Excessive celebration penalty helps Grambling State win Celebration Bowl
The Celebration Bowl was decided, in part, by an excessive celebration penalty.
This is not a joke.
North Carolina Central trailed Grambling State 10-3 with 2:25 left in regulation when Malcolm Bell found Quentin Atkinson behind the defense for a 39-yard touchdown.
Atkinson was so fired up about the touchdown that he removed his helmet in celebration.
You can’t do that (though excessive celebration should be allowed in a game called the Celebration Bowl, right?). Atkinson was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, moving the extra point back 15 yards. Brandon McLaren’s try was blocked on a great diving effort by Joseph McWilliams, and Grambling maintained a lead at 10-9.
NC Central tried an onside kick and converted on its first try. However, there were two penalties on the play, forcing a re-kick. Grambling recovered that time and ran out the clock to seal the victory.
The Celebration Bowl played between the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Southwestern Athletic Conference and is considered the HBCU national championship. The 10-9 win marks the 15th black college football national championship for Grambling, putting the Tigers just one behind Tennessee State.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
