South Carolina State Rallies Past Prairie View A&M To Win 2025 Celebration Bowl & HBCU National Championship

The Bulldogs claim the 2025 HBCU Division I Football National Championship Title!

Dec 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; South Carolina State Bulldogs head coach Chennis Berry holds the trophy after a victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers in quadruple overtime of the Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The South Carolina State Bulldogs are the 2025 HBCU Division I football national champions after erasing a 21-point deficit to defeat Prairie View A&M, 40-38, in four overtimes Saturday at the 10th annual Cricket Celebration Bowl inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The victory was a deserving one for Bulldogs head coach Chennis Berry who has one HBCU DI National Championship and two HBCU DII National Championships in his career. An outstanding achievement for a coach often overlooked by the mainstream media and college football pundits.

Backup quarterback Ryan Stubblefield delivered one of the most memorable performances in Celebration Bowl history, completing 15 of 25 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns while adding 11 carries for 11 yards and a rushing score. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. Teammate Brenyen Scott earned the Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Game award.

Jordan Smith was Stubblefield’s primary target, finishing with nine receptions for 152 yards and two receiving touchdowns, while also adding a rushing score.

Dec 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; South Carolina State Bulldogs defensive back Brenyen Scott (6) and quarterback Ryan Stubblefield (2) holds player of the game trophies after a victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers in quadruple overtime of the Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Stubblefield replaced injured starter William Atkins IV before halftime with South Carolina State trailing 21-0. He engineered a stunning comeback, leading the Bulldogs to three consecutive touchdowns to tie the game at 21 with 5:05 remaining in the third quarter.

Prairie View A&M quarterback Cam Peters turned in a historic performance despite the loss, throwing for more than 400 yards with four touchdown passes and adding a rushing score.

Dec 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Prairie View A&M Panthers quarterback Cameron Peters (4) runs for a touchdown against the South Carolina State Bulldogs in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

First Half

Prairie View controlled the opening half behind Peters, who tossed two touchdown passes to tight end Ethan John from 16 yards out and connected with Jyzaiah Rockwell on a 14-yard score. Peters also rushed for a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

By halftime, Peters had completed 13 of 20 passes for 237 yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing score as the Panthers built a 21-0 advantage.

A missed field goal by Prairie View placekicker Diego Alfaro earlier in the game later proved costly.

Celebration Bowl Postgame Show! https://t.co/SlxZrljUB6

— Kyle T. Mosley (@ktmoze) December 13, 2025

Second Half

South Carolina State head coach Chennis Berry and his staff made critical halftime adjustments, and momentum shifted early in the third quarter following a Prairie View turnover caused by a botched reverse handoff by Chase Bingmon.

The Bulldogs capitalized, cutting the deficit to 21-7.

Smith sparked the rally with a 10-yard rushing touchdown and later hauled in a 19-yard scoring reception to tie the game at 21.

Prairie View briefly regained the lead when Andre Dennis caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Peters to make it 28-21 late in the third quarter.

Dec 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; South Carolina State Bulldogs quarterback Ryan Stubblefield (2) celebrates after a touchdown pass against the Prairie View A&M Panthers in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Stubblefield answered with a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to knot the score at 28.

Peters then delivered one of his biggest plays of the night, connecting with Cameron Bonner on a 78-yard touchdown strike to put Prairie View ahead 35-28 with 9:53 remaining.

Stubblefield responded by guiding South Carolina State on a 13-play, game-tying drive, finishing it with a touchdown to make it 35-35 with 1:54 left.

Prairie View’s offense stalled late, leading to a punt and sending the game into overtime.

Overtime Drama

In the first overtime, Alfaro connected on a 29-yard field goal to give Prairie View a 38-35 lead, but South Carolina State kicker Nico Cavanillas Alti answered with a 40-yard field goal.

In the second overtime, Panthers safety Cornelius Davis intercepted Stubblefield in the end zone, but Prairie View failed to capitalize when Alfaro missed his second kick of the game wide right.

Dec 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; South Carolina State Bulldogs running back Tyler Smith (10) scores the game-winning two-point conversion against the Prairie View A&M Panthers in the fourth overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Bulldogs took advantage in the fourth overtime when Smith caught the decisive pass from Stubblefield, turned upfield, and crossed the pylon for the game-winning touchdown. Replay review upheld the call on the field. The Bulldogs would lead 40-38 over the Panthers.

Prairie View’s final possession ended when Peters was brought down short of the end zone, sealing South Carolina State’s 40-38 victory.

A Historic Championship

With the win, South Carolina State claimed another HBCU national championship and first under Chennis Berry, completing one of the greatest comebacks in Celebration Bowl history on college football’s grandest HBCU stage.

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CELEBRATION BOWL: LIVE BLOG, ODDS, PREDICTION, & UPDATES | 2025

The Prairie View A&M Panthers (10-3) will face the South Carolina State Bulldogs (9-3) in the 10th annual Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Today's kickoff will be at 11:00 AM CT/12:00 PM ET, ABC will broadcast the HBCU National Championship Game with Tiffany Greene (Play-by-Play) and Jay 'Sky' Walker (Color Analyst) in the booth.

Celebration Bowl | Run The Yard, HBCU Pass

CELEBRATION BOWL LIVE BLOG - HBCU LEGENDS

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ODDS

Prairie View A&M vs. South Carolina State - Spread

Prairie View A&M -2.5

Prairie View A&M vs. South Carolina State - Over/under

52.5 points

Prairie View A&M vs. South Carolina State - Money line

PVAMU -130, SC State -106

interesting to see how the line moved from 4.5 points in favor of South Carolina State earlier this week, now Prairie View is being favored by Emory Hunt with the spread at -2.5 points.

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PREDICTION

IT'S TOO CLOSE TO CALL! The storylines prefer Coach Berry finally hoisting the Celebration Bowl Trophy. On the other hand, Cinderella may prove not to be a fluke, and the Prairie View A&M Panthers will be celebrating at the end.

My gut says Prairie View A&M, only because they are playing solid football and are injury free. Can SC State knock off some of the rust early? Watch both playmakers at wide receiver for the teams - they could be the difference makers.

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PREVIEW

Prairie View A&M and South Carolina State collide in Atlanta with mirror-image blueprints: Prairie View arrives as the newly crowned SWAC champion behind Tremaine Jackson’s physical, brotherhood-driven program, while South Carolina State returns as MEAC power under process-obsessed head coach Chennis Berry, seeking redemption and a second Celebration Bowl crown. HBCU Legends’ advanced analytics model projects a tight, one-score game, with a slight efficiency edge for Prairie View’s balance versus South Carolina State’s battle-tested “process over results” identity and improved explosiveness.​

Game stage and stakes

The 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Prairie View A&M representing the SWAC after a 23–21 upset of Jackson State and South Carolina State returning as MEAC champion following a 9–3 season and an unbeaten conference run.

For Prairie View, it is the program’s first Celebration Bowl appearance and first HBCU national title shot, while SC State chases its second Celebration Bowl trophy and first under Berry after falling short in last year’s matchup

Advanced analytics: matchup keys

HBCU Legends’ advanced analytics model sees Prairie View as slightly more efficient overall, driven by its balance, defensive consistency, and the Peters-led offense’s ability to generate both explosives and sustained drives when avoiding turnovers.

The Panthers’ SWAC profile—top total defense, strong third-down defense, and improved offensive efficiency late in the year—translates well to a neutral-site championship where possessions and red-zone trips are magnified.​

South Carolina State’s MEAC metrics tell a different but complementary story: the Bulldogs lean on process football—solid special teams, discipline, and situational execution—while an upgraded offense under Atkins gives them enough punch to exploit mistakes.

The HBCU Legends model effectively treats SC State as a “high floor” team with lower volatility, while Prairie View has a higher upside tied to Peters’ dual-threat dynamic and the defense’s ability to flip field position via stops and negative plays.​

Narrative and numbers heading into kickoff

From a narrative standpoint, Jackson and Berry arrive in Atlanta as kindred architects—both having quickly transformed programs by blending culture, clear expectations, and spiritual or values-based leadership, as documented in HBCU Legends’ profiles of their journeys.

For Prairie View, this stage represents confirmation that the 2025 SWAC breakthrough was not a one-off; for South Carolina State, it is a chance to prove that the painful lessons of last year’s loss have matured into championship poise.​

From a data standpoint, expect a game defined by third downs, red-zone execution, and turnover margin: Prairie View’s defense and Peters’ playmaking give the Panthers a slight analytic edge, while SC State’s process-driven consistency and veteran quarterback presence make the Bulldogs the more stable, “low-mistake” side.

In that blend of storylines and statistics, the 2025 Celebration Bowl sets up as a true HBCU national-title chess match between two programs—and two head coaches—who were built for precisely this moment.

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