NEW ORLEANS — In a tense matchup where neither team managed to surpass 300 yards, Georgia’s head coach Kirby Smart made a bold yet ill-advised choice just before halftime in the Sugar Bowl.
After Notre Dame secured a 6-3 advantage with a lengthy 48-yard field goal, Smart opted for an aggressive strategy by having his inexperienced sophomore quarterback, Gunner Stockton, attempt a pass instead of playing it safe and running down the clock from their 25-yard line with only 38 seconds remaining.
Unfortunately, Georgia’s offensive line faltered when defensive end RJ Oben burst through for a strip-sack, allowing Notre Dame’s Junior Tuihalamaka to recover the fumble at the Bulldogs’ 13-yard line.
A single play later, Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard connected with Beaux Collins for a touchdown, pushing Georgia behind 13-3 in a tightly contested game where every point counted.
The No. 2 Bulldogs (11-3, CFP No. 2) ultimately succumbed to the No. 3 Fighting Irish (13-1, CFP No. 5) by a score of 23-10, marking the end of Smart’s quest for a third national title with this team.
In his defense, Smart explained that when trailing, you must capitalize on every possession. “We made a decision that we were going to be aggressive and try to go two-minute,” he acknowledged.
“We didn’t plan on getting beat that quickly at left tackle. That sack-fumble was a critical moment that shifted the momentum to them.”
The Bulldogs had already struggled to maintain any momentum, with their preceding possession only taking 31 seconds, including the punt. When they took over at their own 14-yard line with 3:40 left in the half, Stockton went on to throw three straight incomplete passes—two of which came under duress as he scrambled to avoid pressure—leaving Notre Dame with ample time to advance into scoring position.
Despite these setbacks, Smart chose to stick with his faltering offense, even though Stockton had only thrown 35 passes in his career before stepping in for the injured Carson Beck during Georgia’s narrow 22-19 overtime win against Texas in the SEC championship game.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Smart stood firm in his reasoning. “We had an opportunity to score. We practice two-minute drives weekly, and I don’t question that call,” he asserted.
Stockton completed 20 out of 32 attempts for 234 yards, featuring a precise throw to Arian Smith for a 67-yard gain that set up a second-quarter field goal, as well as a 32-yard touchdown pass to an unmarked Cash Jones, which narrowed the gap to 20-10 in the third frame.
However, beyond those pivotal plays, Georgia struggled offensively, managing only 62 rushing yards while Stockton faced four sacks.
“It just hurts,” expressed guard Tate Ratledge. “The team had one goal, and that was to win a national championship.”
Even though Georgia outgained Notre Dame with 296 total yards to 244, the Bulldogs faltered on fourth down attempts, failing to convert on all three tries, were only two out of twelve on third downs, and permitted a 98-yard kickoff return to begin the second half.
Smart often found himself outplayed by Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman, especially during a pivotal fourth-and-1 situation at Notre Dame’s own 18-yard line with 7:17 remaining in the game, when they swiftly shifted their punt team off the field and executed a play.
In the ensuing confusion, Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker jumped offsides, preventing the Fighting Irish from punting until just two minutes were left on the clock.
“I’ve been informed by our head of officials that you can’t do that, you can’t switch 11 players on and off like that,” Smart noted. “We had our defense ready. We prepared for hard counts, but we jumped offsides.”
