Celebration Bowl referee Rory Bernard took some time to honor military veterans before passing along unfortunate news to the Jackson State fans in attendance. Before his first penalty call of the game, Bernard paused to salute those who served.
On its opening drive of the game, South Carolina State’s offense stalled out, which forced a punt. Jackson State’s Travis Terrell Jr. returned the kick 81 yards to the house and did an amazing front flip into the end zone, but there was laundry on the field.
Bernard turned on his microphone to announce the penalty, unnecessary roughness on the Tigers, but first he wanted to honor veterans across the country.
“I would like to salute our military veterans,” Bernard said before assessing the penalty.
Bernard’s tribute elicited cheers from those in attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and everything worked out for Jackson State eventually. The Tigers didn’t score on the drive immediately after the punt return got wiped out, but quarterback Jacobian Morgan led the offense on a 78-yard touchdown drive just a few moments later.
Jackson State is looking to capture its first Celebration Bowl title while South Carolina State is trying to win its second.
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