HAMPTON (WAVY) — The Hampton University football team is off to a hot start and the Pirates hope to continue their winning ways this Saturday when they head to Williamsburg to take on No. 12 William & Mary.

Fresh off a win over Howard in Washington D.C. and riding a three-game winning streak, the Pirates, in their ninth matchup against the Tribe, hope to erase the sour taste of a defeat last year after they had led W&M 10-7 at the start of the fourth quarter before losing 34-10.

“This game is personal,” said Hampton running back Ja’Quan Snipes. “We understand we can hang with these guys without the turnovers and mistakes that we made.”

Said defensive back Xavier Marshall: “It’s definitely a sour taste in our mouth, and we are bringing that animosity from last year.”

Still sporting the interim tag, Hampton coach Trent Boykin seemingly is in a good position to land the job on a full-time basis. However, things get a lot tougher for Boykin and the Pirates. Starting Saturday against William & Mary, it’s CAA conference play the rest of the way.

“It’s the next one, that’s why it’s a big one,” Boykin said. “We can’t treat it as we’re playing the tenth-ranked team. We gotta prepare, and the biggest thing is we gotta take care of ourselves.”