On third-and-goal from inside the two-yard line, Jackson State running back Irv Mulligan took a handoff from quarterback Jacobian Morgan and slammed his 205-pound body into a South Carolina defender who attempted a goal-line touchdown.
But a back injury — a sixth-year junior — pushed Jackson State to a 21-0 lead in the fourth quarter for his second touchdown in his final college game.
The score was capped by a 10-play, six-minute drive that symbolized how JSU dominated and frustrated SC State en route to a 28-7 victory Saturday in front of 36,823 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The win clinched the program’s first Holiday bowl won in three tries and won the first Black College National title since 1996.
“They went out there and dominated,” JSU coach TC Taylor said. “It feels great to be a national champion today.”
Jackson State (12-2) was aggressive, sometimes more so than early on. An example of this came after South Carolina State’s first quarter game, when SWAC Freshman of the Year Travis Terrell drove down the field on a 66-yard electric TD drive.
However, the counter score was taken off the board due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Allen Walker. Jackson State didn’t score on offense, but it immediately established the play.
And it was epitomized by one of the great drives in Celebration Bowl history. It started ironically enough with Morgan’s misfire in the first game. He was then tackled by a quarterback on second down after Bulldogs defensive lineman Josh Baker sacked him.
The Syracuse transfer completed a 13-yard pass on third down that kept the drive alive. The next touchdown came on fourth down at the Tigers’ 41-yard line. Taylor decided to go for it and Mulligan bulldozed his way for a six-yard gain.
From that point, Jackson State ran six more plays, capped by a two-yard Ermani Matthews TD run to put the Tigers up 7-0. JSU used 9:36 on the clock over 19 plays at the time.
Morgan had 219 yards, 2 TDs and an interception for the game. He was named Celebration Bowl Offensive MVP. Mulligan rushed for 75 yards on 25 attempts, while Joanes Fortilien hauled in a pair of touchdown receptions.
GET INTO YOUR HEAD!!#Protect Your Yard #GoTigers pic.twitter.com/ozezOK60wE
— Jackson State Football (@gojsutigersfb) December 14, 2024
“My mindset was to catch everything,” Fortilien said. “It was no big deal.”
With 23 days between games, South Carolina State (9-3) couldn’t recover mentally or physically from that epic Jackson State drive.
“We did a good job of getting down to third,” Bulldogs coach Channis Berry said. “When they got to third, they were looking for ways to stay on the field. So anyone can get you a 19-game drive, it’s going to tire you out.
The defense looked tired and out of sorts the rest of the game, especially as JSU held the ball for 36 minutes, 11 seconds, compared to 23:49 for South Carolina State, having to endure injuries or fatigue to several players.
A worn-out defense didn’t get much help from HBCU Player of the Year Eric Phoenix and a high-scoring SC State offense. The Benedict College transfer went 13 of 31 for 143 yards and a rushing TD and was picked off in favor of backup Ryan Stubblefield to start the third quarter before finally returning in the fourth quarter.
Overall, Berry said the team was ready to play mentally, but didn’t execute against a determined Jackson State, which was 9 of 16 on third downs and limited SC State to 178 yards of total offense and 30 yards rushing.
“Jackson State did a really good job of stopping the run,” he said. “We didn’t get it done today, but we had a very successful year and I’m proud of these young men.”
Jackson State, on the other hand, could finally enjoy winning this game after failing in two previous attempts. It was also a victory that meant a lot to Taylor, who remembers watching JSU football as a 10-year-old before later dreaming of becoming the head coach at the only school he ever loved.
“I wanted this moment. I knew this moment was going to happen,” said Taylor, who played quarterback and wide receiver at Jackson State and lost in the previous three Celebration Bowls as an assistant at North Carolina Central and JSU. I kind of wanted it last year. And the guys (players) came in here and the culture they changed.
“They believed in me. I said that we would reach this point because we will work ourselves.”
