The Fighting Irish are moving on in the College Football Playoff, as No. 7 Notre Dame took down No. 2 Georgia, 23-10, to earn their spot in the semifinals.
Notre Dame will now face No. 6 Penn State, who beat No. 3 Boise State, on Jan. 9 to determine who will head to the national championship game.
This game was supposed to be played on Wednesday night, but the horrific terror attack in New Orleans forced a postponement to Thursday afternoon. The Caesars Superdome was still packed for the matchup, where a moment of silence was had for those who were killed or injured by the senseless act of violence.
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard looks to pass against the Georgia Bulldogs during the Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Thursday. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)
Chants of “U-S-A!” were also heard before the singing of the national anthem was heard throughout the stadium.
Once play began, the two teams showcased their suffocating defenses, as both were unable to find points on the scoreboard until the Bulldogs finally kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0 early in the second quarter.
It might have been more, though, as Georgia receiver Arian Smith caught a Gunner Stockton pass and took it 67 yards to the Notre Dame 11-yard line. But one of the most odd penalties was called to back it up 15 yards, as a sideline referee collided with Parker Jones, a walk-on cornerback who hasn’t played all season and was on the sideline in his jersey with no pads on.
NOTRE DAME DRAWS BACK-TO-BACK RUNNING INTO THE KICKER PENALTIES TO OPEN SUGAR BOWL
The 15-yard penalty ended up hurting Georgia as they settled for a field goal when it could’ve been four more points.
Notre Dame, however, would not only match that field goal on the ensuing drive, but they took a 6-3 lead with 39 seconds to play when Mitch Jeter drilled a 48-yarder just before the end of the half.
The Fighting Irish were likely fine heading into the locker room with the lead despite never finding the end zone, but everything changed on the first play of Georgia’s next drive as Stockton was strip-sacked by linebacker RJ Oben.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman RJ Oben, left, knocks the ball loose from Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton for a fumble during the first half of the Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Thursday. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)
As the ball bounced around the turf, Notre Dame’s Junior Tuihalamaka pounced on it and gave quarterback Riley Leonard and the Fighting Irish offense the ball on Georgia’s 13-yard line with time to finally get into the end zone.
That’s exactly what happened when Leonard threw a strike to wide receiver Beaux Collins for the 13-yard score to go up 13-3 at the half.
It was energizing for Notre Dame, considering they would get the ball to start the second half. And that’s when the game totally shifted in favor of the Fighting Irish.
Jayden Harrison fielded the kickoff for Notre Dame and proceeded to take it to the house — 98 yards down the left sideline to blow the game open with a 20-3 lead for his squad. Head coach Marcus Freeman was loving every second of it on the sideline as he celebrated with his crew.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Beaux Collins scores a touchdown during the second quarter of the Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Thursday. (Amber Searls-Imagn Images)
On the other sideline, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knew he needed his boys to kick it into high gear, and Stockton was finally able to get one of his teammates in the end zone in the third quarter when Cash Jones was left all alone on a 32-yard wheel route that went for six.
But that’s all the Bulldogs would get in the second half, as Notre Dame’s defense forced two turnover-on-downs drives after that, including a fourth-and-5 incomplete pass to Lawson Luckie to ice the victory.
Looking at the box score, it wasn’t pretty for Leonard, who threw for just 88 yards, but he didn’t throw an interception and also rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries. Wide receiver Jordan Faison also provided some solid production for Notre Dame with 46 yards on four catches.
Notre Dame’s Jayden Harrison celebrates after returning a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown during the second half during the Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Thursday. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
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For Georgia, Stockton was 18-for-29 for 225 yards and his touchdown pass. The Fighting Irish were able to stymie Trevor Etienne, the Bulldogs’ hard-nosed running back, as he had just 38 yards on 11 carries.
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