NEW ORLEANS — Georgia football ended its 2024-25 campaign in its third ever Sugar Bowl appearance under Kirby Smart on Thursday evening, falling 23-10 to No. 7 seeded Notre Dame.
The No. 2 seeded Bulldogs were only able to get a 41-yard field goal in the final two minutes of the first quarter and a 32-yard receiving touchdown on a pass from Gunner Stockton to Cash Jones in the third quarter.
Notre Dame will advance to play No. 4 seeded Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 7 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Georgia finishes 11-3 overall without senior quarterback Carson Beck, who underwent elbow surgery and declared for the NFL Draft during the holiday.
None have had more riding on it than this one.
The No. 2 seeded Bulldogs need a win over No. 7 seeded Notre Dame to reach the College Football Playoffs’ final four.
It comes a day after this city and the nation were rocked by a truck plowing into a crowd on Bourbon Street here, killing 14 and injuring more than 30.
Georgia has had 26 days between games since beating Texas in the SEC Championship game while the Fighting Irish handled Indiana in a first-round game Dec. 20.
“It’s a one-game season,” Georgia running back Trevor Etienne said. “We don’t get a next time if we lose this game.”
Quarterback Gunner Stockton will start his first college game for an injured Carson Beck against a Notre Dame team with one of the best defenses in the nation.
“They cause turnovers, they make big plays,” tight end Oscar Delp said. “They have a big D-line. They have good backs. They are good everywhere. They are a really physical defense. They will make you beat them one on one. Best on best.”
Georgia overcame multiple losses during the season to still be where most thought they would be when the season started.
“This,” coach Kirby Smart said, “is what you work all year to get to this point.”
No. 7 seeded Notre Dame took down No. 2 seeded Georgia 23-10 at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Thursday evening. The Bulldogs only had a field goal and a touchdown on the night, ending their season 11-3 overall and getting eliminated from the College Football Playoffs.
Mitch Jeter makes his third field goal of the game at 47-yards to make it 23-10 Notre Dame. There is 13:47 to go in the fourth quarter.
Cash Jones capped a 5-play, 63-yard drive for the Bulldogs with a 32-yard receiving touchdown from Gunner Stockton, the first end zone trip of the evening for the red and black. Georgia is down 20-10 with 9:36 to go in the third quarter.
Peyton Woodring kicked off the second half with a 63-yarder to the Notre Dame 2-yard line. It was returned by senior wide receiver Jayden Harrison for 98-yards. Notre Dame goes up 20-3 with 13:53 to go in the third quarter.
Disaster for Georgia as Gunner Stockton was sacked and fumbled and Notre Dame added a touchdown on the next play.
Riley Leonard hit Beaux Collins on a 13-yard touchdown over the middle and leads 13-3 with 27 seconds to go in the half.
Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter converted a 48-yard field goal with 39 seconds to go in the first half. Notre Dame leads 6-3. Riley Leonard has rushed for 50 yards on 6 carries.
Former South Carolina kicker Mitch Jeter ties the game with a 44-yard field goal. The Irish got into good field position on a 32-yard Riley Leonard quarterback run, but the Bulldogs’ defense stiffened. Game tied at 3 with 8:20 to go in first half.
Louisiana native Peyton Woodring booted a 41-yard field goal with 12:14 to go in the first half to put Georgia up 3-0.
Gunner Stockton’s 66-yard completion to Arian Smith set it up, but Georgia got a sideline interference penalty to shave 15 yards off that gain.
Georgia and Notre Dame are scoreless entering the second quarter.
The Bulldogs were driving for points, but Trevor Etienne fumbled in the red zone, turning the ball over.
Georgia has outgained Notre Dame 58-16. Gunner Stockton is 6 of 6 for 42 yards.
Just got back from the field. As expected, Roderick Robinson and Branson Robinson aren’t dressed out and won’t play. Roderick Robinson is standing by the running backs warming up with a jersey and sweats and watching.
Drew Miller and Noah Jones were punting pregame. We’ll see if Miller steps in for Brett Thorson.
It’s a Big 12 officiating crew working the game today between an SEC team and an independent.
The referee is Michael Vandervelde. He worked the Rose Bowl game last season.
As coach Kirby Smart said earlier this week, injured Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is indeed here, rejoining the team even if he won’t play.
Beck is wearing a heavy brace on his right elbow after surgery.
Gunner Stockton isn’t the only Georgia player making his first college start.
Freshman punter Miller is expected to get the nod to replace injured Brett Thorson.
“I haven’t really done anything different, just practice,” Miller said this week. “I’m excited about the opportunity.”
As a senior at Mediapolis High in Iowa, Miller averaged 49.5 yards per punt on 30 punts as a senior with nine downed inside the 10
“I’m confident in my ability,” he said.
Working behind Ray Guy finalist Thorson “is big,” he said. “Just being able to pick his brain, learn under him. It’s been awesome.”
Georgia tight end Ben Yurosek already has a win over Notre Dame.
That came as a member of Stanford in 2022 when the Cardinal beat the Irish 16-14. Yurosek has 3 catches for 38 yards in that game.
He had even more in 2021 when he had 5 catches for 87 yards in a touchdown in a 45-14 Notre Dame rout.
He didn’t play in last year’s game against Notre Dame because he was injured.
“Obviously, coach (Marcus) Freeman’s done a great job, they’ve been continuing to build with their culture,” Yurosek said. “They’re a great program.”
Gates will open here at 2 p.m. ET.
On the drive to the Superdome, we passed long lines of fans outside a couple of restaurants looking to get a pregame meal. It will be interesting to see how filled up this place will be.
The get-in price on SeatGeek is only $33 after the game was postponed a day.
Outside the Superdome late Thursday morning was a Jefferson Parrish Sheriff’s Office mobile command center and about a half dozen of their trucks on a street. New Orleans police also were spotted and a dog from a K-9 unit was brought up to help make sure a media bus approaching a gate had no suspicious cargo.
New Orleans police superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said hundreds of local, federal and military police will enhance the Sugar Bowl security and citywide.
“We are staffing up at the same level, if not, what we were preparing for the Super Bowl,” Kirkpatrick told NBC’s Today Show.
The Super Bowl will be here next month.
This section will be updated when the game begins
NOTE: Georgia vs. Notre Dame will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will call the game from the booth at the Caesars Superdome with Molly McGrath and Laura Laura Rutledge reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+ (subscription needed) and FUBO.
Georgia 24, Notre Dame 20
Georgia’s defensive front has asserted itself with 15 sacks over the last four games and figure to have the advantage in this one. The Bulldogs should slow the Irish run game just enough to take the pressure off a Gunner Stockton-led offense to pull out a close victory.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Wednesday:
Georgia: QB Carson Beck (elbow, out), RB Branson Robinson (foot, out), DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonye (lower extremity, out), DL Christen Miller (shoulder, probable), RB Roderick Robinson (knee, out)
Notre Dame: DL Rylie Mills (knee, out), OL Rocco Spindler, (ankle, questionable), LB Bodie Kahoun (leg, questionable), WR KK Smith (clavicle, questionable), LB Kyngston Viliamu-Asa (knee, questionable).
Caesars Superdome is indoors so the temperature will be ideal. The forecast outside calls for a low temperature of 60 at kickoff dropping to 56 by the end of the game with winds E from 5 to 7 miles per hour, according to weather.com.
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