At Saturday’s Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, North Carolina Central ruined outgoing Coach Deion Sanders’ last game for the Jackson State Tigers with an exciting win in a contest that went back and forth.
NCC beat JSU 41-34 in overtime before more than 50,000 fans in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Jackson State reached the one-year-line but a pass by All-SWAC quarterback Shedeur Sanders sailed out of bounds.
NCC Quarterback Davius Richard threw for 177 yards and ran for 97 more and two touchdowns, shutting the door on Jackson State’s undefeated season.
Cricket Celebration Bowl 2022 Score: NCC 41, Jackson State 34
After the game, Coach Deion Sanders told reporters in the post-game interview, he said that any insinuation that he was leaving Jackson State to boast his income was false.
“I don’t coach for legacy. I coach for kids. I coach for the love and passion. To fathom that I would do anything for money just blows my mind,” Sanders said in the postgame interview.
He also expressed admiration for the student-athletes he coach this year.
“I feel like we’ve won, but we didn’t win that game,” said Sanders. “I miss these guys already. I love them.”
The Cricket Celebration Bowl featured the conference winners from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
North Carolina Central last played in the Celebration Bowl in 2016, losing to Grambling State of the SWAC. NCC has however won two Black College Division II national titles in the mid-2000s.
Jackson State on the other hand, played in the Celebration Bowl last year after coming in with an 11-1 record. JSU lost 31-10 to South Carolina State.
The souring ending marked the conclusion of the Prime Time experience for Jackson State, a historically black university in Mississippi. Sanders now goes the Colorado Buffaloes.
Coach Deion Sanders On Why He Decided To leave Jackson State
Final Word
Held in Atlanta, the Cricket Celebration Bowl celebrates the heritage, legacy and tradition of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The annual event is one of the year’s end must-attend events in Georgia’s largest city.
Atlanta has a lot of cool things to do and places to eat, including some of the top soul food joints and remarkable Thai food spots. Explore the city.
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