2023 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Preview

Jackson State and South Carolina State players help to preview the upcoming 2023 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge.

The 2023-24 HBCU football season starts with the 2023 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-Off in Atlanta, Georgia, featuring a match between the South Carolina State Bulldogs and Jackson State Tigers. Two years ago, the Bulldogs sabotaged the Tigers' perfect season in the 2021 Celebration Bowl.  HBCU fans eagerly anticipate this rematch, but the players are even more excited to compete on Saturday. 

JACKSON STATE

JSU safety Esaias Guthrie, a Delaware State transfer, is returning to the field after taking a year off that he says was integral to his growth and development as a man and player.   "Now, I'm able to have a greater appreciation for the game [and] realize what it does for me on a bigger level than just football," Guthrie said. "My mental state, my emotional state, my physical state, and my life outside of football… it's a blessing, and I'm really grateful for it."

The Tigers have seen some changes this off-season with the departure of Head Coach Deion Sanders and impact players like Shedeur and Shilo Sanders, Nyles Gaddy, Travis Hunter, and Sy’Veon Wilkerson.  The HBCU landscape has been curious to see what the team will look like under the helm of T.C. Taylor. Although new to the team, Guthrie says the culture hasn’t changed, and the team is on the same mission.

“I think collectively we have all bought into what Coach T.C. is selling to us and how he wants things to be ran… we’re ready to go out there and put it all on the field and show the product that we know that we have.”   Over the last two years, the Jackson State Tigers have lost only three games, and two of those losses were were at the hands of MEAC opponents. 

Past Champions in the MEAC SWAC Challenge

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE

Defensive lineman Jeblonski Greene Jr. of South Carolina State was poised to have a big season in 2022 after having 22.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks in 2021 while only playing eight games.  He’d earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year honors before being sidelined with a pectoral injury that took a toll on him mentally as much as it did physically. 

"My motivation was my teammates [and] just hearing them push me to be better and keep going one more rep, one more drove me to want to get back in that fire with them. Now that I'm back, I want to give them 110 percent like they gave me during my rehab," Greene mentioned.   After finishing the season 3-8 last season, the Bulldogs were already motivated to have a great season. The motivation has doubled since head coach Buddy Pough announced his retirement following the 2023 season.

“I got a little teary-eyed to be real, but that man is a legend. For him to take a chance on me and give me the opportunity to come to school for free and play for his team that was such a blessing. I’ll forever be thankful and grateful for Coach Pough.”

South Carolina State is looking to play with a vengeance this year after only winning three games last season, something Jeblonski Greene says won’t happen again this year. HBCU Football fans can expect a great matchup over the weekend, with the stakes becoming higher for each team. The two teams met in Atlanta two years ago in the 2021 Cricket Celebration Bowl, where the Bulldogs beat the Tigers 31-10.

Quick Game Facts:

• Event: 2023 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-Off
• Teams: Jackson State Tigers vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs
• Where: Center Parc Stadium – Atlanta, GA
• When: Saturday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 PM ET
• Where to watch: ABC

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