Celebration Bowl Preview: Howard Bison vs Florida A&M Rattlers
Howard Has Won Four of Five After 2-5 Start; A&M Lost Once in Week 2Â to South Florida
It’s not the biggest game on the College Bowl schedule, but the eighth annual Cricket Celebration Bowl featuring the 6-5 Howard Bison against the 10-1 Rattlers of Florida A&M, means a great deal to many down South.
This is the only bowl game in the postseason for FCS schools, with it played in the shadow of a 24-team postseason bracket that determines an FCS champion. Florida A&M beat Prairie View 35-14 to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship, while Howard beat Morgan State, 14-7 (MEAC), to participate in a bowl game that determines a champion for historically black schools.
It’s the first time that either school will participate in the game. College Football betting lines show Florida A&M as a 5.5-point favorite with a total of 50.5. The Kick-off is scheduled for noon ET / 9:00 a.m. PT from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. We start our Cricket Celebration Bowl preview with a look at the Bison.
Howard Bison vs Florida AM Game
Day/Time:
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
It Doesn’t Matter How They Got Here For Bisons
A few weeks ago, North Carolina A&T, last year’s Celebration Bowl winner, handed the baton off to the Bison after falling to Howard 50-20.
At the very least, they handed them the keys for an opportunity to pick up where the Eagles left off. It will take another upset, but the MEAC champion has had their way with the SWAC, winning six of their last seven meetings in the Celebration Bowl.
The Bison were a perfect 4-0 at home but found trouble away from D.C. dropping four of six in 2023 and just 1-3 against non-conference teams away from home.
Statistically, no individual sticks out as to why they’ve found themselves in this game after a mediocre regular season, but we’re likely to see a heavy dose of running back Jarrett Hunter who ran for 108 yards in the win against Prairie View, and Eden James who added 90 more for a ground game that picked up 278 total yards to advance. We continue our Cricket Celebration Bowl preview by turning our attention to Florida A&M.
One Step Forward For Rattlers
For head coach Willie Simmons, the message was clear, just be 1-0. That seems like an easy task after finishing the season 11-1 and 9-0 inside the SWAC. Unlike the Bison, Florida A&M featured a more balanced attack in their win after getting 117 yards and two touchdowns from Terrell Jennings and 132 yards receiving from Marcus Riley. That’s good news for quarterback Jeremy Moussa who managed the game, finishing with 188 yards passing, but was just 13-22.
The Rattlers have leaned on their defense in 2023 as they’re ranked in the 25 (FCS) in 12 different categories including number two in pass efficiency defense, scoring defense, and Total defense. The Rattlers lead FCS in tackles for loss. It was the first time they were on top of the SWAC college football standings in school history. We conclude our Cricket Celebration Bowl preview with our official selection.
Number Favors Howard
We don’t have to sit down and watch every game from these schools to know that this is a number that seems to be asking the betting public to take Florida A&M. People who cover the Bison will tell you that everything seemed like a struggle this season until getting hot at the end, but even then, their march to the Celebration Bowl wasn’t one of a team that still doesn’t show cracks on offense.
They’ll face a Rattlers team that seemed to have their way with everyone except D1 South Florida, who they played fairly even in the second half. Yet, we’re looking at a small number. We’re going to use experience looking at numbers and knowing how bookmakers think. Take the Howard Bison plus the points as our official selection.
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