NCAA

South Carolina State receiver Shaq Davis celebrates after scoring one of his three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 31-10 win against Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl Dec. 18 in Atlanta. S.C. State earned the top spot in the final BoxToRow FCS coaches’ poll, the Bulldogs’ first Black college national title since 2009. Bowie State took first in the media poll.

For the first time since 2012, the Black college national championship is split.

South Carolina State took the BoxToRow FCS coaches’ poll after beating Jackson State 31-10 in the Celebration Bowl while Bowie State earned No. 1 in the media poll. The last time the championship was split was nine years ago when Arkansas Pine Bluff and Winston-Salem State each earned hardware.

The HBCU title was South Carolina State’s first since 2009 while it’s the first for Bowie State.

South Carolina State (7-5) went undefeated in MEAC play on its way to the conference championship and the upset win against heavily favored Jackson State in the Bulldogs’ first trip to the Celebration Bowl, which drew a record 48,653 fans to the game.

“This is a special one for me, being able to win the 2021 Celebration Bowl with an HBCU national championship,” said SCSU coach Buddy Pough, who is in his 20th season with the Bulldogs. “All that we had to endure as a team and university, nothing is more special than finishing strong as champions.”

Bowie State put together its best season as a program, finishing 12-2, winning its third straight CIAA championship with an 8-0 mark against conference opponents and advancing to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.

“This is a great honor that we will cherish,” said Bulldogs coach Damon Wilson, who is in his 13th season as head coach. “Our coaches and players did an outstanding job this year, representing our university and conference.”

In the coaches’ poll, S.C. State earned 13 of 18 first place votes followed by Jackson State with three first place ballots and Florida A&M with two first place votes to finish third. Prairie View A&M and Alabama A&M round out the top five, putting four SWAC programs behind S.C. State.

In the media poll, Bowie State’s eight first place votes were one fewer than S.C. State but gained five more points overall. Jackson State earned one first place vote to finish third, a point behind SCSU. FAMU and SIAC champion Albany State round out the top five.

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