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Penn State will wait longer to learn its CFP Semifinal foe after Sugar Bowl postponed following tragedy in New Orleans

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•01/01/25•

GregPickel

Sugar Bowl
Stephen Lew | Imagn Images

Note: This story has been updated with the confirmed kickoff time for the Sugar Bowl on Thursday.

Penn State will wait at least another day to learn who it will play in next week’s College Football Playoff semifinal after tragedy struck New Orleans’ famed Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning. The Sugar Bowl, which features No. 2 Georgia against No. 5 Notre Dame for the right to play the No. 6 Nittany Lions, is being moved back 24 hours after an attack took place around 3:15 a.m. and saw someone drive a pickup truck at a high rate of speed through a crowd of people, including to multiple media outlets. Multiple reports say the number of dead and injured victims both were in the double digits. Local New Orleans TV stations WDSU and WSBT first reported the postponement.

With the Sugar Bowl no longer at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Superdome, it will now be at 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 on ESPN.

The FBI released the following statement on the attack earlier Wednesday, per CNN:

“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of other. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased . The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”

It said in a later update that:

“Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter. The FBI’s special agent bomb technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable, and they will work to render those devices safe.”

Penn State shifts its focus to the Orange Bowl

Penn State celebrated on the field, in the locker room, and at its team hotel in Arizona on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning after beating Boise State 31-14 in the quarterfinals. Afterward, head coach James Franklin was not racing to flip the page. However, he knew the program would need to do so soon. It flew home on Wednesday morning. The flight took the team back into State College.

“Honestly, I want to enjoy this Boise win and this Fiesta Bowl win for a couple hours,” Franklin said. “We’re going to enjoy the new year. We’re going to enjoy this win for a couple hours. And, then obviously we’ll start to get a little bit of a head start on these teams. But obviously, two great programs. Won a bunch of games. History, tradition, talent, coaching. At this  point in the season, you’re going to play really good people, and we’re excited about that opportunity.  

“But tonight, we want to enjoy this for a couple of hours. There will be plenty of time, and hours, to get  focused on those next opponents.”

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