The Georgia Bulldogs lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 23-10 in a low-scoring Sugar Bowl. Georgia outgained Notre Dame 296 to 244. The Bulldogs held Notre Dame to just 90 yards passing and did not allow the Fighting Irish to score an offensive touchdown all game (that was not off a turnover inside UGA’s own red zone).
Georgia allowed Notre Dame to convert just four of 14 third downs and quarterback Gunner Stockton even put up solid stats in his first career start.
What stats defined Georgia’s Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame?
Seven years and 98 yards
The Georgia Bulldogs had not allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown since Nov. 2018 against Georgia Tech. That changed to open the second half when Notre Dame receiver Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to give Notre Dame a 20-3 lead.
Georgia had a minimal shot of a comeback with back-up quarterback Gunner Stockton leading the charge against an elite defense.
100 yards
Georgia did not rush for over 100 yards for the third time this season. The Bulldogs went 0-3 in games this year where they were held under 100 rushing yards.
Three for three
Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter made all three of his field goals (44 yards, 47 yards and 48 yards). Why is this stat surprising? Entering the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame’s kicking game had been an absolute disaster. Jeter was eight of 15 on field goal attempts entering the Georgia game.
54 seconds
The Sugar Bowl flipped during a 54 second stretch throughout the end of the first half and the start of the third quarter. Notre Dame made a field goal with 39 seconds left in the half. Following a made 48-yard field goal, Notre Dame gave the ball back to Georgia. Before the field goal attempt, Notre Dame had a 57.1% chance to win according to ESPN.
Notre Dame defensive end RJ Oben then went around Georgia left tackle Monroe Freeling to record a strip sack of Gunner Stockton. The Fighting Irish scored a touchdown pass on the next play.
“We made a decision that we were going to be aggressive and we were going to try to go two-minute. And that’s what everything says you should do. You can’t give up possessions when you’re trailing,” said Kirby Smart on his decision to try to score with less than 40 seconds left.
To open the third quarter, Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to make the score 20-3. Notre Dame had a 92.5% chance to win. In under a minute, Notre Dame’s chances of winning went up 35.4%.