North Carolina Central defeats Jackson State in OT to win Celebration Bowl

ATLANTA, GA — The North Carolina Central Eagles defeated undefeated Jackson State 41-34 in overtime to win their first-ever Cricket Celebration Bowl.

Quarterback Davius Richard led the way for NCCU with 274 total yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning sneak on the goal line in overtime. Richard along with defensive back Khalil Baker, who led the Eagle’s defense with 10 tackles, took home offensive and defensive MVP for their efforts.

“We didn’t really do anything special, we just did what we did all season,” Richard said afterward. “So I thought the whole season that we kept our same mentality, the same mindset, and we knew what was at stake.”

The NCCU win marked the end of an era for Jackson State as head coach Deion Sanders was hired to take over at the University of Colorado Boulder. This marks the second consecutive year that Sanders’ Tigers were favored before losing in the Celebration Bowl — which has been widely regarded as the HBCU championship.

This matchup was filled with action from the jump as both teams got up on the board in the first seven minutes of action. A Davius Richard touchdown run got an immediate response from the Tigers with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Shedeur Sanders to tight end DJ Stevens.

An 85-yard catch-and-run touchdown from wide receiver Kevin Coleman gave Jackson State their first lead of the night at the start of the second quarter. The Eagles would respond on the ensuing 11-play drive which set up a 10-yard touchdown run from running back J’mari Taylor. Sanders would score again on a run to give the Tigers a 21-17 lead heading into halftime.

Shedeur Sanders rushes down the sideline for a 7-yard Jackson State touchdown.

Sanders is up to 212 total yards on the day as Jackson State takes the lead heading into halftime.@NCCU_Football 17@GoJSUTigersFB 21
2Q 0:30| #SpecMagSports pic.twitter.com/RyS6PwNnlx

— Spectacular Magazine Sports (@SpecMagSports) December 17, 2022

Sanders to that point had completed 13 of 14 passes for 178 yards and three total touchdowns and had four carries for 34 yards. He would finish the afternoon with five total touchdowns and completed 30 of his 40 passes for 349 yards. Sanders has been said to be leaving Jackson State to join his father in Boulder.

The game remained close throughout the second half thanks to strong efforts from NCCU running back Latrell Collier. Collier finished the day with a total of 140 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, which came in the latter minutes of the fourth quarter. A balanced running attack led by Richard and Collier gave N.C. Central a 276-78 advantage in rushing yards.

Jackson State wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, who plays both sides of the ball for the Tigers, caught four passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns — one of which tied the game 34-34 at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.

Shedeur Sanders finds Travis Hunter in the endzone for a game tying TOUCHDOWN to send us to overtime!

Unreal.@NCCU_Football 34@GoJSUTigersFB 34
OT 15:00 | #SpecMagSports pic.twitter.com/IJGF4hXP4w

— Spectacular Magazine Sports (@SpecMagSports) December 17, 2022

NCCU won the coin toss and elected to receive in overtime, which led to a goal-line score by Richard to give the Eagles the lead. On the ensuing possession, Jackson State got to the goal line as well but failed to convert on third and fourth down which secured the win for North Carolina Central.

“My parents went to Central, so I had a chip on my shoulder and a little motivation to try to get North Carolina Central back on top,” NCCU head coach Trei Oliver said. “I’m really happy that I had an opportunity to come back and lead this program. I’m humbled and honored.”