Notre Dame Runs Past That 'SEC Speed' To A Massive Win Over Georgia In Sugar Bowl For CFP Semifinal Spot

There's ‘SEC Speed’, then there's Notre Dame ‘Speed’, and the Fighting Irish took full advantage of Georgia's lack of explosiveness on Thursday night in the Sugar Bowl with their own type of havoc. 

You could see this coming if you were paying attention to Georgia during the 2024 season. Notre Dame exposed the Bulldogs on multiple occasions in the 23-10 win that sends the Fighting Irish to the semifinals at the Orange Bowl. 

In a wild turn, all five conference champions lost their first game in the College Football Playoff. 

While we all wondered what type of offense this would look like for Georgia with Gunner Stockton at quarterback, turns out it was just about the same as we witnessed for a majority of the regular season behind Carson Beck. The lack of explosive playmakers, along with mistakes along the offensive line were too much to overcome for a Georgia team that's been living on the edge. 

Turns out, all we needed to see was a team that had just as many playmakers, if not more. And that's exactly what Notre Dame brought to the game, overwhelming Georgia from the second quarter on. But save me with the talk that Georgia would be moving on if Carson Beck was healthy. 

This Kirby Smart team has been hanging on by a thread for the past two months, and Marcus Freeman actually had a squad that would humble the Dawgs. For all the talk of how good this Georgia defense was, Notre Dame was better, on both sides of the football. 

Once again, the SEC was exposed for not being as good as in years past, and all the talk about the conference now hinges on the Texas Longhorns, who are running into a buzzsaw next week in Dallas against Ohio State. 

Make no mistake about it: this was the biggest win in the coaching career of Marcus Freeman, and it couldn't have come at a better time. After a humiliating loss to Northern Illinois that haunted this football team for the entire regular season, even after making the playoff, the Irish had one of their worst losses and best wins in program history, all in one season. 

While we will remember that gut-wrenching loss in September, it's the win over Georgia that will be the defining game of the college football playoff. And they did it with Riley Leonard, who diced up the Bulldogs secondary, and then beat them with his legs on crucial plays. 

If there was a point in history where we looked at Notre Dame and asked ‘Are The Irish Back?’, this was that moment. 

Notre Dame Defense Smothered Georgia, And Then Covered Them

"The defense is a reflection of the entire team," Marcus Freeman said postgame about his dominating group. 

Yes, he's not wrong, and Notre Dame fed off the dominating performance from its defense on Thursday night. While Georgia is known for its powerful rushing attack, the Irish held them to just 62 yards on the night, humbling this Bulldogs offense in the process. As for Gunner Stockton, he had moments for Georgia, but one moment in the game seemed to turn this thing in the other direction, and it came from a player not even suited up. 

NEW ORLEANS - Donovan Hinish of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish sacks Gunner Stockton of the Georgia Bulldogs during the fourth quarter during the 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The defining point of this game was towards the end of the first half. Notre Dame drilled a field goal, and then forced a strip-sack of Gunner Stockton, leading to a touchdown on the next play. Then, it was the Jayden Harrison kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half. The Irish scored 17 points in just :53 seconds of game action, which flipped this Sugar Bowl on its head. 

While Riley Leonard only passed for 90 yards on the night, his 80 yards rushing came at the most important moments of the game, picking up two first-downs on the ground. For all the chatter around this Georgia defensive line, it was Notre Dame that diced them up to the tune of 154 yards on the ground. 

For Notre Dame to win its 12th straight game, it needed its defensive unit to wreak havoc on Georgia, and that's exactly how it played out in New Orleans, holding the Bulldogs to less than 300 yards of total offense. 

This Was Notre Dame's Moment, During A Tragic Week In New Orleans

The week will not be forgotten, and neither will the magic that Notre Dame put on display Thursday night. Put on lockdown in the team hotel following the tragic terrorist attack on Wednesday morning, there wasn't much this Irish team could do besides share time with each other. This was just a football game at the end of the day, but for three hours tonight, this was a moment for Notre Dame to shine. 

This fan base has waited a very long time for the team to take the next step as a program, and the Irish did it under the worst circumstances possible. There was nothing about Thursday that was normal, besides both teams taking the field, covered by massive security around the Superdome. 

NEW ORLEANS - Law enforcement officers patrol the exterior of the Caesars Superdome prior to the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Was this the best coaching job Marcus Freeman has done since he arrived in South Bend? It's hard to say no to that question. Whether it was his team forcing two turnovers from Georgia, out-smarting Kirby Smart on a fourth down call late in the game that led to a Bulldogs penalty, or the heart that Riley Leonard showed throughout the entire contest. 

There was nothing about the last 48 hours that was normal, and while both teams and fans will leave town, the City of New Orleans is left to deal with the aftermath of the terrorist attack that occurred on Bourbon Street. 

But, for one afternoon, everything felt normal for fans of college football who were either watching from inside the Superdome or at their homes. 

On the field, this was a defining moment for the Notre Dame football program, and if they continue to play like this, the Fighting Irish have a chance to hoist the national championship trophy in two weeks. 

Three months ago, we thought this team was headed towards a disaster of a season. Three months later, they're playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff title game in Atlanta. 

Heads up, Miami. The Fighting Irish and Penn State are headed your way.