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2022 Celebration Bowl

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2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl
7th Celebration Bowl
Jackson State Tigers North Carolina Central Eagles
(12–0) (9–2)
SWAC MEAC
34 41
Head coach: 
Deion Sanders		 Head coach: 
Trei Oliver
CoachesSTATS
510
CoachesSTATS
21NR
1234OT Total
Jackson State 7140130 34
North Carolina Central 107987 41
DateDecember 17, 2022
Season2022
StadiumMercedes-Benz Stadium
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
MVPDavius Richard (QB, NC Central) & Khalil Baker (DB, NC Central)[1]
FavoriteJackson State by 14[2]
RefereeBilly Williams (MAC)[3]
Attendance49,670
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersTiffany Greene (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline)
International TV coverage
NetworkESPN Deportes and ESPN Brazil
AnnouncersESPN Brazil: Thiago Alves (play-by-play) and Deivis Chiodini (analyst)
Celebration Bowl
 < 2021  2023 > 

The 2022 Celebration Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 17, 2022, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The seventh annual Celebration Bowl, the game featured the Jackson State Tigers, champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and the North Carolina Central Eagles, champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The SWAC and MEAC are the two prominent NCAA Division I conferences of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The game began at 12:07 p.m. EST[4] and aired on ABC.[5] It was the only Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) contest of the 2022–23 bowl games. Sponsored by wireless service provider Cricket Wireless, it was officially known as the Cricket Celebration Bowl.

Teams

[edit]

The Celebration Bowl featured the Jackson State Tigers, champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and North Carolina Central Eagles, champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). This was North Carolina Central's second Celebration Bowl appearance following their one-point loss to Grambling State in 2016.[6] The Celebration Bowl is viewed by some as the de facto black college football national championship game, though not unanimously;[7][8] North Carolina Central claims one black college football national championship: in 2006, as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.[9] Jackson State claims four, most recently in 2021 despite their loss in the Celebration Bowl to South Carolina State, which was also their only previous Celebration Bowl appearance.[10]

This was the fourth meeting between Jackson State and North Carolina Central; Jackson State entered leading the series 3–0. The teams had last played in 1987, when the Tigers defeated the Eagles 10–9.[9]

Jackson State

[edit]
Main article: 2022 Jackson State Tigers football team

In their third season under head coach Deion Sanders, the Jackson State Tigers began the year with a dominant win over Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic, played at Hard Rock Stadium.[11] Their second game was also a neutral site contest, as they defeated Tennessee State in the Southern Heritage Classic by thirteen points.[12] The Tigers played their home opener the following week, against Grambling State,[13] and defeated Mississippi Valley State at home to lead into a bye week.[14] Now ranked in the top 10 by the STATS FCS Poll, the Tigers continued their good form in a pair of road contests, first defeating Alabama State by fourteen points[15] and then beating Bethune–Cookman by forty.[16] Jackson State's homecoming game followed, as the Tigers hosted the Campbell Fighting Camels from the Big South Conference, and won by eight.[17] The following weekend, on October 29, Jackson State played host to College GameDay for the first time[18] as the Tigers defeated Southern in a shutout, 35–0.[19] That game was their final home contest of the season, as the followed it up with a road win at Texas Southern,[20] a neutral-site contest in Mobile, Alabama, against Alabama A&M,[21] and another road win over Alcorn State to cap their undefeated regular season.[22] This undefeated season also guaranteed them a bid to the SWAC Football Championship Game, where they defeated Southern for a second time to win their second consecutive SWAC championship.[23] The Tigers entered the game with a 12–0 record, and an 8–0 mark in conference play, and ranked No. 10 by the STATS Poll[24] and No. 5 by the Coaches' Poll.[25]

On December 3, 2022, following the conclusion of the SWAC championship game, it was announced that Sanders would accept the head coaching position at Colorado.[26] He arrived in Boulder to take the job the following day,[27] but clarified that he would remain with Jackson State through the end of the season,[28] making the Celebration Bowl his last game at Jackson State.[29]

North Carolina Central

[edit]
Main article: 2022 North Carolina Central Eagles football team

In their third season under head coach Trei Oliver, the North Carolina Central (NCCU) Eagles began their 2022 campaign with a neutral site rivalry game against North Carolina A&T, which they won, marking their first win over the Aggies since 2016.[30] NCCU's home opener played to a shutout victory over Winston-Salem State, an NCAA Division II school which is also an HBCU.[31] NCCU pulled an upset the next week, defeating No. 25 New Hampshire on the road and taking their spot at No. 25 in the rankings the following week.[32] After a sound defeat of Virginia–Lynchburg the following week,[33] NCCU suffered their first defeat of the season at Campbell in their fifth game.[34] Following a bye week, they opened conference play with a 39-point defeat of Morgan State,[35] but were defeated on the road the following week by defending Celebration Bowl champions South Carolina State.[36] NCCU returned to winning ways with a victory over Delaware State,[37] and won their homecoming game against Howard.[38] The Eagles clinched the MEAC Championship and their bid to the Celebration Bowl on November 12, 2022, after defeating Norfolk State, 48–14.[39] They finished their regular season on with an away victory against Tennessee Tech by virtue of a field goal as time expired.[40] NCCU entered the game with an overall record of 9–2 and a MEAC record of 4–1.[40] They were ranked No. 21 in the Coaches' Poll[25] but were unranked in the STATS Poll prior to the game.[24]

Game summary

[edit]

The Celebration Bowl was televised by ESPN, with a commentary team of Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker, and Tiffany Blackmon.[41] The ESPN Radio broadcast of the game featured commentators Anish Shroff, Max Starks, and Harry Lyles Jr. The game was officiated by a Mid-American Conference crew led by referee Billy Williams and umpire Tony Day.[3] The game was played indoors at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.[4]

Scoring summary

[edit]
2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
No. 10 Jackson State 7 14 013034
North Carolina Central 10 7 98741

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

  • Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: n/a (game played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 49,670
  • Referee: Billy Williams
  • TV announcers (ABC): Tiffany Greene (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline)
  • Box score
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP Jackson State North Carolina Central
1 11:37 7 60 3:23 NC Central 32-yard field goal by Adrian Olivo 0 3
1 7:27 4 67 2:12 NC Central Davius Richard 4-yard touchdown run, Adrian Olivo kick good 0 10
1 6:28 4 64 0:52 Jackson State D.J. Stevens 24-yard touchdown reception from Shedeur Sanders, Alejandro Mata kick good 7 10
2 10:41 3 96 1:08 Jackson State Kevin Coleman Jr. 85-yard touchdown reception from Shedeur Sanders, Alejandro Mata kick good 14 10
2 3:51 11 75 6:50 NC Central J'Mari Taylor 10-yard touchdown run, Adrian Olivo kick good 14 17
2 0:30 9 85 3:11 Jackson State Shedeur Sanders 7-yard touchdown run, Alejandro Mata kick good 21 17
3 5:45 12 87 7:21 NC Central Quentin McCall 12-yard touchdown reception from Davius Richard, Adrian Olivo kick failed (wide right) 21 23
3 0:23 6 61 3:44 NC Central 21-yard field goal by Adrian Olivo 21 26
4 11:25 10 55 3:51 Jackson State Travis Hunter 18-yard touchdown reception from Shedeur Sanders, 2-point pass failed 27 26
4 4:31 11 73 6:48 NC Central Latrell Collier 7-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good 27 34
4 0:00 15 81 4:31 Jackson State Travis Hunter 19-yard touchdown reception from Shedeur Sanders, Alejandro Mata kick good 34 34
OT 4 25 NC Central Davius Richard 1-yard touchdown run, Adrian Olivo kick good 34 41
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 34 41

Statistics

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "North Carolina Central wins 2022 Celebration Bowl, knocks off Jackson State in overtime".
  2. ^ Taddeo, Frankie (December 8, 2022). "Odds for every college football bowl game in 2022–23". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Austro, Ben (December 4, 2022). "2022–23 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e "2022 Celebration Bowl Final Stats" (PDF). Statbroadcast. December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "2022 College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Grambling St blocks kick, stops North Carolina Central 10–9". ESPN. December 17, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "Dates set for HBCU football kick off, national championship". Cricket Celebration Bowl. May 31, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Sharrock, Rory (December 18, 2021). "How Celebration Bowl final sparks legit debate over who's the HBCU football national champion". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "North Carolina Central University Football Records Book" (PDF). North Carolina Central Football. North Carolina Central Eagles Athletics. June 7, 2022. pp. 34–40. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  10. ^ Mosley, Kyle T. (December 24, 2021). "Debating who won the 2021 HBCU National Championship is difficult? Seeing who won, was easy!". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Becton, Stan (September 4, 2022). "Jackson State dominates Florida A&M, wins Orange Blossom Classic 59–3". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  12. ^ Mosley, Kyle T. (September 11, 2022). "Jackson State outlasts Tennessee State in a defensive slugfest, wins 2022 Southern Heritage Classic". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  13. ^ Newsome, Langston (September 17, 2022). "Jackson State football, Deion Sanders drop Grambling State 66–24". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  14. ^ "Sanders' 4 TDs helps Jackson St. rout Mississippi Valley St". CBS Sports. September 24, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  15. ^ Rushin, Jerell (October 8, 2022). "Jackson State football defeats Alabama State 26–12 despite slow-starting offense". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  16. ^ Pepper, Cole (October 16, 2022). "Jackson State dominates Bethune–Cookman 48–8 at TIAA Bank Field". WJXT. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  17. ^ Mosley, Kyle T. (October 22, 2022). "Jackson State holds off Campbell for homecoming victory". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  18. ^ Wicker, Sydney (October 30, 2022). "ESPN's College GameDay made an impact in Jackson; "Had me darn in tears just thinking about where we started from and where we are today"". WLBT. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  19. ^ Scott, Willie D. (October 29, 2022). "Southern falls to Jackson State". Southern Jaguars Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  20. ^ Dean, Richard (November 6, 2022). "Texas Southern falls to Jackson State in front of sellout crowd". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  21. ^ Pounds, Emily (November 12, 2022). "Jackson State takes home the win as the Gulf Coast Challenge comes to a close". WPMI. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Keith, J.T. (November 19, 2022). "Travis Hunter shines, Jackson State football takes down Alcorn State for unbeaten regular season". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  23. ^ Newsome, Langston (December 3, 2022). "Jackson State football repeats as SWAC champion as Deion Sanders' future takes center stage". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Haley, Craig (November 21, 2022). "Jackrabbits Reaffirm No. 1 Ranking Entering FCS Playoffs". The Analyst. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  25. ^ a b "South Dakota State rolls into playoffs at No. 1". American Football Coaches Association. November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  26. ^ Graham, Pat (December 4, 2022). "Colorado makes a 'Prime Time' move, hiring Deion Sanders as football coach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  27. ^ Richardson, Kasey (December 4, 2022). "Deion Sanders officially arrives in Boulder after being hired to become head football coach". CBS News. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  28. ^ Jay, Rob (December 7, 2022). "Deion Sanders says he will coach JSU during Celebration Bowl: 'I would see it no other way'". WAPT. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  29. ^ Busby, Garrett (December 4, 2022). "4 Mississippi schools receive bowl game destinations". WLBT. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  30. ^ "NC Central wins 2022 Duke's Mayo Classic against NC A&T 28–13". WRAL. September 4, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  31. ^ "North Carolina Central dominates Winston-Salem State in 41–0 shutout". HBCU Sports. September 11, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  32. ^ "NC Central football looks to inch closer to Celebration Bowl". The News & Observer. October 20, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  33. ^ "North Carolina Central rolls to win over Virginia Lynchburg". CBS Sports. September 24, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  34. ^ "Camels roll by NC Central 48–18". Campbell Fighting Camels. October 1, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  35. ^ "Richard's 6 TDs leads N.C. Central over Morgan State 59–20". KMIZ. October 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  36. ^ "South Carolina State beats North Carolina Central 26–24". Killeen Daily Herald. October 22, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  37. ^ "North Carolina Central beats Delaware State in a close battle". HBCU Gameday. October 30, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  38. ^ "Football downed by big plays in loss to NCCU". Howard Bison Athletics. November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  39. ^ "NCCU Eagles beat Norfolk State clinch MEAC Championship and a trip to Celebration Bowl". WTVD. November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  40. ^ a b "No. 25 NC Central tops Golden Eagles on last-second field goal". Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Athletics. November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  41. ^ Brooks, Amanda (December 7, 2022). "ESPN unveils commentator teams for exclusive coverage of the College Football Playoff, New Year's Six and industry-leading 40-game bowl season slate". ESPN Press Room (Press release). Retrieved December 18, 2022.
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