After a furious three-touchdown comeback and four overtime periods, the Celebration Bowl still had one final twist left Saturday night.
South Carolina State sealed a dramatic 40–38 victory over Prairie View A&M when Tyler Smith hauled in a pass and, according to officials, barely extended the football over the pylon on a decisive two-point conversion in the fourth overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The ruling stood after video review, giving the Bulldogs the lead in the final overtime. In football, the pylons mark the goal line and sideline, meaning a ball breaking the vertical plane of the pylon constitutes a score. Replays suggested Smith’s extension may have been only millimeters, but officials ruled the ball crossed the plane.
Prairie View had one last chance to force a fifth overtime, but quarterback Cameron Peters fumbled while being tackled at the 5-yard line, ending the Panthers’ hopes.
College football overtime rules differ from the NFL’s. In the first overtime, each team receives a possession from the opponent’s 25-yard line. Beginning with the second overtime, teams must attempt a two-point conversion following a touchdown. From the third overtime on, possessions start at the 3-yard line with only a single two-point play attempted.
The dramatic finish capped a game filled with momentum swings. Prairie View surged to a 21–0 first-half lead behind two touchdown passes and a scoring run from Peters. South Carolina State responded with three touchdowns in the opening 10 minutes of the third quarter to tie the game at 21.
Late in regulation, Bulldogs quarterback Ryan Stubblefield found Jordan Smith on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 1:54 remaining to make it 35–35. The drive was kept alive earlier by a clutch 23-yard completion to Smith on fourth-and-16.
The Celebration Bowl serves as the de facto HBCU national championship game, matching the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference on college football’s biggest HBCU stage.
