2023 Celebration Bowl

2023 Cricket Celebration Bowl
8th Celebration Bowl
1234 Total
Howard 142010 26
Florida A&M 010020 30
DateDecember 16, 2023
Season2023
StadiumMercedes-Benz Stadium
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
MVPKelvin Dean (RB, Florida A&M) & Isaiah Major (LB, Florida A&M)[1]
FavoriteFlorida A&M by 6.5
RefereeChristian Watson (Mountain West)[2]
Halftime showHoward "Showtime" Marching Band and Florida A&M Marching 100[3]
Attendance41,108
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersTiffany Greene (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst), and Quint Kessenich (sideline)
International TV coverage
NetworkCanada: TSN2
Brazil: ESPN Brazil
AnnouncersMatheus Pinheiro (play-by-play) and Rafael Belattini (analyst)
Celebration Bowl
 < 2022  2024

The 2023 Celebration Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 16, 2023, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The eighth annual Celebration Bowl featured the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), the Howard Bison, and the champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), the Florida A&M Rattlers. The game began at approximately 12:00 p.m. EST and was aired on ABC.[4][5] Sponsored by Cricket Wireless, the game was officially known as the Cricket Celebration Bowl.

The SWAC and MEAC are the two NCAA Division I conferences of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The Celebration Bowl thus serves as a de facto black college football national championship.

The Celebration Bowl was the only one of the 2023–24 bowl games involving teams from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The NCAA structured a 24-team bracket tournament to determine a champion for the 2023 FCS football season. The 2023 Celebration Bowl was the first time the SWAC champions defeated the MEAC champions since the 2016.

Teams

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The game featured teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

Howard Bison

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Howard entered the game with a 6–5 record, 4–1 in conference play and tied with North Carolina Central atop MEAC standings. Howard qualified for the Celebration Bowl due to their regular-season win over North Carolina Central.[6][7]

Florida A&M Rattlers

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Florida A&M completed their regular season with a 10–1 record, 8–0 in conference play; their only loss was to South Florida of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Rattlers then defeated Prairie View A&M in the 2023 SWAC Football Championship Game, contested on December 2, qualifying them for the Celebration Bowl.[8]

Game summary

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Howard held a 14–0 lead after the first quarter, and a 16–10 lead at halftime. After no scoring in the third quarter, Florida A&M scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while Howard was limited to a field goal and one touchdown, coming on a pick-six. Florida A&M's 30–26 victory marked only the second win by a SWAC team in the Celebration Bowl, the first having been by Grambling State in the 2016 edition.

2023 Cricket Celebration Bowl
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Howard 14 2 01026
No. 10 Florida A&M 0 10 02030

at Mercedes-Benz StadiumAtlanta, Georgia

  • Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: N/A (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 41,108
  • Referee: Christian Watson
  • TV announcers (ABC): Tiffany Greene (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst), and Quint Kessenich (sideline)
  • Box score
Game information
First Quarter
  • (13:29) HOW – Jarett Hunter 8-yard run (Dylan West kick). Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 1:31. Howard 7–0
  • (10:04) HOW – Kasey Hawthorne 3-yard run (Dylan West kick). Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards, 1:48. Howard 14–0
Second Quarter
  • (13:30) FAMU – Terrell Jennings 3-yard run (Cameron Gillis kick). Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards, 5:13. Howard 14–7
  • (9:37) HOW – DL Darrian Brokenburr tackled QB Jeremy Moussa in end zone for a safety. Howard 16–7
  • (0:11) FAMU – Cameron Gillis 41-yard FG. Drive: 11 plays, 39 yards, 1:57. Howard 16–10
Third Quarter

No scoring

Fourth Quarter
  • (13:45) FAMU – Kelvin Dean 21-yard pass from Jeremy Moussa (Cameron Gillis kick). Drive: 12 plays, 83 yards, 7:38. Florida A&M 17–16
  • (10:58) FAMU – Kelvin Dean 53-yard pass from Jeremy Moussa (Cameron Gillis kick). Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 1:35. Florida A&M 24–16
  • (7:55) HOW – Aaron Bickerton 40-yard FG. Drive: 6 plays, 43 yards, 3:03. Florida A&M 24–19
  • (7:14) HOW – Carson Hinton 27-yard pick-six interception return (Dylan West kick). Howard 26–24
  • (5:46) FAMU – Jah'Marae Sheread 38-yard pass from Jeremy Moussa (two-point conversion run failed). Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards, 1:28. Florida A&M 30–26

Statistics

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Statistics HOW FAMU
First downs 11 19
Plays–yards 55–187 67–357
Rushes–yards 28–81 35–68
Passing yards 106 289
Passing: compattint 14–27–3 19–32–2
Time of possession 27:12 32:48
Team Category Player Statistics
Howard Passing Quinton Williams 14–27, 106 yards, 3 INT
Rushing Eden James 12 carries, 55 yards
Receiving Nah'shawn Hezekiah 3 receptions, 46 yards
Florida A&M Passing Jeremy Moussa 19–32, 289 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Terrell Jennings 19 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Kelvin Dean 3 receptions, 87 yards, 2 TD

References

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  1. ^ @AlisonPosey14 (December 16, 2023). "No surprise that @Rhsathletics1 product Kelvin Dean is your Offensive MVP of the 2023 Celebration Bowl. Isaiah Major is your defensive MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 16, 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Austro, Ben (December 3, 2023). "2023-24 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Woodroof, Cory (December 16, 2023). "The Howard and Florida A&M marching bands wowed during Celebration Bowl halftime performances". usatoday.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Straka, Dean (May 31, 2023). "2023-24 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, locations, kickoff times, TV channels". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  5. ^ Lewis, Barry. "2023-24 College Football Bowl Schedule, Dates, Times Announced". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Hofheimer, Bill (November 2023). "Howard University Qualifies for the Cricket Celebration Bowl for the First Time". espnpressroom.com (Press release). Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  7. ^ Stevens, Chris (November 12, 2023). "The MEAC is up for grabs after Howard blows out NC Central. What happens now?". hbcusports.com. HBCU Sports. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  8. ^ "Florida A&M Wins Its First SWAC Championship, Advances to Celebration Bowl". WTXL. Associated Press. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
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