In the 2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl title game, North Carolina Central shocked the HBCU sports community with a thrilling 41-34 overtime victory, handing Deion Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers their first loss of the season. NCCU’s triumphant win in Atlanta, Ga gave the program its first Celebration Bowl title and first HBCU Football National Championship since 2006.
Quarterback Davis Richard led the Eagles, throwing over 300 yards and scored two touchdowns. His performance awarded his Offensive Player of the Game. Running back Latrell Collier and wide receiver EJ Hicks both also played a big game, combining for an impressive 124 receiving yards. Collier completed 17 carries for 98 total rushing yards.
Defensively, NCCU safety Khalil Baker won Celebration Bowl Defensive MVP. During the game Baker collected a team-best 10 tackles; 5 solo and 5 assisted.
For Jackson State, the program faced a challenging matchup. For the first time this season, the Tigers failed to force any turnovers and allowed back-to-back games with over 400 yards of total offense. On the offensive side, Jackson State had no issue moving the football through the air. In his last JSU and SWAC competition, Shedeur Sanders delivered a remarkable performance. The quarterback threw for over 300 yards and secured four touchdowns, two of those touchdowns was assisted by Travis Hunter.
But North Carolina Central’s defense was hot on Sanders, sacking him multiple time and holding the Tiger’s offense to 68 rushing yards on 25 carries. Ultimately, the Tigers had to accept their fate after backup tight end Hayden Hagler dropped a pass in the end-zone that could’ve pushed the Tigers’ to a double-overtime.