NEW ORLEANS — Riley Leonard handed for a landing, Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a rating, and Notre Dame’s protection made it maintain up in a 23-10 victory over No. 2 Georgia within the Sugar Bowl on Thursday that sends the third-ranked Combating Irish into the semifinals of the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
In a recreation that was delayed by a day due to a lethal terror assault within the host metropolis, Notre Dame (13-1, CFP No. 5) made sufficient massive performs and bought some assist from a intelligent transfer by coach Marcus Freeman.
Georgia (11-2, CFP No. 2) was in place to shut inside one rating when Notre Dame stopped it on fourth-and-5 from the Irish 9-yard line with 9:29 to go.
Minutes later, Notre Dame had a fourth-and-short deep in his personal territory when Freeman despatched the punt workforce out earlier than operating all 11 gamers off the sphere and sending the offense out. Georgia raced to match up after which jumped offside because the play clock ticked down, giving the Irish a clock-sapping first down with 7:17 to go.
By the point the Bulldogs bought the ball again, simply 1:49 remained, and Notre Dame was properly on its approach to its twelfth straight victory and a date with No. 5 Penn State (13-2, CFP No. 6 seed) in a semifinal on the Orange Bowl in Miami on Jan. 9.
Georgia entered the sport with out beginning quarterback Carson Beck, who injured his elbow within the Southeastern Convention championship recreation. He was changed by Gunner Stockton, who was 20 of 32 for 234 yards and one landing.
The Bulldogs outgained Notre Dame 296 yards to 244, however Georgia was stopped on all three of its fourth-down makes an attempt.
Leonard completed with 90 yards passing and a team-high 80 yards dashing.
The sport had been set for Wednesday evening as a part of a New Yr’s Day playoff tripleheader, but it surely was postponed after an Military veteran impressed by the Islamic State group drove a pickup truck right into a crowd on Bourbon Avenue early Wednesday morning, killing 14 revelers. Safety was elevated on the Superdome — which can even host the Tremendous Bowl subsequent month — and arriving followers mentioned they felt protected.
With some followers unable to change their journey plans, attendance within the 70,000-seat stadium was introduced at 68,400. There have been some patches of empty seats within the higher ranges, however passionate supporters made no scarcity of noise making an attempt to will their groups into the subsequent spherical of school soccer’s first 12-team playoff.
The sport was tied at 3-all earlier than Notre Dame scored 17 factors in a span of 54 seconds.
The bizarre sequence started with Mitch Jeter’s 48-yard subject objective with 39 seconds left in first half.
Quickly after, Georgia paid for an aggressive determination to try a drop-back cross from its personal 25. RJ Oben’s blind-side sack prompted Stockton to fumble on the 13, the place Irish defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka recovered. Leonard discovered Beaux Collins over the center for a landing on the subsequent play for a 13-3 lead that stood at halftime.
By the point 15 seconds had elapsed within the third quarter, Notre Dame led 20-3.
Harrison took Georgia’s second-half kickoff all the best way to the tip zone, slipping a deal with close to the center of the sphere, slicing towards the best sideline and outrunning everybody.
Georgia closed the hole to 20-10 when Stockton hit reserve operating again Money Jones for a 32-yard rating earlier than Jeter’s third subject objective of the sport gave the Irish their profitable margin.
Takeaways
Notre Dame: With a dominant protection and the dual-threat nature of Leonard’s playmaking, the Irish look harmful heading into the semifinals.
Georgia: A workforce making an attempt to win massive video games with out its beginning QB can’t afford massive errors, and missed alternatives doomed coach Kirby Good’s Bulldogs.
Up subsequent
The Irish resume a collection with the Nittany Lions that’s presently even at 9-9-1.