The 2025 HBCU football season has come to an end following a thrilling Celebration Bowl that saw the South Carolina State Bulldogs claim the HBCU National Title.
The dramatic affair needed four overtimes for the MEAC champions to overcome a 21-point deficit to take down the SWAC champion Prairie View A&M Panthers 40-38.
Here are the 5 Takeaways from the 2025 Celebration Bowl.
1. Deja vu…almost
South Carolina State entered this game looking to redeem itself after a disastrous performance in last year’s loss against Jackson State.
Through the first half, the Bulldogs seemed to be experiencing déjà vu, getting off to another slow start and finding themselves down 21-0 at halftime.
Prairie View outgained the MEAC champions 319-80 in the first half, only allowing them to make it past midfield on one of their five offensive drives.
This included 261 first-half passing yards by the Panthers, which alone is more than they have had in eight of their 14 games this season.
The Panthers dominated the Bulldogs at the line of scrimmage, playing with more energy and toughness, leading many to question whether SCSU had enough to keep up with PV’s firepower.
2. Game-changing turnover
With all the momentum firmly on the side of Prairie View A&M, South Carolina State needed a big play to give itself a chance to win this game.
They would get just that with 11:34 remaining in the third, when the Bulldogs’ defense snuffed out a reverse attempt by the Panthers in the backfield.
Having co-SWAC Freshman of the Year Chase Bingmon caught in the backfield, the star running back attempted to pitch it to the receiver, but it fell to the ground and was recovered by the defense.
The Bulldogs would return the fumble inside the 10-yard line, and the offense converted the turnover into a score on the next play from scrimmage.
South Carolina State continued to build on the momentum from the turnover, scoring touchdowns on its next two offensive drives to tie the game 21-21 with 5:05 left in the period.
Although the Panthers would weather the storm, scoring on their next offensive possession, the damage was already done as they would engage in an offensive shootout for the remainder of the contest.
3. A questionable offensive drive
On the first play after the two-minute timeout, South Carolina scored on a 10-yard pass connection from Stubblefield to Jordan Smith to tie the score at 35-35.
On the ensuing kickoff, the ball would travel out of bounds, meaning the Panthers were set up with solid field position, getting the ball at the 35.
Rather than take a shot at a go-ahead score to win the game, Prairie View opted for a conservative approach, attempting three run plays and failing to get a first down.
All the while, they did not call any of their three timeouts. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs called their final timeout after the third-down stop, getting the ball back with 37 seconds left in regulation.
South Carolina State’s attempt at a go-ahead score was thwarted by a sack on second down, forcing the clock to run down and sending the game to overtime.
4. The controversial call
Overtime proved to be a battle of attrition for both teams, with the game being extended to four extra periods packed with drama.
After exchanging field goals in the first overtime period, Prairie View A&M had a chance to go for the win in the second overtime after forcing an interception on a tipped pass.
While they would drive the ball into a favorable position for a field goal attempt, the kick swung wide right, and the game continued into a fourth overtime.
Here is where we would get the controversial call that proved to be the game-winner for South Carolina State.
Connecting with Tyler Smith on a screen toward the sideline, he was hit out of bounds by the Prairie View defender, being ruled a touchdown on the field.
The play went to an extended review, with many believing that the receiver was short of the end zone as the ball did not appear to cross the plane.
However, the referees upheld the call, and the South Carolina State defense got a stop on Prairie View’s attempt to tie the game to clinch the win.
5. Greatest Celebration Bowl ever?
This game proved to be a fitting conclusion to an exciting 2025 HBCU football season, with many calling it the Greatest Celebration Bowl ever.
In a game where South Carolina State appeared down and out in the first half, they showed tremendous heart, battling back and dueling with Prairie View to the end to get the win.
Much of this game’s excitement comes from the exceptional play of the respective quarterbacks, combining for 715 yards and eight total touchdowns (six combined passing touchdowns).
In addition to this year’s game, the debate for the best Celebration Bowl would arguably include the 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2023 contests.