Notre Dame defeats Georgia to advance to College Football Playoff Semifinals

Orange Bowl early odds

Notre Dame will match up with Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 following their respective College Football Playoff wins in the quarterfinal round. Notre Dame (-122) has opened as a 1.5-point betting favorite over Penn State (+102), according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

CFP semifinals set

Notre Dame will play Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9. Texas will play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.

FINAL: Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10

Notre Dame confuses Georgia

Update on Jeremiyah Love

ESPN’s Molly McGrath on Jeremiyah Love: “He tried cutting side to side. He was in visible discomfort. So they put a hard brace on that right knee. You can tell he’s still bothered by the injury but he’s doing everything he can to return. I’m told he will try to go and he told us he does not need to be 100% to effective.”

Notre Dame comes up big

Gunner Stockton was not able to connect with Lawson Luckie on 4th-and-5, resulting in a turnover on downs. Notre Dame takes over from its 9-yard line with 9:25 remaining.

Georgia picks up first down off PI

Facing a 4th-and-13, Gunner Stockton threw an incomplete pass but the Bulldogs caught a break when Notre Dame was flagged for pass interference. Georgia picks up an automatic first down.

Xavier Watts injured

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts just got out of the injury tent after being evaluated for what Molly McGrath reports is a right shoulder injury. He returned to the field.

4Q: Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10

Mitch Jeter extended Notre Dame’s lead with a 47-yard field goal. The Irish lead 23-10 early in the fourth quarter.

END 3Q: Notre Dame 20, Georgia 10

Jeremiyah Love injured

Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love was slow to get up after a first down play, but was able to walk off on his own power favoring his right knee. He suffered a knee injury at USC that he battled through to play against Indiana.

Georgia turnover on downs

Just after forcing a Notre Dame turnover on downs, Georgia faced a 4th-and-2. The Irish dialed up the pressure as the Bulldogs fell short. Notre Dame takes over on its 42-yard line late in the thrid quarter.

Notre Dame turnover on downs

Facing a 4th-and-1 on the Georgia 50-yard line, Marcus Freeman opted to go for it with Riley Leonard running a quarterback sneak. Leonard came up short, resulting in a turnover on downs. Georgia takes over with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Mykel Williams injured

On Notre Dame’s 3rd-and-13 play midway through the third quarter, Georgia star EDGE Mykel Williams was injured and was seen in pain on the ground after the play. He walked back to the sideline under his own power after the play.

3Q: Notre Dame 20, Georgia 10

Gunner Stockton connected with wide receiver Cash Jones on a wheel route for a 32-yard touchdown, cutting Notre Dame’s lead to 10. The Irish lead 20-10 with 9:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Drops continue for Georgia

Georgia gets a receiver wide open and Gunner Stockton hits him in the hands, but Dillon Bell drops it.

Notre Dame scoring quickly

Notre Dame was tied 3-3 with Georgia with a minute left in the first half. The Irish have scored 17 points in 54 seconds of game time.

Notre Dame returns opening kickoff for TD

Notre Dame wide receiver Jayden Harrison returned the second half opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The Fighting Irish lead 20-3 early in the second half.

Kirby Smart on end of first half

Kirby Smart wanted to show he had full faith in Georgia’s new starting quarterback Gunner Stockton. Unfortunately, the late-first half gamble failed miserably as Stockton was sacked and turned the ball over with 33 seconds left in the second quarter.

“Well, I would say we tried to be aggressive in two-minute and probably regret it, right?” Smart said. “Go to the half 6-3. But 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.”

Marcus Freeman urges Notre Dame to be in ‘attack mode’ in second half

Notre Dame looked excellent in the first half of the Sugar Bowl, taking a 13-3 lead over Georgia into the break. Before heading to the locker room, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman discussed his team’s first-half performance and revealed how they can hold on to their lead.

“A great way to end the half,” Freeman said. “We got to win the turnover margin, and we capitalize off of it on offense. But, this is going to be a 60-plus minute game, and you watch this Georgia team all year, and you know they’re not going to quit.

END 1H: Notre Dame 13, Georgia 3

Gunner Stockton fumble leads to TD

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton was strip-sack was recovered by Junior Tuihalamaka. On the following play, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Beaux Collins to put the Fighting Irish up 13-3.

2Q: Notre Dame 6, Georgia 3

Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter converted a 48-yard field goal ahead of the half to put Notre Dame up 6-3.

2Q: Two-minute timeout

Georgia and Notre Dame are tied up 3-3 at the first half two-minute timeout. Notre Dame is facing a 3rd-and-1 from their 47-yard line.

2Q: Georgia 3, Notre Dame 3

Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter converted a 44-yard field goal attempt, tying the game at 3-3 with 8:20 remaining in the first half.

Riley Leonard’s 32-yard run

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard’s 32-yard run puts the Fighting Irish on the Georgia 29-yard line.

Sideline interference

Georgia cornerback Parker Jones was called for sideline interference on the 67-yard pass to Arian Smith, resulting in a 20-yard penalty.

2Q: Georgia 3, Notre Dame 0

Georgia kicker Peyton Woodring converted a 41-yard field goal attempt to put the Bulldogs up 3-0 early in the second quarter.

Gunner Stockton connects with Arian Smith

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton delivered a perfect ball to wide receiver Arian Smith for a 67-yard pickup. The Bulldogs were penalized 20 yards for sideline interference.

Marcus Freeman on offense

Speaking to ESPN during the TV timeout, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman emphasized the need to establish the run.

“We’ve got to be able to run the ball,” Freeman said.

Trevor Etienne fumbles

With Georgia driving inside the red zone, running back Trevor Etienne fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Notre Dame linebacker Jaiden Ausberry. The Fighting Irish take over on their 10-yard line with 2:37 remaining in the first quarter. It’s the first career lost fumble for Etienne.

Notre Dame three-and-out

Notre Dame went a quick three-and-out on its first drive. A 10-yard penalty for an illegal forward pass on Riley Leonard’s first pass of the game derailed the Fighting Irish’s drive. Georgia takes over on its 19-yard line.

Georgia forced to punt

Despite a penalty giving Georgia a new set of downs, Notre Dame’s defense dominated on the first drive as the Bulldogs gained -13 yards. The Fighting Irish take over on their 36-yard line after two consecutive running into the kicker penalties.

Coin Toss

Notre Dame won the toss and has deferred to the second half. Georgia will receive.

U-S-A chants break out

Following the moment of silence and before the national anthem, U-S-A chants broke out at the Sugar Bowl.

Moment of silence

A moment of silence before the Sugar Bowl to honor the lives lost in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack.

Final betting line

Notre Dame enters as a 1.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel. The final over-under is set at 45.8 points.