Oh, sugar!
For as unpolished as Georgia’s offense played in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame on Thursday, the least graceful handoff of the evening occurred only after the Bulldogs were back in the locker room, scratching their heads and asking what went wrong.
And while the Fighting Irish’s 23-10 victory in the College Football Playoff semifinal game will certainly be one to remember, the trophy ceremony was one to forget.
The misadventure began when ESPN’s Molly McGrath, who was leading the postgame formalities, gave the floor to Sugar Bowl president Walter Becker.
Except, she didn’t give him the microphone.
Becker opened his mouth to begin his speech but suddenly halted. In a video of the flub posted to X by Awful Announcing, Becker could be heard asking McGrath for permission to hold the microphone.
McGrath nodded her head “yes,” but didn’t relinquish her grip. The two shared a nice moment, their hands overlapping on the microphone’s casing, as Becker proclaimed his congratulations.
“On behalf of the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff, congratulations to two outstanding teams for your effort this afternoon, during this game, and throughout the season,” Becker said.
When the president pulled his hand away and McGrath resumed sole control, the ESPN reporter stepped up toward Fighting Irish Head Coach Marcus Freeman in preparation for the trophy presentation.
Except, Becker wasn’t quite finished.
John Mersits/CSM/Shutterstock
He tapped McGrath on the shoulder and placed his hand back over top of hers on the mic’s case.
Becker picked up where he left off, McGrath gave a big laugh to the cameras, and Freeman, ever the professional, bit his lip, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly in a smile.
“And now, it is my pleasure to present the All-State Sugar Bowl Trophy to coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish!” Becker concluded emphatically.
The streamers flew in, the crowd popped and further embarrassments were saved.
Of course, though, guffaws on live television live on the internet forever.
“Molly McGrath with the death grip on the mic like a true professional,” one X user wrote on Awful Announcing’s video.
“No coordination between the parties,” commented another.
“Cuz he talks like those sloths on Zootopia. She thought he was done,” opined a third.
Most succinctly, in the words — or word — of a fourth, “Awkward.”