This Saturday’s Celebration Bowl presents an intriguing clash of styles, with South Carolina State's explosive offense led by William Adkins IV under center and the smart, nimble defense of Prairie View A&M, starring Trevor Randle. The game is going to hinge entirely on whether Chennis Berry and South Carolina State can figure out the defensive puzzle presented by Tremaine Jackson’s Prairie View A&M Panthers.
Prairie View’s defense is truly opportunistic. They have proven it through their schedule, especially in the SWAC Championship against Jackson State. Even though the Panthers forced only one turnover in that game, they have recorded 19 sacks, nine interceptions, and nine forced fumbles this season. Their ultimate achievement was successfully shutting down Jackson State’s prolific run game, taking away that specific strength, which was critical once Jackson State lost its quarterback, Jacobian Morgan.
If you look at the championship battles, South Carolina State won its title by forcing Kaiden Bennett to be a passer at a high level, which he couldn't do consistently, leading to turnovers and short field opportunities. Prairie View, however, shut down the running game of what I believe was a better offensive team in Jackson State. I’m betting on Prairie View’s defense to truly take over the Celebration Bowl matchup.
But here is where things flip. Many people think offense is the SWAC calling card and defense is the MEAC calling card, but Berry’s South Carolina State offense is explosive. We saw against North Carolina Central how quickly they can generate points—something like 14 points in about 15 seconds, thanks to that aggressive onside kick and the crazy touchdown that followed to close out the first quarter. It is going to be an interesting clash of styles, and honestly, I trust Prairie View's defense more against that South Carolina State offense.
However, if we flip the ball back to the Prairie View offense, I have some doubts, particularly about running quarterback Cam Peters so heavily again. He can be turnover-prone, and against a defense like South Carolina State—a hard-hitting unit that will always knock you around and force fumbles, similar to this year's Houston Texans—I get a bit skittish.
I like what Prairie View did strategically against Jackson State, but Cam Peters is going to have to stand in that pocket and go to war with Billy Atkins as far as throwing the ball. I don't want to see him rush for another hundred yards, because that feeds into the risk. I want to see him go band for band with Atkins through the air.
Prediction: Ultimately, I trust Prairie View's defense, but I think that South Carolina State is going to be the more explosive offensive team. I trust Billy Atkins as a quarterback more, and I trust the play-calling from South Carolina State, especially given Chennis Berry and his coaching staff's penchant for aggressive, high-leverage decisions in big spots. I pick South Carolina State because I think they can match Prairie View's defensive intensity, but I also trust their offense more to put up the points needed to win the HBCU national championship.
