Notre Dame was the last team to join the semifinals lineup of the 2024 college football season. In the Sugar Bowl, which had to be postponed for a day due to a terrorist attack in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the “Fighting Irish” defeated Georgia 23-10.
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A touchdown pass from Riley Leonard, a 98-yard kick return by Jayden Harrison, and a solid defense were the key for Notre Dame to eliminate the SEC Conference champion.
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How were the security measures at the Superdome in New Orleans?
The flags were flying at half-mast in front of the Superdome, located a few blocks from the French Quarter in downtown New Orleans, and in nearby state buildings.
Security measures were reinforced around the stadium and numerous agents searched the area with the help of trained dogs to detect explosives. The hounds surrounded the cars entering the Superdome garage and in some cases sniffed bags and backpacks.
While many fans who traveled extended their stay to attend the game, the postponement meant that some were unable to stay. Numerous tickets were offered for resale online at prices of $30 or less. Some were even as low as $23.
A Georgia player ruined a possible touchdown and went viral.
During the second quarter, with the score tied at zero, Georgia's backup quarterback Gunner Stockton connected on a 66-yard pass to receiver Arian Smith. As official JB Garza followed the play along the sideline, he collided with Parker Jones, a player for the "Bulldogs" who was not active for the game and was in a restricted area.
This contact led to a penalty for interference on the sideline, pushing Georgia back from the 11-yard line to the 26-yard line of Notre Dame's territory. The "Bulldogs" offense couldn't advance much further and had to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown.
Georgia's coach, Kirby Smart, described the penalty as "very unfortunate" and emphasized the importance of maintaining discipline on the sideline. "The white zone is reserved for officials... most of the time, they give you a warning, but in this situation it cost us 15 yards. We still had first and ten and we didn't take advantage of it. These are self-inflicted wounds that make you lose momentum; it's something that can't happen."
Georgia arrived at the game without their starting quarterback Carson Beck, who injured his elbow in the SEC Championship game. He was replaced by Gunner Stockton, who completed 20 of 32 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.
When will the college football semifinals be played?
These were the results of the quarterfinal games of college football. What stands out is that all the conference champions lost and were given a bye in the first round of the playoffs:
- Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 31, Boise State 14.
- Peach Bowl: Texas 39, Arizona State 31 (2 OT)
- Rose Bowl: Ohio State 41, Oregon 21
- Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10
This is how the semifinals will be played:
- Orange Bowl: Penn State vs Notre Dame (January 9)
- Cotton Bowl: Texas vs Ohio State (January 10)