North Carolina Central will remember the final minutes of the 2016 Celebration Bowl for a long time. NCCU’s Quentin Atkinson caught a 39-yard pass from Malcolm Bell in the back of the endzone for a touchdown that brought his team one PAT away from potentially tying the game.
But Atkinson’s post catch celebration proved to be his team’s undoing. He was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for this:
HEEEEEEREEE WE GO!!’n pic.twitter.com/mM02Wl8RaU– HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) December 17, 2016
Atkinson’s penalty put NCCU back 15 yards on the PAT attempt, and Brandon McLauren’s kick was blocked, helping Grambling secure a 10-9 victory.
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js ESPN analyst and former Howard quarterback Jay Walker thought the penalty was unnecessary. What do you think?
Number 3 cost Central the game. He dropped a TD in the first half and than selfishly took his helmet off in the field of play after scoring a TD in the second half. A flag should have been thrown. Dude could have celebrated with his teammates once he returned to the bench.