Sugar Bowl: Georgia Bulldogs vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish
By Stiofán Mac Fhilib & George Somerville
In honour of an awesome matchup between Georgia and Notre Dame, we have combined our SEC columnist George Somerville and Notre Dame writer Stiofán Mac Fhilib for a bumper preview to the final College Football playoff game of the week. Enjoy!
Where and When

The #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish face the #2 Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA, on Wednesday, January 1st, at 8.45pm ET/1.45am UK. The game is being broadcast by ESPN, and in the UK you can watch on Sky Sports NFL (channel 408).
History made...
We currently live in perhaps one of the greatest periods of flux in college football’s long history. The combination of NIL, immediate playing time upon transfer, and seismic conference realignment has radically changed the face of the game. And into that mix, we now finally have added a 12-team playoff and, for the first time, post-season home games.
It was thus perhaps fitting that history was made by the most storied program in college football on the Friday before Christmas, when Notre Dame hosted state rivals, #8 Indiana, in the first-ever such home matchup. Hoosiers’ head coach, Curt Cignetti, certainly talked a good, and aggressive, game pre-match. Curiously, his coaching after the opening kick-off was often anything but.
Against a Notre Dame side, with the vocal backing of most of the 77,622 capacity crowd, he chose a second-quarter FG when down 14 after running the ball on 3rd down; then down 17 in the fourth quarter, he punted from inside the Irish half. For a team whose motto was ‘never daunted’, they too often were the opposite.
Marcus Freeman’s team was able to play its signature run-first game while Al Golden’s defense, yet again, slowly suffocated the opposition. Jeremiyah Love’s playoff record 98-yard run with less than five minutes gone was the highlight reel play. But, the subsequent 16-play, 83-yard TD drive that took 9:08 off the clock was the halcyon Mike Denbrock drive with this offense. If the Irish can replicate that on multiple occasions in the coming weeks, then their ability to play complimentary defense will make them a very dangerous opponent.
And perhaps the most notable single play of the game for ND was their final one of the first half. After several months of injury-related drama around kicker, Mitch Jeter – and by ‘drama’ I do, of course, mean a litany of missed FGs – the South Carolina transfer nailed a 49-yard effort that was greeted by huge sighs of relief as much as cheers.
As the game entered its final five minutes, Notre Dame had a 27-3 lead, having outgained and thoroughly outplayed the visitors by almost 400 yards to just 157. With the hosts playing more conservatively to drain the clock, the Hoosiers managed a pair of late consolation TDs, but it was all a day late and a dollar short. Still, a remarkable 11-2 season for the Hoosiers, with plenty to be proud of and lots to look forward to with hope in 2025.
As for Notre Dame, that is eleven consecutive wins to take the Irish to 12-1, with eleven of those twelve wins coming by double digits. An impressive record on paper. But the SEC Champions await. On field turf…
How 'bout them Dawgs?
After defeats by Alabama and then Ole Miss, few, if any, had the Georgia Bulldogs as playoff candidates, let alone blessed with a college football playoff first-round bye. But in many ways, this is the story of the 2024 Dawgs. Write them off at your peril because head coach Kirby Smart loves nothing better than being the “under-Dawg” if you pardon the pun.
Take the SEC Championship game only a few weeks ago against the overtly bullish Texas Longhorns. While Georgia held the “home” advantage, the Longhorns were in the conference championship game in only the first year of trying. What was not to love about Texas? Sarkisian is rightly hailed as one of the finest coaching minds in the game. Quinn Ewers may divide opinion, but he is this team’s undisputed leader- a team built not just to win a conference championship but a Natty. And then there is this Longhorn defense, and by gosh, it is quite the D-line. And you know what they say about winning championships? Yup, D-E-F-E-N-S-E wins em’. As Matthew McConaughey prowls the sideline, this seems to be a Texas team on the brink of success.
But yet, Georgia defeated the Horns in overtime in Atlanta. Texas may still win a Natty, their reward for defeating little ol’ Clemson is an invite to the Peach Bowl to face the dark horses of this year’s tournament, the Sun Devils. But this is a story for another time.
As for Georgia, it’s been hard to predict which team is going to turn up this season. This team has more flaws than both of Smart’s Natty-winning teams combined. But there are similarities. Like the Stetson Bennett-led Championship winners, the Dawgs QB has struggled this season; where Bennett ascended over time, Carson Beck descended during the course of this season. But like it or not, Beck is consigned to yesterday’s news with the season-ending UCL surgery to his elbow. Yes, now we are familiar with the surgical reparation of elbow ligaments.
A new hero was born in Atlanta on that SEC finale night. Following Beck’s retiral from the game due to the aforementioned elbow damage, the aptly named Gunner Stockton stepped into the role and, in his very first drive, showed why he is so highly regarded in Athens.
Which gives the Irish an unwelcome conundrum. There is very little tape to go on in preparation to face Stockton. So, this is a double-edged sword for Marcus Freeman and his coaching staff. Playing a reserve quarterback in his first real start and a playoff game at that? Yes, thank you, the Irish defense will jump at the chance. But the unknown, well that can be scary for an opposition head coach, which leads us back nicely to Kirby Smart. Yes, the Irish are the form team that no one wants to face at this stage of the tournament. But Kirby is the head coach that no-one wants to face in this tournament. Smart has proven time and time again that he can do a lot with a team that doesn’t necessarily shout star power until they win a championship.
History beckons for Notre Dame
It’s a measure of the esteem that Marcus Freeman is held in by not only Notre Dame fans but also those who ultimately run the university that he got his anticipated contract extension before the playoffs began, one that will reportedly see him earn around $10m per year, at the very top end of the scale of coaches yet to win a national championship.
Certainly, the school is as ‘all in’ on its football program as it’s been in my 25 years following its fortunes. And Freeman himself is in year three of his head coaching tenure. A significant number indeed, as Irish fans are well aware that Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine and Lou Holtz all won a national championship in their respective third years. So, no pressure…
The road to that goal, however, passes through the Sugar Bowl and SEC Champions, Georgia. The Irish, as they are often reminded, have not won a major bowl game since the Cotton Bowl in ’93. They are 0-3 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a 17-10 defeat in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, 1981, that saw Georgia claim its first national championship. So, to progress and keep this season’s dreams alive, they must make history. But it has been done before. In the 1973 season, Notre Dame overcame Alabama 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl to claim Ara Parseghian’s second title.
The path to potential victory is a familiar one for Irish fans. But that which is obvious on paper, is a lot more difficult to successfully implement on the field, especially against the most talented team ND will have faced all year.
The injury-depleted and banged-up Notre Dame OL should have Rocco Spindler back at RG after he left the Indiana game injured. And Jeremiyah Love should be close to 100% again. They will all need to play well against an impressive Bulldogs DL. Against Indiana, the Irish run game was a mixture of some big plays and a lot more ineffective runs. It could well be a similar story in New Orleans.
The Irish have been in the bottom quarter of college football on 3rd and 7 or more, and if Riley Leonard is forced into this situation too often, it will not end well for ND. They will need to rely on chunk plays and hope that the Georgia run defense has the same issues it had against Georgia Tech. Riley Leonard’s ability to execute RPOs may be critical.
Defensively, it’s almost impossible to overstate the loss of DT Riley Mills. The team leader in sacks, his loss could be the straw that breaks the collective back of a defense that is already down a pair of DE starters and its best CB. The Irish defense can be vulnerable against the run at times and may need to commit extra LBs to run blitzes and stunts, increasing the pressure on the secondary. Al Golden loves to play man coverage, but there is very little depth behind the excellent pair of starting CBs.
That said, Notre Dame have possibly the finest combination of coordinators in college football, and this is the time for them to show why each is among the highest paid in America at what they do. And usually do very well. Irish fans will place their faith in their abilities to compensate for any personnel deficiencies with scheme. Whether or not that is sufficient may in part depend on how their counterparts perform, and which Georgia team turns up.
Who to Watch...
Who to Watch...
Georgia
Gunner Stockton, Quarterback
Stockton remains the unknown factor in this game. He has never started a college football game, and apparently, the Irish only have 80 plays on tape to form their evaluation of him. Those outside of Georgia have the understudy QB written off already. The cries of “Georgia can’t win without Beck” are loud, especially from the ever-hopeful Big Ten commentators. However, Irish head coach, Marcus Freeman, is far too wily to fall for such rhetoric. Freeman has made the point that Stockton becomes the next QB to plug and play into Bobo’s offense. Much depends on the Georgia O-Line giving Stockton the time to make plays. Georgia’s passing game has been virtually non-existent at times this season, so a focus on the rushing game is helpful for Stockton in this respect.
Trevor Etienne, Running Back
Etienne has struggled to stay healthy this season, and in the absence of any star Wide Receiver and a team badly missing the latest NFL wunderkind, Brock Bowers, Etienne has become the go-to guy for Georgia. On the occasions where Etienne has not been available, Georgia has struggled. But even a partially healthy Etienne can change the game, as was the case with his overtime game-winning score against Texas. The biggest benefit in that win over Texas was the bye week, which gave Etienne and others the additional time to get game-ready. Georgia can win if Etienne plays to his best.
Dan Jackson, Defensive Back
If ever one player epitomises the spirit of this Bulldogs team it is Dan Jackson. A former walk-on, Jackson has now elevated himself to MVP status and is one of the key components of this tenacious Georgia defense. Jackson’s aggressive playing style has gotten him into trouble this season – he was ejected for targeting against Florida, but it also made him MVP in the 8OT win over Georgia Tech. If the Dawgs are to prevail in this contest, it will be because Jackson and his defensive teammates have done what they do best.
Notre Dame
Jeremiyah Love, Running Back
The true sophomore from St. Louis has had a breakout season that has exceeded the expectations of even most fanatical Irish fans. Already an ‘early Heisman’ candidate for those who like to look ahead to next season before we’ve even finished this one, he leads ND in rushing with over 1,000 yards at 7.4 ypc and 16 TDs, to go with his two TD receptions.
His signature ‘hurdling’ is impressive but it’s his break-away speed that makes him a big play just waiting to happen. He will need at least a couple if the Irish are to win in New Orleans.
Xavier Watts, Safety
The redshirt senior from Omaha, who originally committed to Notre Dame as a WR, has well and truly made the most of his position switch. A unanimous and draft-eligible All-American a year ago, he returned to the Irish secondary to improve his game, and that he has surely done. A captain who truly leads by example, he has the most INTs (6), as well as passes defended, and he is second on the team in total tackles made.
If ND have to overcommit to stop the run in Rylie Mills’ absence, then Watts’ ball-hawking ability behind the front seven will be absolutely crucial against the Bulldogs.
Prediction
George:
Underestimate Kirby Smart at your peril. Smart showed in the SEC Championship Game that he is still the wily ol’ fox that won two Natty’s on the bounce. But there was more to take away from Atlanta than just coaching. A strange thing happened when Beck was injured. The team seemed to be lifted by the appearance of Stockton. Perhaps the struggles that had plagued Beck all season were a collective weight lifted off the Dawgs’ shoulders, but something happened when Stockton became the leader of this team.
Of course, there will be battles all over the field, but this will be won and lost in the trenches. No one wants to face the Irish at this point in the year, which might be the biggest compliment paid to an Irish team in a decade. They are capable of winning the tournament, making many, including me, eat their words after the defeat to NIU. But, I think this Georgia team has more football to play this season. Much depends on Stockton and if the Dawgs O-Line protects him, but I have a feeling the Dawgs advance.
Georgia 27-21 Notre Dame
Stiofán:
Perhaps it’s the heart overruling the head, that is worried about Rylie Mills’ loss, but in a tense low-scoring battle, where neither team ever has more than a one-score lead, the Irish offense makes enough big plays, just, to eke out the narrowest of victories, thanks to some crucial red zone stops.
Notre Dame 21-20 Georgia

STIOFÁN MAC FHILIB
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST
A VERY LONG-DISTANCE SUBWAY ALUMNUS OF NOTRE DAME, COUNTY ANTRIM-BASED STIOFÁN HAS BEEN A FAN OF THE FIGHTING IRISH SINCE 2000. FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @SMACFHILIB.