Campbell’s offense found another gear Saturday in Virginia, and it came from a player who played high school ball in the Camels’ backyard.
Sophomore running back JJ Cowan, a former Triton High standout in Dunn, erupted for 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns to power Campbell past Hampton 38-21 at Armstrong Stadium. The win was the Camels’ first on the road this season and pushed them to 2-5 overall and 2-1 in CAA play.
Cowan, who was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, scored on runs of 1, 5 and 63 yards — the last of which sealed the game late in the fourth quarter. His performance marked his first career 100-yard outing as a college player and helped the Camels pile up 301 rushing yards, their most ever against a CAA opponent since joining the league in 2023.
Campbell trailed 14-3 midway through the second quarter before reeling off 28 unanswered points to take control. Cowan’s second-quarter score cut the deficit to 14-10 before his go-ahead touchdown early in the third quarter put the Camels on top for good.
Moments later, Ethan Lawrence broke free for a 41-yard touchdown, and Lakeem Rudolph followed with a pick-six — the program’s first since 2021 — as Campbell’s defense took over.
That defense proved dominant, notching five sacks and 11 tackles for loss while holding Hampton to just 207 total yards (76 on the ground). Ashton Miller tallied 1.5 sacks and seven tackles, while Logan Livermon led the team with 10 stops.
Cowan wasn’t alone in the offensive fireworks. Lawrence added 80 yards on nine carries, and Mike Chandler II combined with Kamden Sixkiller for 125 passing yards. Trayjen Llanas-Wilcox hauled in three passes for 63 yards to pace the receiving group.
After an August/September stretch, which saw multiple close games get away, Campbell has begun to find its rhythm and identity under second-year head coach Braxton Harris — and a balanced rushing attack anchored by a local star may be just what the Camels needed headed for the stretch run of the season.
Next up: Campbell hosts New Hampshire on Oct. 18 at 3:30 p.m. for homecoming in Buies Creek. The Camels still have games remaining against in-state CAA foes North Carolina A&T (road, Oct. 25) and Elon (home, Nov. 15).
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Homecoming Game on deck! ⏭️
🎟️ https://t.co/BIkfm0gDrd #FightAsONE | #RollHumps 🐪🏈 pic.twitter.com/OM34RbfzxD— Campbell Football (@GoCamelsFB) October 13, 2025
