HAMPTON — Facing a top-10 team and the nation’s leading rusher was tough enough for Hampton University. Yet had the Pirates executed better in the red zone and not hurt themselves with killer penalties … who knows?

Instead, No. 10 Monmouth came out with a 28-10 win on homecoming Saturday before a crowd of 8,693 at Armstrong Stadium. Rodney Nelson easily eclipsed his per-game rushing average of 143.6 yards and scored all four touchdowns for the Hawks, who are 10th in the FCS Stats Perform poll.

As for Hampton (2-7, 0-5 Coastal Athletic Association), which was six yards away from making it a three-point game at halftime, it came down to mistakes and missed opportunities.

“Our guys played hard,” HU coach Trenton Boykin said. “We talked about it all week to get ourselves to the fourth quart

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