Tag: Parker Jones

Pat Surtain’s dad didn’t like ESPN putting Parker Jones on blast

Pat Surtain Sr. did not appreciate ESPN’s coverage of the Parker Jones penalty during Georgia’s loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.

In the first quarter of Thursday’s Sugar Bowl showdown between Georgia and Notre Dame, Bulldogs walk-on player Parker Jones was penalized for making contact with an official who was running down the sideline.

That 15-yard penalty nullified Georgia’s 67-yard pass that had the Bulldogs down inside the Fight Irish’s 10-yard line with the game tied 0-0. Georgia ended up not scoring any points on that drive and Notre Dame went on to eventually win 23-10.

The ESPN broadcast referenced the penalty multiple times during the game and cameras circled back to Jones several times. Former NFL cornerback Pat Surtain Sr. — the father of Denver Broncos star Pat Surtain II — did not appreciate ESPN’s coverage of the penalty.

“They wrong for showing #39 saying it was a key play,” Surtain tweeted on Thursday. “The guy is already devastated, his penalty had no outcome on the game!!”

In a follow-up tweet, Surtain added: “I actually thought the guy was in the green, and what happened to the warning?!”

Surtain certainly was not alone in his stance.

Following their win against the Bulldogs, the Fighting Irish will now face the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9.

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ESPN took flak from fans for focusing too much on Georgia’s Parker Jones after his sideline penalty

ESPN dropped the ball on this one, according to some fans.

Georgia football has lots of reasons to be frustrated at itself after losing to Notre Dame on Thursday in the Sugar Bowl, but cornerback Parker Jones should be far, far, far down the list.

The redshirt sophomore walk-on wasn’t even dressed out for the game in New Orleans. However, he cost the team yardage on an explosive play during the first half while celebrating quarterback Gunner Stockton’s 66-yard pass to wide receiver Arian Smith.

Parker bumped into a referee as he celebrated, which got flagged for sideline interference and set the Bulldogs back 15 yards after the big play. To make matters worse, Georgia only got a field goal out of the drive.

It was a tough break for the walk-on cornerback that made it harder for his team to fully capitalize on the Smith catch. However, the penalty was largely inconsequential for how the Bulldogs ultimately lost the game.

Parker’s penalty didn’t overshadow Georgia’s vaunted defense failing to slow down Notre Dame’s offense, Stockton taking time to adjust in his first-ever college start and the Bulldogs’ special teams unit letting up a kick return for a touchdown.

However, some fans weren’t happy with the ESPN broadcast’s insistence to focus on Jones throughout the game after his accidental penalty.

Piling on the poor kid for making an honest mistake as if it had a major impact on Georgia’s lackluster performance just felt unnecessary.

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College football fans had jokes after Georgia’s Parker Jones got a sideline penalty for colliding with a ref

That had to be the worst feeling.

When Georgia redshirt sophomore Parker Jones arrived to the Superdome on Thursday, you just know he never expected to have the spotlight on him in the game. After all, the walk-on defensive back wasn’t even suited up for the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame. He was going to be on the sidelines, rooting for his teammates. What could go wrong?

Jones found out that answer the tough way.

In the first half, Georgia finally got an explosive play when Gunner Stockton connected with Arian Smith for 66 yards. But as Smith was running down the sidelines, the pandemonium on the Bulldogs’ bench impacted the side judge’s pursuit.

That’s where we met Jones who collided with the official, drawing the penalty.

You had to feel for Jones after that one as he was just excited for the huge play, but he can’t make contact with an official. As Jones was trying his best to hide from cameras on the sidelines, college football fans had plenty of jokes for the penalty.

The flag very well may have costed Georgia points.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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