T.C. Taylor achieved every head coach’s dream by leading his alma mater to a national championship and in doing so, restored the balance in HBCU football. The Tigers’ 28-7 win over South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl gives the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) its first back-to-back since the championship began in 2014.
⇓Game Photos Below the Story⇓
Dominance in football is as predictable as a pendulum. The Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) had been running roughshod over the SWAC in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge (Challenge) season opener and the season-ending Celebration Bowl aka Black College Football Championship (BCFC). Over the last few years, the SWAC has cut the MEAC’s lead to a four-win 7-11 difference in the former and 3-6 in the latter. Jackson State is responsible for a win on both ledgers at SC State’s expense.
“So SWAC” Taylor, Tigers Begin New Era
The extra weeks to prepare had no impact on the outcome of this game. Jackson State was on a roll winning nine straight games heading into the Celebration Bowl. Travis Terrell kept the Tigers’ momentum going returning the first punt of the game 81 yards to the end zone. A penalty nullified the touchdown by the freshman from nearby Creekside High School but the fuse was lit.
Jackson State got on the board with their second possession of the game. Jacobian Morgan orchestrated a 19-play, 78-yard scoring drive to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. Morgan’s pass found redshirt sophomore Joanes Fortilien one-on-one with cornerback Michael Brunson. The 6’4, 220 lb Fortilien went up and snatched the pass out of the air over the defense of the smaller Brunson.
“We wanted it too much,” said Fortilien of his two-touchdown performance. “I saw no way they were coming out with the trophy.”
His sentiments were echoed by senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Williams “Man, we won the game in the summer.” Williams’ play disrupted the Bulldogs’ offense and earned the Lexington, MS native the Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Game award.
Williams and the Tigers front seven limited the Bulldogs to 30 yards rushing and 148 yards through the air.
On the other sideline, Irv Mulligan and Emari Matthews combined for 126 yards on the ground while Morgan threw for 233 yards on an efficient 15-21.
Two plays hurt the Bulldogs. One play was self-inflicted the other was a dagger from the opposition. SC State tried to convert fourth down and nine with a fake field goal attempt. Jackson State wasn’t fooled at all.
The Tigers made the Bulldogs pay with the first big play of the game. Morgan delivered a perfect pass down the middle of the field to Isaiah Spencer. The freshman receiver did everything but score as senior cornerback Jarod Washington pulled him to the ground a yard short of the end zone. Mulligan cashed in the gift with a burst through the line on the next play. It was all the Tigers would need as the Bulldogs were only able to generate one touchdown four minutes into the fourth quarter.
Junior Shamar Hawkins picked off SC State’s Eric Phoenix near the Bulldog’s 30 and returned it to the 14-yard line. On the very next play from scrimmage, Morgan found Fortilien who made an amazing diving catch for the score.
Saturday’s win produced a full-circle moment for JSU fans, administrators, and former players like Coach Taylor who went to his first Tigers game at about 10-11 years old during the W.C. Gorden era. Gorden, the winningest coach in Jackson State history won 8 SWAC titles, won a Black College national title, and went to the playoffs nine consecutive seasons.
Pro Football and College Football Hall of Famer and Jackson State star Robert “Dr. Doom” Brazile was one of the first to make his way onto the field to congratulate the players and coach on the win. “Magnificent,” said a smiling Brazile. “It’s something they worked so hard from the summer up to today and they finally put it all together.”
Like Taylor, Brazile went on to star for the Tigers in a different position than the one he initially played. Brazile started as a tight end before switching to linebacker. The list of quarterbacks, running backs, and other offensive skill players who wished he never made the switch is probably longer than the Mississippi River.
Taylor entered JSU as a quarterback and left as a wide receiver with a bunch of records. In his first three years as head coach, Taylor’s squad tied Southern for the second-most SWAC titles (20) and climbed into a six-way tie for 14th place for BCFCs (4 titles, 1962, 1985, 1996, 2024).
Do you remember opening a Jet Magazine or an Atlanta Daily World/Chicago Defender/Pittsburgh Courier/Baltimore Afro-American to find the Sheridan Broadcasting Network final poll?
The full circle moment was a deeply emotional one and understandably so. Jackson State fans endured a 14-year drought since the Tigers won a SWAC Championship (2007). They appeared in the title game three more times (2008, 2012, 2013) without success. When the idea to have the Celebration Bowl was hatched, the Tigers were suffering through several seasons below .500. The mystique had faded.
Jackson State’s second appearance in the Challenge ended much like their first. Bethune Cookman ran away from the Tigers with 29 unanswered points.
The hiring of Deion Sanders ignited a resurgence and excitement around the historic program. Jackson State appeared in the 2021 and 2022 championship games losing 10-31 to SC State and 34-41 to NC Central. When Sanders accepted the job offer from Colorado and Taylor was promoted to fill the void, expectations remained high.
“I kind of wanted it last year,” said Taylor of the championship. A season-opening 37-7 win over SC State in their third appearance in the Challenge upped the expectation and a second trend. A loss to eventual SWAC and national champion Florida A&M made the remainder of the 2023 games preparation for this season.
Jackson State grabbed the reins of the East Division for good with victories over chief competitors FAMU and Alabama State. Their strong finish almost erased the 20-41 Grambling State loss on Sept. 21.
Saturday’s win on the Tigers’ third bite at the apple closed the circle. “It means everything growing up in the state of Mississippi and coming to those games watching so many great players play in that stadium, “ reflected Taylor during the post-game press conference. “Deciding to play my college career there and today leading the charge to a national championship.”
The third time was definitely the charm for Taylor and the Tigers.
Black College Football History
| School | National Championships | Season(s) |
| Florida A&M | 16 | 1938, 1942, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1998, 2001, 2019, 2023 |
| Tennessee State | 16 | 1946, 1947, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2012, 2013 |
| Grambling State | 15 | 1955, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2016 |
| Tuskegee | 13 | 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016 |
| Southern | 11 | 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1960, 1975, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2003 |
| Central State | 8 | 1948, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 |
| North Carolina A&T | 8 | 1951, 1968, 1990, 1999, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| South Carolina State | 8 | 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1994, 2008, 2009, 2021 |
| Hampton | 7 | 1922, 1985, 1994, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006 |
| Howard | 7 | 1920, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1987, 1993, 1996 |
| Morgan State | 7 | 1933, 1937, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1967 |
| Prairie View A&M | 6 | 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, 1964, 2009 |
| Alcorn State | 5 | 1968, 1969, 1974, 1984, 2014 |
| Jackson State | 4 | 1962, 1985, 1996, 2024 |
| Bethune–Cookman | 4 | 2002, 2010, 2012, 2013 |
| North Carolina Central | 4 | 1954, 2005, 2006, 2022 |
| Virginia State | 4 | 1936, 1952, 2014, 2017 |
| Wiley | 4 | 1921, 1928, 1932, 1945 |
| Winston-Salem State | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 |
| Albany State | 3 | 2003, 2004, 2010 |
| Bowie State | 3 | 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Kentucky State | 3 | 1933, 1934, 1935 |
| Langston | 3 | 1939, 1941, 2017 |
| Lincoln (PA) | 3 | 1921, 1923, 1924 |
| Morris Brown | 3 | 1940, 1941, 1951 |
| Alabama State | 2 | 1991, 2011 |
| Bluefield State | 2 | 1927, 1928 |
| Talladega | 2 | 1920, 1921 |
| Texas Southern | 2 | 1952, 2010 |
| Virginia Union | 2 | 1923, 1981 |
| West Virginia State | 2 | 1922, 1936 |
| Alabama A&M | 1 | 2020 |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 1 | 2012 |
| Benedict | 1 | 2022 |
| Delaware State | 1 | 2007 |
| Fayetteville State | 1 | 2002 |
| Lincoln (MO) | 1 | 1952 |
| Norfolk State | 1 | 2011 |
| Paul Quinn | 1 | 1924 |
| Shaw | 1 | 1947 |
| Texas College | 1 | 1935 |
| Wilberforce | 1 | 1931 |
- Table wikipedia
Game Photos
All photos by Jason McDonald, JM Photos for CORE360 Sports