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On Thursday, Georgia football's season came to an end. The Bulldogs fell to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, with the final score being 23-10. The late-game magic that propelled Georgia in their last two games was nowhere to be found. Down by more than two scores early in the third quarter, Georgia's attempt at a comeback constantly faltered due to a stingy Fighting Irish defense. In fact, that was the story the entire game. Notre Dame's defense was a big reason why Georgia entered halftime with just three points, and why the Bulldogs only found the endzone once. It was also the reason why Georgia failed to convert on several fourth-down attempts.
Nevertheless, Georgia had its fair share of self-inflicted wounds on Thursday as well. And interestingly, no one in the QB room is to blame. Entering the game, the biggest concern for the Bulldogs was the absence of Carson Beck. The signal caller injured his elbow during the SEC championship, ruling him out for the entirety of the College Football Playoff. In his place was backup Gunner Stockton, who took on the reigns after seeing action in just three regular season games. Stockton held his own, throwing for 234 yards and scoring his first touchdown of the year.
So what exactly went wrong for Kirby Smart's squad? To answer that, here are the main culprits of Georgia football's Sugar Bowl loss.
Offensive Line
Anyone who watched the game could see how Stockton's protectors were outplayed. The quarterback was sacked four times, and the Fighting Irish pass rush constantly pressured him into last-second throws. Notre Dame also accumulated nine tackles for loss, further indicating how their defense up front feasted throughout the afternoon.
The most crucial of Note Dame's sacks happened with 33 seconds left before halftime. Down by just three points, Georgia had the ball at their 25-yard line. Stockton was sacked from behind by defensive lineman RJ Oben, causing a fumble and a recovery at the Georgia 13 by Notre Dame. In the ensuing possession, Riley Leonard threw a TD pass to put Notre Dame up double digits. It didn't help that — early in the third quarter — the Fighting Irish immediately scored again courtesy of Jayden Harrison's 98-yard kickoff return.
Turnovers
Besides the aforementioned fumble, Georgia also turned the ball over early in the game. With a 3rd-and-1 at the Notre Dame 16, Trevor Etienne lost the ball after a tackle by safety Adon Shuler, ending a 13-play, 71-yard drive that nearly gave an opportunity for an early lead. Who knows what could've been if the Bulldogs took care of the ball and scored in that possession? Even if Notre Dame's sudden 17-point burst still happened, the deficit wouldn't have been as bad.
In short, Georgia's two first-half turnovers were costly.
Run defense
While Georgia did have plenty more passing yards than their foes, the exact opposite happened on the ground. The Fighting Irish constantly moved the chains via carries, tallying a total of 154 rushing yards. They were led by none other than Riley Leonard, who ran for 80 yards. The Georgia defense had no answer to the quarterback, who constantly extended Notre Dame's drives with first-down-clinching runs on multiple occasions.
An example of this was in the fourth quarter, during Notre Dame's 12-play, seven-minute long drive. On two third-down situations, Leonard was able to garner first downs on the ground. One of these was even a highlight play, as Leonard hurdled himself over Georgia DB Malaki Starks for a new set of downs.
That late-game lapse
Speaking of that seven-minute drive, one occurrence that helped the Fighting Irish milk the clock was an offside penalty on the Bulldogs. Notre Dame had a 4th-and-short deep in their own territory with over seven minutes remaining in the game…then Marcus Freeman decided to get creative. Initially fielding his punt team, he suddenly recalled all players, switching back to his offense. Naturally, Georgia scrambled to send their defense back out. As the clock was about to expire, the Georgia defense jumped offsides, falling for the trick play to give Notre Dame a fresh set of downs (via Barstool Sports).
Georgia might be thinking about this offsides penalty for a very long time
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 3, 2025
Moving forward
In the aftermath of Georgia football's defeat, all the top-seeded teams have been eliminated from the CFP. The Bulldogs themselves end their season with an 11-3 overall record, concluding Kirby Smart's ninth season at the helm. Nevertheless, things look promising moving forward, as Georgia boasts one of the strongest recruiting classes of 2025. Three of their commits are ranked Top 20 nationally, and more help is expected to enter via the transfer portal.
