All eyes are on Atlanta as the Cricket Celebration Bowl marks its 10th anniversary with a matchup of teams with vastly different histories. However, they are presently a mirror image of one another.
Stakes will be high in this first-ever meeting between these programs that are 118 years old.
In his second season as head coach in Orangeburg, Chennis Berry led South Carolina State to as many conference titles in as many years, giving the Bulldogs their 20th MEAC title, the most in the league’s history. After winning at least nine games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 15 years, Berry becomes the fifth head coach to appear in back-to-back Celebration Bowls with the hopes of winning their second Black College Football National Championship in four years.
Like Berry, Tremaine Jackson, also a former Division II head coach, led Prairie View A&M to a conference title in his first year at the helm. The five-time SWAC West Division champions defeated Jackson State 23-21 last week to give the team its second conference title game victory – their first since 2009 – and their 12th SWAC title. After winning 10 games in a season for the first time since 1963, Prairie View is chasing its first Black College national championship in 61 years in the team’s introduction to the Celebration Bowl.
Postseason success isn’t new to Jackson. Just a year ago, he led Valdosta State to the Division II Championship Game.
Going into this weekend’s matchup, I have pinpointed key players and will predict who I think will win.
Celebration Bowl Preview
South Carolina State (9-3, 5-0) vs. Prairie View A&M (10-3, 8-1), Saturday, Noon ET (ABC)
South Carolina State
Key players: QB William Atkins IV, DB Jarod Washington
The Bulldogs’ 381 points mark the first time the program has scored at least 380 in consecutive seasons since 1993-1994, outscoring conference opponents by an average of 17 points per game. Quarterback QB William Atkins IV (2,323 passing yards, 18 total touchdowns, four interceptions) had his way against MEAC opponents, averaging 322 passing yards and 2.4 touchdowns per conference contest.
Jordan Smith (791 receiving yards, seven touchdowns), Atkins’ favorite target, leads the Bulldogs to become the nation’s seventh-best passing offense (286.0 yards per game) while garnering First-Team All-MEAC honors.
MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Jarod Washington led the FCS in passes defended (1.83 per game) and finished first in pass breakups with 20. He also recorded 32 tackles (29 solo), two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.
Alongside linebacker Jordan Franklin (55 total tackles, 10 TFLs, two sacks) and Tulane transfer Michael Lunz II (42 total tackles, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles), Washington and the Bulldogs led the MEAC in total defense (326.3), interceptions (14), and interceptions returned for a touchdown (3).
X factor: K Nico Cavanillas Alti
A kicker?! Yes, a kicker. The Second-Team All-Conference selection never missed a kick from 30-39 yards and 50+ with two field goals made from 50 yards. Alti led the team in scoring, averaging 6.3 points per game.
Prairie View A&M
Key players: QB Cameron Peters, S Travor Randle
Signal-caller Cameron Peters has played out of this world in recent weeks. After leading the Panthers to their most prolific output in six seasons (430 yards and 31.1 points per game), Peters compiled at least 260 yards of offense in seven games while being responsible for 93% of Prairie View’s offensive output in the SWAC Championship Game.
PV’s ground game by committee, led by Peters alongside running backs Lamagea McDowell and SWAC Co-Freshman of the Year Chase Bingmon, finished the season as the nation’s 16th-best rushing offense (196.7 rushing yards per game).
Defensive back Travor Randle earned First-Team All-SWAC honors in his first season at Prairie View. The Louisiana-Monroe transfer led the Panthers in total tackles (89) and interceptions (3). Joined by linebackers Kennedy Parker (72 total tackles, 14.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks) and Darrell Starling Jr. (76 total tackles, 5.5 TFLs, four pass breakups), the nation’s third-best defense (280.5 yards per game) has limited opponents to a total of 36 points in the fourth quarter all season.
X factor: WR Jyzaiah Rockwell
Coach Jackson has noted that a great running game is necessary for a championship run. Nonetheless, wide receiver Jyzaiah Rockwell (68 receptions, 1,084 yards, seven touchdowns) ranks second in the SWAC in receiving yards and leads the team in all-purpose yardage.
Celebration Bowl Prediction
Both programs face a little pressure as they enter Saturday as the representative for their respective conferences.
Now that South Carolina State has tied Alcorn State and Jackson State for the second-most appearances in the Celebration Bowl (3), Coach Berry is in search of redemption after the drubbing they received from Jackson State last year. A great way to do that is to jump out on Prairie View early. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 203-131 in the first half of games this season.
Some remember Prairie View A&M as the program that lost 80 consecutive games from 1989 to 1998. Now, Coach Jackson has one of the nation’s best defenses on the precipice of winning their first Celebration Bowl. Allowing 16.2 points per game in 13 games this season, no one has scored on the Panthers in the fourth quarter since Sept. 27.
Both teams lead their respective conferences in time of possession. Unfortunately, they are both the most penalized teams in the nation. Whichever team can either keep its infractions to a minimum or avoid drawing a crucial flag late in the game will win on Saturday.
Panthers 27, Bulldogs 24
