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It is the eighth edition of the Cricket Celebration Bowl as Howard faces Florida A&M. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Cricket Celebration Bowl Howard-Florida A&M prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Celebration Bowl began in 2015 between the HBCU conferences of the SWAC and the MEAC. The game has been played each year since, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The MEAC conference has won this game six of the seven times. Howard is making their first appearance in the game. They were 6-5 on the year but went 4-1 in conference play with their only loss being to South Carolina State by three points. They earned a birth in the Celebration Bowl by winning the MEAC on a tiebreaker over North Carolina Central. The two faced in the second to last game of the year, and Howard won 50-20.
Meanwhile, Flordia A&M is also making its first appearance in the Celebration Bowl. They opened the season with a win over Jacksonville State before losing to South Florida 38-24. Since then, they have been defeated. The Rattlers went 8-0 in conference play and defeated Prarie View A&M in the SWAC conference title game 35-14. Only one game has been within a score in their wins this year. That was a conference game against Southern, in which they won 26-19.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Cricket Celebration Bowl Odds: Howard-Florida A&M Odds
Howard: +6.5 (-110)
Florida A&M: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 50.5 (-110)
Under: 50.5 (-110)
How to Watch Howard vs. Florida A&M
Time: noon ET/ 9:00 AM PT
TV: ABC
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Howard Will Cover The Spread
The Howard offense has been a primary passing offense. On the year, they are averaging 28.7 points per game, being led by Quinton Williams. On the year he has completed 178 of 298 passes for 2,185 yards and 16 touchdowns. Williams has been much better in the latter half of the season as well. Only once in the last five games has he not passed for over 15 yards and a touchdown. That was his last time out against Morgan State, in which he threw for just 142, and had his first two turnover-worthy passes in weeks. Williams has protected the ball well, with just four interceptions and seven turnoverworthy passes all year.
Williams has also helped out in the run game when needed this year. he has 229 yards on the ground this year, with 66 of them coming from scrambles. He has scored five times on the ground, including in the game with Morgan State, where he ran for a season-high 69 yards. Meanwhile, Jarett Hunter has been solid in the running game. He has 620 yards on the ground this year while scoring five times on the ground this year. Also in the backfield is Eden James, who has run for 594 yards this year. He has also scored two times this year. Both of them have been solid after contact as well, both averaging over three yards per carry after contact this year.
In the receiving game, it is Kasey Hawthorne who has been the leader. He comes into the game with 431 yards on the year and leads the team with four scores. Hawthorne also has been highly reliable, with just one drop this year in the receiving game. The second on the team, this year in receiving yards is Richie Ilarraza. He has 32 receptions for 315 yards this season.
On defense, Darrian Brokenburr has been solid. He leads the team in sacks this year with five while having 13 total pressures. Meanwhile, Terrance Hollon comes in with four sacks this year with nine pressures. Hollon is also the leader on the defense this year. He has 23 stops for offensive failures in the run game while missing just three tackles all year. Leading the defense is Kenny Gallop Jr. He has allowed just 76 yards in coverage this year while intercepting three passes on the season.
Why Florida A&M Will Cover The Spread
Jeremy Moussa is the leader of this Florida A&M offense this year. He comes into the game completing 196 of 345 passes for 2,612 yards on the year. He has also thrown 19 touchdowns this year and has eight games where he has thrown for multiple touchdowns. Still, he does have eight interceptions on the year, as well as having 14 turnover-worthy passes. The turnovers have waned in the second half of the year. He threw five in the first five games, but just three in his final six games.
Meanwhile, the rushing game has been solid for Florida A&M. Terrell Jennings leads the way. He has 607 yards this year on the ground on just 103 carries. He has been amazing after contact, with 506 yards this year after first contact. Jennings also has nine touchdowns on the ground this year. Meanwhile, Kelvin Dean Jr. has 382 yards this year with three scores. Further, Jaquez Yant comes into the game with 334 yards on the year. He also has scored seven times this season.
The top receiver for Florida A&M this year has been Marcus Riley. He has just 34 receptions this year, which is second on the team, but he has 590 yards on the year, good for 17.4 yards per reception. He has also scored five times this year. Jah'Marae Sheread is second on the team, and the leader in receptions and comes into the game with 441 yards on the year. He has also scored twice this season.
On the pass rush, Anthyon Dunn leads the way. He has seven sacks this year, with 33 total pressures. Gentle Hunt sits right behind him, creating a difficult tandem to slow down. Hunt comes in with six sacks on the year and 22 total pressures. The run defense is led by Isaiah Major, who has 32 stops for offensive failures while having an average depth of tackle just 2.9 yards downfield. Each of the top nine players in rushing stops for offensive failures has an average depth of tackle within three yards of the line of scrimmage. In coverage, Javan Morgan and Eric Smith lead the way, both of them having three interceptions this year.
Final Howard-Florida A&M Prediction & Pick
Regardless of who wins this game, there will be a first-time Celebration Bowl challenge. The MEAC has dominated this game, with just one loss. The Howard offense is slightly better in yards per game, but not as good in points per game. The big difference is on the defensive side of the game. The Florida A&M defense is better. they allow nearly seven fewer points per game this year. That will be the difference in this one, as Florida A&M covers.
Final Howard-Florida A&M Prediction & Pick: Florida A&M (-110)
