Atlanta, Ga – Today’s matchup between Howard University and Florida A&M (FAMU) lived up to the hype between these two historical teams. The Celebration Bowl had over 41,100 fans in attendance. Howard University had not outright won a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship since 1993 and Florida A&M (FAMU) played in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) two years ago and played in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) before going to the MEAC.
The FAMU Rattlers won the 2023 Celebration Bowl against Howard University 30-26. The FAMU Rattlers spotted the Howard University Bison football team to a 14-point lead in the first quarter. Howard University’s defense played lights out in the first half, taking away things the Rattlers like to do on offense. Howard University defensive back Carson Hinton intercepted Moussa late in the 4th quarter to give the Bison the lead 26-24. Sadly to say the Bison Football team would need more out of their offense to win the game.
This game gave the fans everything they could imagine, adversity, agony, frustration, and defeat. Both teams’ quarterbacks made costly mistakes. FAMU Rattlers quarterback Jeremy Moussa threw the ball 32 times completing 19 for 289 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. The turnovers were costly for the Rattler’s offense who had opportunities to score points but found themselves being penalized or turning the ball over stopping the team from moving the ball down the field.
Howard University quarterback Quinton Williams turnovers came at the most inopportune times throughout the game. The one that sealed Howard University’s fate from making another heroic comeback in a game was late in the 4th quarter deep on their end of the field, when Williams threw an interception preventing Howard University from moving the ball down the field to possibly win the game. Quinton Williams threw the ball 27 times completing 14 for 106 yards and 3 interceptions. Williams in ability to complete passes to his Bison receivers made them one dimensional at times, allowing the Rattlers defensive front to dictate what the Bison offense would be able to do offensively.
FAMU’s offense and defense sensing the game was in the balance after neither team scored in the third quarter found a way to use their speed to strike and strike again. Jermey Moussa was able to touchdown passes to two of his favorite receivers Kelvin Dean and Jah’Marae Sheread in the 4th quarter to secure their first Celebration Bowl Championship.