Kirby Smart addresses 'unfortunate' Parker Jones sideline interference penalty in Sugar Bowl

One of the crucial plays in Thursday’s Sugar Bowl came early in the second quarter. Georgia walk-on Parker Jones collided with an official in the white area of the sideline, resulting in a 15-yard penalty following a 67-yard reception from Arian Smith.

That flag backed the Bulldogs up from the 11-yard line to the 31-yard line. They ended up settling for a field goal, but they had momentum thanks to the big play from Smith and Gunner Stockton. However, the penalty appeared to take some of the wind out of the sails after the drive stalled.

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Afterward, Kirby Smart addressed what happened. He explained why the flag came out, but also said those are the types of situations UGA has to avoid.

“Very unfortunate,” Smart said in his postgame press conference Thursday night. “We had – they said a coach, but I think it was a player, from what I’ve been told – in the white, and the white is reserved for the officials. That’s a safety concern. Most of the time, they’ll grant you a warning on that. But it was not a – it was a situation where it cost us 15 yards. We still had 1st and 10 and didn’t take advantage of it.

“But, again, I call those things undisciplined, self-imposed wounds that you lose momentum on. So, it’s just something you can’t have happen.”

Peyton Woodring drilled the field goal to give Georgia the early lead in the Sugar Bowl, but the Bulldogs appeared to be in the driver’s seat prior to the penalty. Normally, the officials will give a warning before calling sideline interference, but they threw the flag since there was contact.

Jones was the culprit, colliding with the official while running in the white area as he celebrated the highlight-reel play. It led to a sideline penalty without a warning, which ESPN analyst Matt Austin said can happen in that situation because Jones ran into the official.

“If there’s contact, yes,” Austin said on the broadcast when asked if a penalty needed to be called. “Because as Greg [McElroy] said, it’s dangerous down there. He’s running full speed to keep up with the play, to get a good spot. And if somebody gets in his way and there’s a collision, it’s extremely dangerous. So yeah, that’s a good call.”