Georgia’s hopes for another College Football Playoff title ended with a 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, but not before head coach Kirby Smart was straightforward about a key moment he believes wouldn’t be authorized in traditional SEC play.
The Bulldogs coach openly questioned a key fourth-quarter play in which Notre Dame executed a tricky mass substitution. The moment in question came with Notre Dame leading 20-10 and facing 4th and 1 deep in their territory. The Fighting Irish rushed 11 players off the field and 11 more on, forcing Georgia into a chaotic defensive adjustment.
As quarterback Riley Leonard let the play clock wind down, Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker jumped offsides with one second remaining on the play clock, giving Notre Dame a first down. The Irish maintained possession until under two minutes, leaving Georgia with little chance of a comeback. Leonard then took a knee for the final two plays to end the game.
After the game, Smart acknowledged Notre Dame’s performance but didn’t shy away from criticizing the substitution. “I’ve been told by our head of officials in the SEC that you can’t do that,” Smart said. “We were prepared for the hard count. We practice it every week, but they got us with that substitution. It’s something weve been told would be flagged in our conference.”
The NCAA rulebook says substitutions of more than 11 players as long as the ball is not in play, and replay confirmed that Notre Dames long snapper had not yet set the ball. Still, the sequence left a sour taste for Smart and the Bulldogs, who were penalized in a moment they felt effectively ended their chances.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman praised his teams execution, saying: “That situation that happened in the fourth quarter was something that we practiced and the performance was a reflection of that. We had a lot of confidence and we had a plan. Thats the aggressiveness in terms of our preparation.
Leonard interrupted the humbleness of his coach on the podium and said: “Real quick, he’s being humble. That was completely his play. We were going to do it a different way, like two days ago. And then he flipped it, and we executed it that way, and it worked.”
With the win, Notre Dame advanced to the Orange Bowl, where they will face Penn State on Jan. 9. Georgia heads into the offseason short of championship expectations but with the 3rd best recruiting class of 2025 behind Texas and Alabama. The Orange Bowl winner will face the victor of the Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State. Both winners face off in the championship game on Jan. 20.
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