Photo credit – Michael Lerzo, Union-Recorder

Logan Cook

The Georgia Bulldogs’ season and National Championship bid ended on Thursday in New Orleans after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish secured a 23-10 victory.

The leadup to the game was, without a doubt, hectic. After the heinous attack on Bourbon Street on New Year’s, coaches and players from both teams had to navigate a world of uncertainty and grief. The Georgia players, only two blocks away from the attack, spent most of Wednesday on lockdown in their hotel. After a near 24-hour postponement, the game went ahead with increased security and police presence on Thursday. 

However, there were no excuses from Coach Smart after the loss: “[Notre Dame] played exactly like we expected them to play – physical, tough, don’t beat yourself, and they did that exact thing.” 

Georgia certainly did not do that thing. Turnovers, penalties, and dropped passes limited Georgia to only one touchdown on the night. On the ground, Georgia accumulated only 68 yards all game. In the air, Gunner Stockton put up a heroic effort with 238 yards passing and a touchdown, and without dropped passes, that number would be well over 300 yards in his first ever Georgia start. 

The game wasn’t without controversy as well – missed roughing the kicker calls, sideline interference penalties. But the tale of the game, in my dad’s humble words, was Georgia’s ability to shoot themselves in the foot. On the second drive of the game, Georgia settled in and drove the ball 71 yards in 13 plays only for a Trevor Etienne fumble to give Notre Dame the ball. Then, in maybe the biggest gaffe of the game, Georgia got aggressive with :39 left in the half. Stockton dropped back only to be blindsided on a sack fumble. On the next play, ND QB Riley Leonard found WR Beaux Collins for a 13-yard touchdown. 

Georgia went into the locker room down 13-3, a common trend for them this season. But I expected Georgia to come out the second half motivated. In quality matchups this season, Georgia scored a total of 35 first half points compared to 136 in the second-half. And then on the opening kickoff of the second half, Notre Dame returned it for a 98-yard touchdown, the 2nd longest in Sugar Bowl history and longest in College Football Playoff history. 

The rest was all Notre Dame and more mistakes from Georgia. A false start on 4th-and-1 on the opponent’s 42-yard line led to a turnover-on-downs the next play. On the other side of the ball, an offsides on 4th-and-1 late in the game kept the ball out of Stockton’s hands. 

But for the Georgia seniors, they leave the field as the most accomplished Georgia senior class of all time. Two national titles, two SEC championships, 55 wins, and a perfect 25-0 record at home. Kirby made sure to honor his players after the game, especially senior leaders Tate Ratledge and Jalon Walker who sat next to him. “What they did with this team in the toughest year of my tenure, they dominated the room, they controlled the room, they led the room through hard games and situations… These two guys right here are as special as they come.”

Notre Dame will move on to face Penn State in the semi-finals, the winner of which will play either Ohio State or Texas in the National Championship. 

Photo credit – Michael Lerzo, Union-Recorder