NEW ORLEANS Notre Dame defeated No. 2 seed Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, sending the No. 7 seed Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Riley Leonard passed for a touchdown, Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score, and Notre Dame’s defense held firm.
Notre Dame (13-1) scored enough big plays and had some assistance from a cunning move by coach Marcus Freeman in a game that was postponed by a day due to a tragic terror attack in the host city.
The game was referred to as aggressive by our coaches. “Our players gave it their all for this football team and this university,” Freeman remarked. I’m rather pleased with them. They were pleased with how they handled the previous day’s events.
With 9:29 remaining, Notre Dame stopped Georgia (11-3) on fourth and 5 from the Irish 9-yard line, putting them within one score.
A few minutes later, Freeman ordered the punt team out, ran all 11 players off the field, then sent the offense out, giving Notre Dame a fourth-and-short deep in his own territory. With 7:17 remaining, Georgia gave the Irish a clock-sapping first down after racing to match up and then jumping offside as the play clock was running down.
We were gonna be hard-counted. We get ready for that. Kirby Smart, the coach of Georgia, stated, “We do it every week.” We made an offside jump.
With 1:49 left, the Bulldogs recovered the ball, and Notre Dame was well on its way to winning for the 12th time in a row and a semifinal matchup with No. 6 Penn State (13-2) at the Orange Bowl in Miami on January 9.
“I want our program to have that level of aggressiveness in terms of our preparation,” Freeman stated. One of our advantages must be that we will act aggressively and not be afraid to make mistakes.
Due to an elbow injury sustained during the SEC championship game, Georgia did not start quarterback Carson Beck. Gunner Stockton, who was 20 of 32 for 234 yards and one touchdown, took his spot.
The Bulldogs outscored Notre Dame 296 yards to 244, but Georgia lost two fumbles, one deep in Notre Dame territory and one within its own 20 yards, and was stopped on all three of its fourth-down efforts.
“Guys, the difference in the game is the turnovers,” Smart stated. You should be aware that you won’t have much success if you turn it over twice and they return a kickoff for a score.
In addition to his team-high 80 yards of rushing and 90 yards of passing, Leonard was sent head over heels during a late first-down run while attempting to jump over a defender.
Leonard declared that we were in the playoffs. Other people can risk their lives, but I’ll do it right there with them.
The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday night as part of a tripleheader for the New Year’s Day playoffs, but it was postponed after an Army veteran who was influenced by the Islamic State group killed 14 partygoers early on Wednesday morning when he crashed a pickup vehicle into a crowd on Bourbon Street. Arriving spectators reported feeling comfortable at the Superdome, which will also host the Super Bowl next month, after security was stepped up.
Due to certain supporters’ inability to change their travel schedules, 68,400 people were expected to attend the 70,000-seat stadium. Although there were some empty seats in the upper levels, fervent fans made a lot of noise in an attempt to get their teams into the next round of the inaugural 12-team playoff in college football.
Before Notre Dame scored 17 points in 54 seconds, the score was knotted at 3-3.
Mitch Jeter’s 48-yard field goal with 39 seconds remaining in the first half started the odd sequence.
Georgia soon suffered for the choice to try a drop-back pass from its own 25 yards out. Irish defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka recovered after Stockton fumbled at the 13 after a blind-side sack by RJ Oben. On the following play, Leonard hit Beaux Collins across the middle for a score, giving them a 13-3 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, Notre Dame held a 20-3 lead after 15 seconds had passed.
Harrison outran everyone after slipping a tackle close to the middle of the field, cutting toward the right sideline, and taking Georgia’s second-half kickoff all the way to the touchdown zone.
Stockton hit reserve running back Cash Jones for a 32-yard score to cut Georgia’s deficit to 20-10, but Jeter’s third field goal of the game gave the Irish the victory.
KEY LESSONS
Notre Dame: The Irish are dangerous going into the semifinals thanks to their strong defense and Leonard’s dual-threat playmaking.
Georgia: Missed opportunities doomed the Bulldogs and Smart, who will have to wait a year for another opportunity at his third national title. A club trying to win big games without its primary quarterback cannot afford major mistakes.
UPCOMING
Notre Dame: The Irish and the Nittany Lions, who are now even at 9-9-1, resume their series.
Georgia: On August 30, Georgia will host Marshall in the 2025 season opening.
— AP Sports Writer Brett Martel
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