We love Kirby Smart, but just what in the world was the Georgia football coach thinking to close the first half against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals? With the score 6-3 following a Notre Dame field goal, and less than 40 seconds on the clock, it was going to be a small win for UGA to be down just three going into halftime.
However, Smart took a massive gamble in letting Gunner Stockton try to make something happen and the decision completely backfired on him. Stockton was hit hard by a Notre Dame defender, he coughed up the ball and the Fighting Irish jumped on the ball.
On the very next play, Riley Leonard hit Beaux Collins for a 13-yard score. It was a free touchdown for Notre Dame and it's all on Smart. He was of course asked on the ESPN broadcast about what happened and Smart called himself out on the way to the locker room:
Kirby Smart: "we try to stay aggressive in 2-minute, and we probably regret it"
— Dalton Wasserman (@PFF_Dalton) January 2, 2025
Sums it up well
Georgia HC Kirby Smart gifted Notre Dame a free touchdown late in the first half
Smart added that he wanted to let Stockton know the team has confidence in him to make some magic happen, which we get, but still, it was an awful call. Now, instead of only being down by a field goal, this has turned into a two-possession game as of this writing.
Smart is going to have to fire up his players at halftime and hope his speech can wake them up a bit. Thus far, though, Georgia's showing vs. Notre Dame has been highlighted by mental mistakes and out-of-character blunders.
Instead of college football fans talking about Georgia playing well, the main topics of conversation are the fumble to end the first half and Parker Jones' sideline interference penalty which likely cost Georgia a shot at a TD. It's been a rough go for the Bulldogs, who will see their natty hopes end unless they snap out of this funk.