Deion Sanders and his Jackson State Tigers were favored to win the Celebration Bowl. Unfortunately for JSU South Carolina State Coach Oliver "Buddy" Fields and his Bulldogs had other ideas.
South Carolina State QB, Cory Fields Jr. threw for four touchdowns, three to Shaquan Davis, and South Carolina State stunned Jackson State 31-10 on Saturday in a game for the national championship of historically Black colleges and universities.
The Alcorn State Braves (9-3) defeated the Southern Jaguars on the SWAC Championship Game to advance to the Celebration Bowl to face MEAC champion North Carolina A&T (9-2) for the HBCU national championship. The game will take place Saturday, Dec. 15, at noon ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and aired live on ABC.
Entering its fourth year, the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl has established itself as a premier bowl game and celebrates the heritage, legacy, pageantry, and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It is a championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions. ESPN Events collaborates with 100 Black Men of Atlanta to organize the game’s ancillary events which include a youth symposium, robotics showcase, gospel night, fan experience and more. The MEAC leads the overall Celebration Bowl series 2-1 after three years. North Carolina A&T defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in the inaugural game in 2015. In 2016, Grambling State defeated North Carolina Central 10-9. As in previous years, last year’s Celebration Bowl was a tight battle with North Carolina A&T beating Grambling State 21-14.
Fans can purchase tickets to the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl online at thecelebrationbowl.com or ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Prices range from $15 to $155 including taxes and fees. A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website.
The North Carolina A&T Aggies (12-0) are once again HBCU football champions after defeating the Grambling University Tigers (11-2) by a score of 21-14 at the third annual Celebration Bowl.
The Aggies were lead by QB Lamar Raynard, who completed 23 of 43 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown and had 17 yards on eight carries.
"It's a great feeling to make history," the junior quarterback said.
Running back Marquell Cartwright aided the team's effort by rushing for 110 yards on 20 carries.
Franklin McCain III made the defensive play of the day for the Aggies. The freshman cornerback ended a Grambling drive following the second-half kickoff with an interception at the goal line.
"It's awesome," said McCain. "Not many programs can say that they went 12-0 and won a national championship. It's unbelievable."
"It's an awesome feeling to be 12-0 right now," N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway said. "I'm just extremely proud of our players, and I'm happy for our school."
The Celebration Bowl has the winner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) face the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC ) champion to decide who is the best in HBCU football.
This is North Carolina A&T's fourth championship. They also won pre-Celebration Bowl championships in 1990 and 1999 before winning the inaugural Celebration Bowl in 2015.
In a low-scoring affair, Grambling State came out on top with a 10-9 win over North Carolina Central in the 2016 Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl.
A sluggish first half by Grambling State gave way to a much better performance in the second half by the Tigers. The Tigers were led by Martez Carter, who got the second half started with a 32-yard touchdown run that capped off an eight-play, 70-yard drive to take a 7-3 lead.
“It is a great win for our program. It was one of those situations where we had to battle right down and play great defense and run the football." Head Coach Broderick Fobbs said. "That is what makes our football team a very dominant team. We are able to win in many different ways.”
The Tigers’ Arkez Cooper would force a fumble on N.C. Central’s next possession with a strip-sack, and the Tigers took over at N.C. Central’s 25 yard line. The Tigers would get three points off of the turnover, with a 26 yard field goal from Jonathan Wallace to give the Tigers a 10-3 lead.
N.C. Central thought that it had the game tied up late in the fourth quarter after a 39 yard touchdown pass from Malcolm Bell to Quentin Atkinson. However, a blocked extra point by Joesph McWilliams kept the Tigers’ lead, making it 10-9. That play turned out to be the deciding factor. Grambling would not let NC Central have another possession, holding on for the victory.
Grambling State’s Martez Carter was named the game’s offensive MVP, totaling 109 yards rushing on 12 carries and one touchdown. Carter also added 69 yards on returns and 23 receiving yards for 201 all-purpose yards.
“Today, we ran the football effectively, and were able to establish some drives and put what we needed to do in the end zone” Fobbs added. “ My hat goes off to North Carolina Central, they have a great program. It was definitely an even matched ball game, as you can tell by the score.”
Jameel Jackson was named Defensive MVP. Jackson recorded five solo tackles and an interception in the win.
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Sure, Michigan vs Ohio State is a great rivalry right up there with Alabama vs Auburn , and Army vs Navy, but let's not forget about today's matchup of Grambling University (8-1) vs Southern University(8-2) in the Bayou Classic.
The two HBCU teams head into the 43rd edition of the Bayou Classic with a lot on the line. Both teams are undefeated in the Western Division so the winner of the game will head to the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) championship game to face Eastern Division champ, Alcorn State. The winner of that game heads to the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl to play MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Champion North Carolina Central see who is the best HBCU football team in the country.
How to watch, stream and listen:
TV: 5 p.m. ET, NBCSN
Radio: Grambling State | Southern
Online streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra
North Carolina A&T came out on top of Alcorn State in the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl. In the battle of HBCUs between the SWAC and the MEAC champs, MEAC champ North Carolina A&T outlasted Alcorn State 41-34.
The Aggies were led by running back Tarik Cohen who rushed for for 285 yards and three touchdowns.
The Aggies finished the season 10-2 and are now HBCU national championship. Congrats to the North Carolina A&T Aggies!
Two HBCU football teams will make history in the inaugural Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl which will pit the SWAC champion, Alcorn State (9-3) against the MEAC champion, North Carolina A&T Aggies (9-2). The winner will be the ultimate HBCU champion! The game will be played at the Georgia Dome on December 19th and will air on ABC at noon Eastern Time.
December 19th marks the ultimate face-off in HBCU HISTORY! Get your tix for the Air Force Reserve #CelebrationBowl today...
Posted by Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl on Tuesday, December 8, 2015
