 Grambling State won the Celebration Bowl when it blocked an extra-point kick set back 15 yards by an excessive celebration with just over two minutes left, holding off North Carolina Central 10-9 Saturday. Joseph McWilliams surged in and swatted Brandon McLaren's 35-yard try with 2:14 remaining to preserve the Tigers' edge. Down 10-3, North Carolina Central had a chance to pull even after Quentin Atkinson shook loose and caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from scrambling Malcolm Bell. But Atkinson took off his helmet while reveling with the crowd, drawing a personal foul penalty. Martez Carter's 32-yard touchdown run to open the second half gave Grambling State (11-1) its first lead. The Tigers earned the bowl bid by winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship to complete a dramatic resurgence by the program. The Eagles (9-3) won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference under third-year coach Jerry Mack. Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Grambling State opened the third quarter with a run-first plan. Following five power runs by 240-pound running back Jestin Kelly, the 175-pound Carter looked extra-quick on his sharp cuts through the line on his touchdown run for a 7-3 lead. The Tigers threw only one play-action pass for a short gain on the touchdown drive. Grambling State's defense later set up more points. Arkez Cooper sacked Bell, forcing a fumble recovered by Malcolm Williams at the Eagles 25. The turnover set up a 26-yard field goal by Jonathan Wallace. McLaren's 23-yard field goal provided the only points of the first half. The kick capped a 13-play drive and followed a dropped 6-yard pass in the end zone by Atkinson on third down. McLaren missed a 34-yarder late in the half. THE TAKEAWAYGrambling State: The Tigers placed a cap on their continued strong progress made in three years under coach Broderick Fobbs, who won seven and nine games, respectively, in his first two years. Fobbs, who played for former coach Eddie Robinson, showed on the national stage the program has returned to prominence as a force among historically black colleges. North Carolina Central: Despite being a two-touchdown underdog, the Eagles played even with Grambling State, posting a shutout in the first half. UP NEXTGrambling State: The Tigers will return a good talent base, including Devante Kincade at quarterback, as they try to defend their SWAC championship. They'll need to replace six starters on offense and 10 overall. Key losses from the defense include noseguard Blain Winston and leading tacklers Guy Stallworth and Cooper. North Carolina Central: The Eagles must replace nine senior starters, including six on offense, as they look to defend their MEAC championship. Freshman Naiil Ramadan was listed as the top backup to Bell at quarterback. The Eagles also lose four of their five starting offensive linemen, with only left tackle Nick Leverett returning. The Eagles have not released their 2017 schedule. ---More AP college football: www. collegefootball. ap. org and https://twitter. com/AP-Top25)
Dec 13, 2016 North Carolina Central is looking to take another step in what has been a banner season, but tradition-rich Grambling State is standing in the way. The teams meet Saturday in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. This is the first postseason appearance in the Division I era for N. C. Central, which was the outright champion in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after sharing the title the previous two seasons. "We have a chance to make some history," N. C. Central coach Jerry Mack said. "We have a chance to go out there and play one more game and everybody knows this will be the last game of 2016. " The Eagles (9-2), who are from Durham, N. C. , have won nine consecutive games since opening the season with a loss to cross-city opponent Duke and then falling the following week at Western Michigan, which remains undefeated. The credentials are impressive for Grambling (11-1) as well after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Only a 10-point loss at Arizona prevented an unblemished record for the Tigers. These Football Championship Subdivision teams give up the chance to participate in the FCS playoffs to play in the Celebration Bowl. "We're pleased with being able to represent the SWAC for the Celebration Bowl," said Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs, who has directed his first SWAC title team. "We have the ability to win in different ways, scoring in different ways and stopping people different ways. That's the definition of a champion. " N. C. Central didn't have to share the MEAC title because it defeated arch-rival North Carolina A&T to end the regular season Nov. 19. "It's what we work for, what we strive for every year," Mack said. "We finally got outright champs. Words cannot express how proud everybody is. " Mack said that playing in the Celebration Bowl gives the university a chance to enhance its brand on a bigger stage. He said the Eagles were motivated by seeing N. C. A&T generally receive more attention. "We felt like we had been disrespected a lot during the course of the year," he said. "(Now we have another) chance to showcase our talents. . . . We still have work for our final destiny and that's to be No. 1 (among historically black colleges and universities). " Grambling is a 25-time champion of the SWAC, defeating two-time defending champion Alcorn State in this year's conference championship game Dec. 3 in Houston. With Saturday's Celebration Bowl in the Georgia Dome, it will mark the third game in a row in an NFL venue for the Tigers. They played in the Superdome in New Orleans in beating Southern in the annual Bayou Classic and then played the SWAC title game at NRG Stadium in Houston. In the SWAC title game, the Tigers overcame a sluggish start. "We've won many different ways," Fobbs said. "We've been very dominant early. We've been in close battles and to win at the end. Then there have been times when we've been down and had to come back. " Mack said the SWAC tends to be more pass-oriented that the MEAC, and he is aware that Grambling has the personnel to back that up. Grambling quarterback Devante Kincade has thrown for more than 2,800 yards. The Tigers also have big-play capability from running back and return specialist Martez Carter, who was the Most Valuable Player in the SWAC championship game with 348 all-purpose yards. With nearly a month between games for the Eagles, there has been ample opportunity to consider tweaks that might be beneficial. "Just fine tune our systems that are already in place," Mack said. "Any wrinkles that we want to put in. We've had plenty of time to look at the game plan and see what needs to be fixed. "
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