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Following South Carolina State's dominant 31-10 victory over Jackson State in the 2021 Celebration Bowl, Cobie Durant told a story about an encounter he had in the mall.
“Another thing I’d say is that we had a little free time to go around Atlanta. I was in the mall with my teammates and the people were saying, ‘so ya’ll the team that’s playing against Jackson State.' Like they had never heard of South Carolina State. So that was big to us because we already knew we were the underdog.”
To many die-hard HBCU football fans, it's hard to understand someone being unaware of South Carolina State. The Bulldogs have just as much of a claim as any other program as a blue-blood in the sport. The team has seen sustained greatness largely predicated on the leadership of two men: Willie Jefferies and Oliver “Buddy” Pough.
South Carolina State built its reputation by playing football the “right way”—with a hard-hitting defense and a well-balanced, run-focused offense. The program boasted four Pro Football Hall of Famers and was always a ubiquitous name amongst championship contenders in the MEAC. Yet their national profile paled in comparison to that of Jackson State, flanked by the magnetism of Pro Football Hall of Famer and then coach Deion Sanders.
Sanders, a cult of personality in his own right, commanded media attention in his first full season at the helm of the Tigers. The team wasn't just media hype though. They finished the season 11-1 with their only loss coming to Sun Belt Conference competitor University of Louisiana Monroe. The offense, led by a young Shedeur Sanders, ranked near the top of the SWAC and Jackson State's defense stifled opponents and rendered them helpless to fight back against the offensive on-slot.
As a result, many anticipated Jackson State would extend its dominance with a decisive victory over a South Carolina State team that entered the game with a modest 6-5 record. However, the outcome was anything but expected. South Carolina State rose to the occasion, stifling Jackson State's potent offense and limiting them to just three points after an early first-quarter touchdown—a seven-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders to Keith Corbin.
South Carolina State held Sanders to his second-worst passing performance of the season: 175 and 1 touchdown with 2 interceptions while also being sacked three times. Although South Carolina State entered the game with little notoriety to the average college football fan not entrenched in HBCU culture, they etched themselves in history.
Jackson State and South Carolina State didn't cross paths in the 2022 season. The Tigers added talented recruits, including future Heisman trophy finalist Travis Hunter who made his decision to attend Jackson State and spurn Florida State the week of the 2021 Celebration Bowl. They once again had a run of dominance, boasting one of the top defenses in the FCS and a feared passing attack with Shedeur Sanders who improved significantly from his already impressive freshman year.
Jackson State dominated the SWAC en route to their second appearance in the Cricket Celebration Bowl. While their second bid was also successful as Davius Richard and North Carolina Central won the thrilling overtime game and Deion Sanders departed to lead the Colorado Buffaloes, South Carolina State found themselves headed in the opposite direction from where they were a year prior.
The Bulldogs went 3-8 and 1-4 in the MEAC, firmly outside of the Celebration Bowl conversation. The season was one of the rare lulls in Buddy Pough's coaching career as he only had six losing seasons in his 22-year career. Jackson State and South Carolina State's paths would cross again in Atlanta in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, and both teams would be vastly different from the ones they were two years prior.
For Jackson State, beloved alum and former Tiger football player T.C. Taylor took over the program and had to navigate significant roster turnover from the Deion Sanders years. 51 players departed the program, 11 going with Sanders to Colorado and 40 entering the transfer portal to find a new team. Taylor had to rebuild the program into a quick contender, as SWAC East rival programs Alabama State and Florida A&M were bolstering their rosters with talented recruits and transfers to claim the crown in what appeared to be an open conference.
Meanwhile, Buddy Pough declared that the 2023 football season would be his swan song days before South Carolina State and Jackson State met in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. The season seemed to have even more meaning. as the Bulldogs would surely look to send off their legendary coach on the top of the HBCU football world.
But the game would prove to be a rather one-sided affair, as Jackson State dominated from start to finish. South Carolina State struggled to find any rhythm on offense, and their defense could not contain the explosive playmakers of Jackson State led by transfer quarterback Jason Brown. Brown set the MEAC/SWAC Challenge record for most passing yards and highest completion percentage in MEAC/SWAC Challenge history. Brown finished the game throwing for 362 yards on 26 out of 33 passing attempts (86% completion) and threw three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Jackson State won the second round of the Bulldog vs. Tiger battle in Atlanta, en route to a 7-4 season that was a great foundation for the success that Taylor looked to instill for his team moving forward. Meanwhile, South Carolina concluded with a 5-6 record. They fared better in MEAC play and even beat the eventual MEAC Champion Howard University Bison. But their season didn't end in Atlanta the way that it started. But, Pough's successor concluded his 2023 regular season in Atlanta and had the promise of bringing the Bulldogs back to the Celebration Bowl.
Enter Chennis Berry, the charismatic coach of the Benedict College Tigers that was selected to become the new head coach of South Carolina State following the conclusion of the 2023 season. Berry knew how to win, taking a 1-9 Benedict College squad and turning them into a back-to-back SIAC Championship-winning team that sat atop NCAA Super Region II for two seasons. His established recruiting pipelines in the state of South Carolina and his philosophy of hard-nosed football would continue the success that Pough had built at South Carolina State.
And he did just that. The Tigers finished the season 9-2 and Berry went undefeated in the MEAC to lead the Bulldogs back to the Celebration Bowl. His former Benedict player Eric Phoenix emerged as arguably the best quarterback in HBCU football for the Bulldogs, as the Bulldogs finished the season as the best passing offense in the MEAC. But, in true Chennis Berry fashion, South Carolina State boasted a stout defensive line that led the MEAC in rushing defense.
But Jackson State also flourished in Taylor's second season. The Tigers finished the season 11-2 with a balanced team that maneuvered their way past reigning Celebration Bowl champion Florida A&M and Alabama State to cement themselves as the SWAC East champion. They then beat Southern in a 41-13 rout in the SWAC Championship to earn another trip to Atlanta to face a familiar foe.
The stage is set for the next chapter in the rivalry between Jackson State and South Carolina State. Will Jackson State finally claim the elusive Celebration Bowl title, or will Chennis Berry lead South Carolina State to another triumph, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest HBCU football coaches in the history of the game?
The Celebration Bowl will air at 12 PM EST on ABC.
