HBCU National Champions

A group of JSU players with former JSU football player, Robert Brazil, (center) Hall of Fame linebacker that played for the Houston Oilers.

By Tim Ward,
Sports Writer,

Head Coach T.C. Taylor enjoys confetti pouring down after winning the Cricket Bowl as Commissioner Charles McClelland observes the thrill of it all. PHOTOS BY JAY JOHNSON

Third time was the charm. After coming up short in 2021 and 2022, Jackson State captured a celebration bowl victory, making them HBCU National Champions! So many emotions flooded out of Tiger Nation after this victory. Head Coach T.C. Taylor, a former player, comes home and in two years as the head coach, leads his school to win the National Championship, he first one since 1996 when James “Big Daddy” Carson was the head coach.
Amazing how victory coats the pain of previous defeats. The Celebration Bowl began in 2015. ESPN, in conjunction with the MEAC and the SWAC, created the bowl game to crown the HBCU National champion. The game was canceled in 2020 due to COVID.
The MEAC has dominated the series winning 6 of the 9 bowl games. However, the SWAC has captured the last two. FAMU was able to bring the trophy back to the SWAC last season. JSU kept the trophy in SWAC this season. Grambling State University was the first SWAC school to capture the HBCU National Championship in 2017.
December 14, 2024, the Jackson State University Tigers cemented their place in school history, becoming the first JSU team to win the Celebration Bowl. The smiles, the tears, the cheers and the sounds will live on forever.
Jackson State started the game pumped and ready. However, penalties nullified two Tiger touchdowns in the first half. Travis Terrell, Jr. returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back. Heading into halftime, literally, the last play of the half, JSU’s Anthony Petty intercepted a pass, raced 90 yards to score a touchdown. Tiger Nation goes wild! But it was called back.

John T. Grant, executive director of Cricket Bowl, presenting Jacobian Morgan with the Offensive Player MVP Award.

Jackson State lead 14 to 0 at halftime. The lead should have easily been 28 to 0.
JSU was the more dominant team. They were in sync. The Tigers’ defense was ferocious. South Carolina State University had not played a game in three weeks. Naturally, they were a little rusty. Several players throughout the game kept catching cramps, or needed oxygen. But their quarterback, Eric Phoenix, won Urban Edge Network’s inaugural HBCU+ National Player of the Year Award. The award goes to the top HBCU football player.
Jackson State’s Irv Mulligan finished second in the voting for the award.
So armed with the Phoenix at the helm, winning 8 straight games, the SCSU faithful was still confident their guys would pull out the victory. Problem with that is, the Darkside Defense of JSU has completely destroyed opponents in the second half. And in the biggest game of the season, with the national championship on the line, they did it again.
South Carolina State could only score 7 points for the game. The lowest amount scored by a team in Celebration Bowl history. The 8th straight game that Jackson State’s defense has allowed 7 points or less in the second half.

Grant presenting Jeremiah Williams with the Defensive Player MVP Award.

The Darkside Defense registered 3 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, countless quarterback pressures and two interceptions. Sharmar Hawkins paced the Tigers with 6 tackles and interception.
Jeremiah Williams, won Defensive MVP. Williams had 3 tackles and. 1 sack.
SCSU got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter on a 3 yard run by quarterback Eric Phoenix. Phoenix finished the day completing 13 of 31 passes for 143 yards and 1 interception. He was also the leading rusher wth 27 yards.
Jackson State breezed to a 28 to 7 Celebration Bowl Victory. Quarterback Jacobian Morgan won Offensive MVP completing 15 of 21 passes for 233 yards with 2 touchdowns.
Irv Mulligan carried the ball 25 times for 71 yards with two touchdowns. Joanes Fortilien caught 6 passes for 43 yards. Two of those passes were for touchdowns. Isiah Spencer, broke the game open with a 67 yard catch. Spencer finished the game with 3 receptions for 123 yards.
As the confetti rained down, the Sonic Boom playing, and head coach T.C. Taylor being doused with the water, the season was complete.
The team picked in the preseason to finish 3rd in the East went undefeated, became SWAC champions, and finally captured a Celebration Bowl victory, making them HBCU National champions.
JSU ended the season on a 10 game winning streak. Chants of “T.C.” echoed through the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Jackson State finished the season, 12 and 2.

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