South Carolina State and Prairie View A&M didn’t just open bowl season; they set a bar almost no one else is likely to clear.
In a four-overtime thriller that swung from blowout to instant classic, the Bulldogs clawed back from a 21-0 hole and finally escaped with a 40-38 win in Saturday’s Celebration Bowl on a walk-off two-point conversion at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Prairie View owned the first half, racing to a 21-0 lead at the break behind a locked‑in Cameron Peters and a tempo offense that had South Carolina State on its heels. The Bulldogs flipped the script in the third quarter, punching in three touchdowns on short fields to tie it at 21, led by backup quarterback Ryan Stubblefield, who replaced an injured Billy Atkins.
Both teams then traded scores the rest of the way to reach a 35-35 deadlock late in regulation. Prairie View briefly surged back in front 35-28 in the fourth, but Stubblefield’s strike to Tyler Jordan-Smith with under two minutes left forced overtime and set up the marathon finish.
It took overtime and then some
Both teams nudged ahead with field goals in the first overtime, each offense stalling just enough to settle for three and keep the tension simmering.
In the second overtime, South Carolina State blinked first when Cornelius Davis picked off Stubblefield, only for Prairie View to miss a potential game‑winning kick from just over 30 yards out.
Neither side could cash in during the third overtime, turning it into a grind of failed two‑point tries that only dialed up the pressure. The fourth extra period finally broke the stalemate:
Stubblefield connected with Smith for a score, then hit him again on a razor‑thin two‑point conversion that stood after review, and the Bulldogs’ defense stuffed Peters short of the goal line on Prairie View’s answering attempt to end it 40-38.
South Carolina State Celebration Bowl heroes
Stubblefield, who came off the bench in the second quarter, gave the Bulldogs’ offense a jolt, finishing with 234 passing yards and multiple touchdown throws while handling the entire overtime gauntlet.
Smith was the star of the night, piling up nine catches for 152 yards, two receiving touchdowns, a rushing score and the decisive two‑point grab that will live in program lore. South Carolina State’s defense, gashed early, tightened late with Davis’ overtime interception and several key red‑zone stands that gave the offense room to complete the comeback.
Prairie View A&M stars stood tall in defeat
Peters put on a show in defeat, throwing for 412 yards and four touchdowns while repeatedly stretching the field to keep Prairie View in front and then alive in overtime.
Receiver Andre Dennis topped the Panthers’ skill group with 131 receiving yards and a touchdown, helping build that early 21-0 cushion and providing chunk plays as the game dragged deep into extra time.
TO THE CRIB GOES CAM PETERSS4️⃣!!#DOG | #WTW | #PVAMUFootball pic.twitter.com/LsLtAEHW0t
— Prairie View A&M Football (@pvamufb_) December 13, 2025
Prairie View’s defense delivered big plays of its own, from first‑half stops to the overtime interception, but a missed field goal and the final two‑point stand just one play short will haunt the Panthers for a long time.
What the win means for SC State
South Carolina State closes at 10-3, claiming a second Celebration Bowl crown in the last few seasons and adding another HBCU national title to a growing modern résumé.
“[Last year] I stood right by our locker room outside, still in the stadium, and I watched confetti drop on another team, and that fueled me,” head coach Chennis Berry said. “And I said, ‘If the good Lord gives me another opportunity, that confetti will not drop on another team – that confetti is going to drop on us.’ … We knew we would be here, but we wanted to walk away this time with a trophy in hand. As I stand here today, we did just that.”
The Bulldogs also push the MEAC’s edge in the Celebration Bowl series to 7-3, reinforcing the league’s December dominance over its SWAC counterpart. Prairie View falls to 10-4 but reaches a 10‑win plateau and the biggest stage in HBCU football, a sign of how far the program has climbed despite the sting of a finish decided by inches.
