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Kirby Smart comments on costly fumble late in first half of Sugar Bowl vs. Notre Dame
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Kirby Smart tried to stay aggressive at the end of the first half against Notre Dame and it burned him.
Georgia took possession at its own 25-yard-line with 39 seconds remaining in the first half of the Sugar Bowl. A called pass play for Gunner Stockton ended in disaster when Georgia’s left tackle got smoked off the edge by Notre Dame’s RJ Oben. Oben stripped Stockton on a sack while teammate Junior Tuihalamaka recovered the fumble. On the very next play, Notre Dame threw a 13-yard touchdown to go up 13-3.
The Irish scored 10 points in a 16-second span over the final minute of the frame. And they did so knowing they’d get the ball first to start the second half.
“We tried to be aggressive in 2-minute and probably regret it — go to the half 6-3,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart told ESPN’s Laura Rutledge as the teams went to the locker room. “We wanted to show confidence in our quarterback and let him go play. We didn’t get the block we needed to get and they made a good play.”
Stockton made his first career start on Thursday, stepping in for the injured Carson Beck. He completed 9 of his 14 pass attempts for 142 yards. But he was also sacked 3 times.
Georgia outgained Notre Dame 152-135 in the first half, but it turned the football over twice. The second turnover led directly to points. The first cost Georgia points when Trevor Etienne fumbled on a third-and-1 pickup that moved Georgia to the Notre Dame 10.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
