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Notre Dame defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night, escaping New Orleans with a 23-10 victory. The Fighting Irish will now advance and face off against Penn State in the Orange Bowl.
The Sugar Bowl got off to a slow start, with neither team scoring in the 1st quarter. The first points of the game came on a Georgia field goal in the 2nd quarter, but the Irish soon responded with a FG of their own. The Irish added another FG before the half and then a Georgia fumble set the Irish up in position to score again before the half.
The Irish would score on a Riley Leonard pass to Beaux Collins to enter the half with a 13-3 lead. Then, to start the 2nd half, Jayden Harrison returned the opening kickoff 98 yards to the house to put the Irish up 20-3.
The Bulldogs added a TD in the 3rd to cut the lead to 10 points, but the Irish defense prevented the Bulldogs from scoring any more in the game. A FG in the 4th was added for good measure, and the final score would be 23-10.
Now, the Irish will advance to the Orange Bowl to take on Penn State. The Nittany Lions earned their bid to the Orange Bowl by taking down the Mountain West champs Boise State. In the 1st round, the Nittany Lions demolished SMU, winning 38-10.
Now, the No. 7 Irish will take on the No. 8 Nittany Lions. The Orange Bowl will kick off from Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The winner of that game will punch their ticket to the National Championship Game against the winner of the Texas-Ohio State Cotton Bowl matchup.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
