When South Carolina State identified Coach Chennis Berry as the successor to the legendary Buddy Pough, this level of success was exactly what they envisioned. What no one anticipated, however, was how quickly it would arrive. After leading Division II Benedict College to back-to-back 11-1 championship seasons, Coach Berry has made an immediate impact in his first year with the South Carolina State Bulldogs. Under his leadership, the team has captured the MEAC title and secured a berth in the National Title Game.
The other side of the moniker is yet to be determined, but it is going to be quite intriguing.
Southern University has claimed the SWAC West and will face Jackson State for the SWAC Championship title. The Tigers clinched a berth in the championship this past weekend with a decisive win over Alabama State. Southern University has the ability to defeat Jackson State, however Jackson State has some explosive weapons most notably Irv Mulligan, that will make that quite a difficult task. Some would agree that Jackson State should be favored in this contest, but admittedly as a Grambling man, that might just be a wee-bit of hater spilling out into this article.
The prospect of a rematch between Jackson State and South Carolina State carries immense excitement for the HBCU football community. The last time these two teams met in the Celebration Bowl, it was a game of historic proportions. The underdog Bulldogs, led by Coach Pough, stunned the heavily favored Deion Sanders-led Jackson State Tigers, sending shockwaves across the HBCU football world. A rematch would undoubtedly set the stage for one of the most anticipated games in Celebration Bowl history.
The 2024 Cricket Celebration Bowl – to be played Saturday, Dec. 14, at noon ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and broadcast live on ABC – has identified its first participantas Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) college football champion South Carolina State Bulldogs, (8-3, 4-0 MEAC) defeated rival Morgan State University 54-7 on Saturday to earn their second invitation to the bowl in program history. They will play the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
“Congratulations to the MEAC champion South Carolina State University for earning their second trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl,” said Executive Director John Grant, who will present the official invitation to head coach Chennis Berry in Orangeburg, S.C. during their final home game against Norfolk State. “We are excited for the Bulldogs to make their second appearance and join us in this championship matchup.”
South Carolina State’s regular season game wins over the 2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl champion North Carolina Central Eagles and Morgan State Bears secured their path to this year’s championship bowl game.
Now in its ninth year, the Cricket Celebration Bowl has established itself as a premier college football bowl game, celebrating the heritage, legacy, pageantry and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC champions will be broadcast nationally on ABC. ESPN Events collaborates with its sponsors, Divine Nine Greek organizations, the Atlanta HBCU Alumni Alliance and other community partners to organize the game’s ancillary events, which includes a fan experience, community service projects and more. This year’s weekend festivities will also include the second annual Band of the Year National Championship.
North Carolina A&T won the inaugural Celebration Bowl game in 2015. In 2023, the Celebration Bowl had its third highest attendance in game history of 41,108 and attracted a television audience of more than 1.5 million viewers on ABC.
Celebration Bowl Games (2015-present):
| 2015 | North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 41-34 |
| 2016 | Grambling State def. North Carolina Central, 10-9 |
| 2017 | North Carolina A&T def. Grambling State, 21-14 |
| 2018 | North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 24-22 |
| 2019 | North Carolina A&T def. Alcorn State, 64-44 |
| 2020 | Not played due to pandemic |
| 2021 | South Carolina State def. Jackson State, 31-10 |
| 2022 | North Carolina Central def. Jackson State, 41 – 34 |
| 2023 | Florida A&M def. Howard, 30-26 |
Fans can purchase tickets to the Cricket Celebration Bowl online at thecelebrationbowl.com or ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $35 to $285 excluding taxes and fees. A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website.
For MEAC fans, a special rate is being offered at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and is available for December 15-17. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.
For SWAC fans, a special rate is being offered at the Hilton Atlanta and is available for December 15-17. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.
Additional hotel rooms are available at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Atlanta Downtown and Spring Hill Suites. Please visit the Celebration Bowl website for more details.
