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On the same day that Army and Navy face off in their annual rivalry game and the Heisman Trophy is handed out, there’s another huge event on the college football calendar.
One of the biggest games annually at the FCS level will take place Saturday when Jackson State and South Carolina State face off in the Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Tigers have pieced together a stellar 2024 season under coach T.C. Taylor, who took over the reins of the program after Deion Sanders left for Colorado in December 2022. Jackson State is 11-2, with one of its losses coming against an FBS opponent (Louisiana-Monroe). Behind Irv Mulligan, one of the top running backs at the FCS level, the Tigers have rolled in recent weeks, averaging 39.7 points per game during their nine-game win streak to end the regular season.
REQUIRED READING: TC Taylor leads Jackson State to SWAC title after ‘cupboard was bare.’ He can pass Deion Sanders next
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, enter the matchup with a 9-2 record, with one of those losses, like Jackson State, coming to an FBS program (in their case, Georgia Southern). Following a 1-2 start, South Carolina State and first-year head coach Chennis Berry rattled off eight consecutive victories, six of which were decided by at least 20 points. Bulldogs players accounted for 12 of the 27 offensive and defensive inclusions on the all-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference first team.
This weekend’s game is a rematch of the 2021 Celebration Bowl, which South Carolina State won in a 31-10 blowout over Jackson State in Sanders’ second season with the program.
Heading into the matchup, here’s a closer look at the Celebration Bowl, including its history, past results and how to watch:
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/celebration-bowl-history-results-hbcu-103031348.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-12-14 10:30:00
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