HAMPTON, VA – For one half, Campbell's first game as a nationally ranked football program wasn't going according to plan.
Then came the third quarter.
No. 22 Campbell turned a 13-13 halftime tie into a 44-13 runaway with a stunning 31-point third quarter Saturday night, overwhelming Hampton 44-20 at Darling Stadium and making the Camels' first game with a number beside their name a memorable one.
Campbell improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in CAA play in the 200th game in program history.
But before the celebration came a first half filled with opportunities for Hampton.
Campbell fumbled away the opening kickoff, giving the Pirates possession at the Camels' 35. Hampton converted the mistake into a 37-yard Brett Starling field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
The Camels answered quickly. Kamden Sixkiller found Connor Adair for a 28-yard touchdown to put Campbell ahead 6-3, but another Campbell fumble late in the opening quarter set Hampton up at the CU 20. Gracen Goldsmith scored four plays later to put the Pirates back in front.
Campbell responded again when Sixkiller connected with Chinua Ezeigbo for a 34-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
Hampton then threatened to take control just before halftime, driving 78 yards to the Campbell 1. But the Camels' defense kept the Pirates out of the end zone, forcing them to settle for a 19-yard field goal and a 13-13 tie.
It proved to be Hampton's last chance to keep pace.
Campbell's first five possessions of the second half produced points.
The first was an 82-yard march capped by De'Von Thomas' two-yard touchdown run. After the defense forced a Hampton punt, Campbell went 45 yards for another score, this time with Sixkiller finding Thomas from 29 yards out.
Kaleb Robison's 24-yard field goal made it 30-13.
Then the Campbell defense joined the avalanche.
AJ Benton recovered a Hampton fumble, giving the Camels possession at the Pirates' 22. Three plays later, Sixkiller connected with freshman Christian Campbell for a six-yard touchdown.
Six seconds of game time later, Gavin Harris intercepted Tre'Von Taylor.
It took Campbell exactly one offensive play to capitalize.
Sixkiller hit Ezeigbo for a 64-yard touchdown, and a game tied at halftime had suddenly become a 44-13 rout. Campbell's five third-quarter scoring drives covered 82, 45, 34, 22 and 64 yards.
Sixkiller was at the center of nearly everything.
The Campbell quarterback completed 24 of 31 passes for 308 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led the Camels with 73 rushing yards on only five carries. It marked his fourth 300-yard passing performance through Campbell's first five games.
Ezeigbo made the most of his opportunities, catching only two passes but turning them into 98 yards and two touchdowns. Twelve different Campbell players caught a pass as the Camels finished with 534 yards of offense – 337 through the air and 197 on the ground.
The defense did its part as well, holding Hampton to 62 rushing yards while recording nine tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions. Campbell forced three turnovers after halftime after committing two of its own before the break.
Hampton added a fourth-quarter touchdown, but by then the result had long since been decided.
Campbell's first half looked nothing like the debut a newly ranked program might have envisioned.
Its third quarter looked exactly like one.
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