&M game made Barbara Twisdale want to cry. And after witnessing a classic rematch, she actually did cry.

But they were tears of joy that flowed from her eyes Saturday after her son Acie Wyatt booted a 35-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining to boost the Pirates past the Rattlers, 18-15, and give Hampton arguably its most significant triumph since it became a Division I-AA program last year.

The victory will almost certainly give Hampton its first-ever Division I-AA Top 25 ranking - Florida A&M came in ranked 11th and 12th in the two major national polls; the Pirates 29th and 31st. It also put Hampton (4-0, 3-1) in a commanding position in the race for the MEAC title. The Pirates have already beaten pre-season favorite Howard, and Saturday's victory was the first over Florida A&M by a MEAC team in 15 games dating to 1994.

Finally, Saturday's victory helped the Pirates erase bitter memories from last season, when the Rattlers won a 59-58, six-overtime thriller at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis in the longest game (five hours, 10 minutes) in NCAA history.

Wyatt had a key role in that game, although it was a part he had no desire to play. His missed extra point in the sixth overtime allowed Florida A&M's successful conversion kick on its subsequent possession to stand up as the margin of victory.

Twisdale, wheelchair-bound because of multiple sclerosis, watched last year's game on television. But Saturday, she was among the 12,207 fans at Armstrong Field looking on, albeit with some trepidation, as the game rested on Wyatt's right foot.

Last year, Wyatt made only one field goal and missed seven extra points. This year, the sophomore from Ashland had missed all four of his field-goal attempts. But Wyatt said his desire to deliver the game-winner infused him with a confidence that belied his meager kicking resume.

``What happened last year made me work that much harder all summer,'' he said. ``I wanted it to come down to me. I wanted redemption.''

Wyatt's heroics also helped redeem the Hampton offense, which piled up 490 yards but crippled itself with six turnovers.

``It looked like Hampton was trying to give us the game,'' Florida A&M coach Billy Joe said.

But after three-plus quarters of being subpar, the Hampton offense suddenly turned sublime. Trailing 15-7, Roy Johnson completed four straight passes to move the Pirates to the Florida A&M 19. Then on fourth-and-11, receiver Kyle Payne outleaped a perfectly positioned Kevin Hill, snatched a Johnson pass at the 10 and sprinted into the end zone. Johnson followed with a two-point conversion run to tie the game at 15 with 5:53 remaining.

The Pirate defense, which held the conference's highest-scoring offense 20 points below its average and MEAC offensive player of the week Oteman Sampson to just 125 yards passing, came up big again, forcing the Rattlers to go three-and-out in just 57 seconds.

Then, from their own 10, the Pirates' offensive line bullied Florida A&M's defense into submission and cleared the way for Hampton running backs to gain 65 of the 71 yards on the game-winning drive.

``We knew from watching film they were weak up the middle,'' said Hampton's Charles ``Boom-Boom'' Jackson, the former Maury star who ran for 147 of the Pirates' 283 rushing yards. ``Our offensive line did a great job.''

The stage was then set for Wyatt, who not only gained personal redemption but also made a nervous mother proud.

``I knew he could make it, but I said a quick prayer anyway,'' Twisdale said. ``I just thank the Lord for what happened.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Hampton University's Acie Wyatt celebrates his game-winning field

goal that beat Florida A&M. On the ground is Florida A&M's Jonathan

Walker.

Hampton University's Kyle Payne caught a pass on fourth-and-11 and

scored to set the stage for Acie Wyatt's game-winning field goal.