Notre Dame see off Georgia to join CFP semi-finals with Penn State, Ohio State and Texas
Riley Leonard passed for a touchdown, Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score, and Notre Dame’s defense kept it standing in a 23-10 win over No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, leaving the third-place Fighting Irish advanced to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
In a game postponed a day due to a deadly terrorist attack in host city New Orleans, Notre Dame (13-1, CFP No. 5) made plenty of big plays and got some help from a smart move by coach Marcus Freeman .
Georgia (11-2, CFP No. 2) was in position to close within one score when Notre Dame stopped the game on fourth-and-5 from the Irish nine-yard line with 9:29 to go.
Then, on fourth-and-short in his own territory, Freeman sent the punt team outside before chasing all 11 players off the field and sending out the charge. Georgia rushed to match and then jumped offside as the play clock ticked, putting the Irish down first with 7:17 to go.
By the time the Bulldogs got the ball back, there was only 1:49 left, and Notre Dame was well on its way to playing No. 5 Penn State (13-2, CFP No. 6 seed) in a semifinal at the Orange Bowl. in Miami on January 9.
Georgia entered the game without starting quarterback Carson Beck, who injured his elbow in the Southeastern Conference championship game. He was replaced by Gunner Stockton, who was 20 of 32 for 234 yards and one touchdown.
Leonard finished with 90 yards passing and a team-high 80 yards rushing.
The game was tied at 3-all before Notre Dame scored 17 points in a span of 54 seconds.
The unusual sequence started with Mitch Jeter’s 48-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the first half.
Soon after, Georgia paid for an aggressive decision to attempt a drop-back pass from their own 25. RJ Oben’s blind sack caused Stockton to fumble to the 13, where Irish defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka recovered. Leonard found Beaux Collins over the middle for a touchdown on the next play, creating a 13-3 halftime lead.
By the time 15 seconds had passed in the third quarter, Notre Dame led 20-13.
Harrison took Georgia’s second-half kickoff all the way to the end zone, sliding a tackle down the middle of the field, cutting to the right sideline and outpacing everyone.
Georgia closed the gap to 20-10 when Stockton hit reserve running back Cash Jones for a 32-yard score before Jeter’s third field goal of the game made it 23-10.