TC Taylor has plenty of Celebration Bowl experience as an assistant coach, so Saturday’s Black College championship game against South Carolina State will be nothing new for him.
With that in mind, the Jackson State coach began Sunday’s game preparation with a simple message to his players.
“I’m going in here and thinking about what I’m going to say to this team because we’ve got a quick turnaround.” Taylor said Team huddle after the Tigers’ 41-13 win over Southern in the SWAC championship game. “Before I went in, I thought about it and said, ‘I want them to enjoy it.’ I don’t want them to take this game seriously. Just enjoy the experience.”
When JSU came to Atlanta, Taylor ran into popular hip-hop stars TI and Young Dro. Players visited the College Football Hall of Fame and enjoyed Celebration Bowl-sponsored events around town.
Big S/O @tip and Young Dro for showing us love! 🫡#Protect Your Yard #I love you pic.twitter.com/kOGPXNJ3YR
— Jackson State Football (@gojsutigersfb) December 11, 2024
Jackson State (11-2, 8-0 SWAC) They will be looking for their first Celebration Bowl win since 1996 and their first HBCU national championship. They will face South Carolina State (9-2, 5-0 MEAC), a team that upset the Deion Sanders-led Tigers in the 2021 Celebration. Bowl. Taylor was the offensive coordinator for both of those appearances, as well as the co-offensive coordinator for North Carolina Central in the 2016 Celebration Bowl.
You travel through tigers @cfbhall 🏈#Protect Your Yard #GoTigers pic.twitter.com/9f8ObN9Ngh
— Jackson State Football (@gojsutigersfb) December 12, 2024
Winning the game is important, but Taylor also wanted his team to take it all in when they get to Atlanta on Wednesday.
“A lot of these kids have never been to Atlanta, so I want them to enjoy the week and enjoy the festivities,” he said, “But don’t forget why we’re here. We did everything we could to get here.”
Taylor also pointed to JSU’s short turnaround time, but was confident that his reminder of the game’s importance will begin at 12:00 PM EST.
“We have a good team to face tomorrow (Saturday),” he said. “So that’s how we designed it. We have a short week, but I told the guys to enjoy the experience and take it all in, but don’t forget the game.”
