The Howard Bison (6-5) and Florida A&M Rattlers (11-1) clash in Saturday's Cricket Celebration Bowl in New Orleans. Kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is slated for noon ET (ABC). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the'Howard vs. Florida A&M odds, and make our expert'college football picks and predictions.
Howard won the MEAC crown and became bowl eligible in their last game of the season with a 14-7 win over Morgan State, failing to cover the 8-point spread as the Under 41 hit. Senior RB Jarett Hunter ran for 108 yards (5.4 yards per carry). The star on this Bison team all season was senior WR Kasey Hawthorne, who was 2nd in the MEAC in receptions, yards, and TDs. Howard’s pass defense was stifling this season allowing their opponents only 129.5 yards per game through the air.
Florida A&M finished the season on an 11-game winning streak, closing things out with a 35-14 victory in the SWAC Championship over the Prairie View A&M Panthers. Senior WR Marcus Riley had 132 yards receiving and caught QB Jeremy Moussa‘s only TD pass. Senior RB Terrell Jennings had 113 yards and 2 TDs. The Rattlers led the SWAC in scoring (30.7 PPG) and passing offense (232.2 yards) this season. They also had a shut-down defense which allowed only 14.3 points per game.
These 2 teams have a long history against each other being former MEAC foes. They have met 40 times with the Florida A&M winning 29 times.