Notre Dame vs Georgia live updates: CFP Sugar Bowl score ...

Notre Dame has secured the final spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. 

It did so by knocking off No. 2 Georgia in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal Thursday at New Orleans’ Caesar Superdome by a score of 23-10. 

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With the win, Notre Dame not only secured a statement win against one of the SEC’s top programs, but also picked up its first ever win against Georgia. The Irish entered Thursday’s game 0-3 against the Bulldogs, including a loss in the 1981 Sugar Bowl. 

The turning point for the Irish came in the final seconds of the first half, when Notre Dame scored 10 points in a span of 11 seconds. After Mitch Jeter converted a 48-yard field goal to give Notre Dame a 6-3 lead, RJ Oben strip-sacked Georgia's Gunner Stockton.

Following a Notre Dame recovery, quarterback Riley Leonard found Beaux Collins in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown. Jayden Harrison followed that up with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Though it gave up a wide-open third quarter touchdown, Harrison's kickoff return would be all Notre Dame needed to pull out the win. This was due in part because of a stellar performance from Notre Dame's defense in the second half, as it caused two consecutive turnovers on downs.

The Irish's CFP quarterfinals win vs. No. 2 Georgia was postponed following a terrorist attack that killed 15 and injured at least 30 more early Wednesday morning in New Orleans. Notre Dame will now have a quick turnaround to prepare for their next game, as they are set to take on No. 6 Penn State in the CFP Orange Bowl semifinals at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

With that, follow along for a recap of updates, scores and highlights from the Sugar Bowl between the Irish and the Bulldogs:

REQUIRED READING: Will Notre Dame beat Georgia in CFP? Early bracket predictions for Sugar Bowl quarterfinal

Notre Dame vs Georgia score updates

Notre Dame vs Georgia Sugar Bowl updates

(This section has been updated with new information)

Notre Dame is onto the College Football Playoff Orange Bowl semifinals with a 23-10 upset win over No. 2 Georgia in the 2025 Sugar Bowl. Donovan Hinish sealed the win for Notre Dame with a sack on fourth-and-6.

Notre Dame is two minutes away from advancing to the CFP Orange Bowl semifinals against No. 6 Penn State, as the Irish lead Georgia 23-10 in the fourth quarter of the Sugar Bowl. Punt coming up for the Irish on fourth-and-8 at their 50-yard line.

Georgia's defense still has no answer for Riley Leonard, as the Notre Dame quarterback picks up an impressive first down with a 9-yard carry on third-and-7. After the run, Leonard now has 74 rushing yards on 12 carries on the night.

Georgia elects to go for its again on fourth down, and Notre Dame's defense comes up with another stop as Lawson Luckie can't reel in the pass from Gunner Stockton.

Notre Dame takes over at its own 9-yard line up 23-10 with just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame looked to have gotten the ball back, as Gunner Stockton overthrew a fourth-and-13 pass down the middle of the field to Lawson Luckie. However, the Bulldogs' drive is extended as Jack Kiser was hit with a controversial defensive pass interference.

Georgia has a first-and-10 at Notre Dame's 14-yard line, with 10:51 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Another self-inflicted mistake by Notre Dame results in some points being left off the board.

Mitch Jeter pushes Notre Dame's lead to 23-10 with a 47-yard field goal after Jordan Faison was hit with an illegal shift penalty on fourth-and-1. Tough blow for Notre Dame, who converted the original fourth-and-1 on a 8-yard pass by Riley Leonard to Faison.

Fours up in New Orleans, as the Irish take a 20-10 lead over the Bulldogs into the fourth quarter. Notre Dame will start the fourth quarter with a second-and-4 on Georgia's 26-yard line after a 6-yard carry from Jordan Faison up the right side.

Notre Dame dials up the pressure on fourth-and-2, and it results in a turnover on downs for Georgia as Gunner Stockton's pass to Dillon Bell is short of the first-down. The Irish gave the Bulldogs another shot at fourth down with a delay of game penalty, but ultimately didn't come to cost them.

Notre Dame takes over at its 42-yard line, leading Georgia 20-10 with 2:58 remaining in the third quarter.

Notre Dame takes the gamble to go for it on fourth-and-1, and it comes to backfire as Riley Leonard comes up a few inches short of the first down. Georgia takes over at the 50-yard line after Notre Dame turns it over on downs.

Jadarian Price breaks free along the right side for a 13-yard carry, but the run is called back after wide receiver Jaden Greathouse was called for a hold. Costly error for a Notre Dame offense that has struggled to find consistent momentum throughout the night.

It's a first-and-15 at its own 36-yard line for Notre Dame coming up.

Georgia gets on the board in the second half, as Cash Jones hauls in a 32-yard catch down the left sideline from Gunner Stockton. Notre Dame's defense left Jones wide open down the sideline for the score.

Notre Dame's lead is trimmed to 10 points, as the Irish have a 20-10 lead with 9:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Both teams' defenses continue to cause havoc, dialing up the blitz on third down, forcing both teams to trade punts on consecutive drives.

Notre Dame is 1 for 6 on third downs after Riley Leonard couldn't find Mitchell Evans for the first down. Though it leads 20-3, Notre Dame's offense only has 137 total yards of offense on the night.

What a play by Notre Dame! Jayden Harrison takes the opening kickoff from Georgia's Peyton Woodring from the 2-yard line to the house for a 98-yard opening kickoff touchdown return.

It's now 17 points in the last 54 seconds for Notre Dame, who leads Georgia 20-3. All Irish right now in the Sugar Bowl.

REQUIRED READING: Georgia's Kirby Smart on New Orleans terrorist attack: 'Things are bigger than football'

Notre Dame capitalizes on the turnover, as Riley Leonard fires a dart into the end zone to Beaux Collins for the 13-yard touchdown catch.

Huge turn of events in the final seconds of the first half, as Notre Dame scores 10 points in a span of 12 seconds. Notre Dame leads Georgia 13-3 heading into halftime at the Sugar Bowl.

Notre Dame defensive lineman RJ Oben gets to Gunner Stockton from the outside edge and strips the ball for a takeaway. Junior Tuihalamaka comes up with the ball to give Notre Dame an opportunity to add more points before halftime.

Notre Dame's offense finally found some momentum against Georgia's defense, and it results in a 48-yard field goal from Mitch Jeter to give the Irish a 6-3 lead just before halftime.

Riley Leonard got the Irish back into field goal range with a 10-yard gain after Georgia's Smael Mondon Jr. sacked him for an 11-yard loss.

Both teams continue to struggle to find a consistent rhythm on offense, trading punts on consecutive drives.

Notre Dame takes over at its 38-yard line tied 3-3 with three minutes remaining in the first half.

The Irish's defense continues to struggle against Georgia's offense, as Gunner Stockton connects with Oscar Delp for a 21-yard reception on second-and-18. The big play for the Bulldogs comes right after defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka came around the edge to sack Stockton for a loss of 8 yards.

Notre Dame is on the board with a 44-yard field goal from kicker Mitch Jeter. Big play of the eight-play drive for Notre Dame was Leonard's 32-yard carry up the middle of the field. Irish are tied with Georgia 3-3 with 8:20 remaining in the first half of the Sugar Bowl.

Riley Leonard finds the gap and breaks loose for a 32-yard run down to the Georgia 29-yard line. Leonard looked to have gotten his face mask pulled down by a Georgia defender, but officials do not throw the flag.

Notre Dame faces an early 3-0 deficit in the Sugar Bowl after holding Georgia to a 41-yard field goal from Peyton Woodring. Nice response by Notre Dame's defense after Georgia appeared to be close to scoring a touchdown after Gunner Stockton connected with Arian Smith for a 66-yard catch to the Notre Dame 12-yard line. However, the play was brought back 15 yards after Georgia's Parker Jones interfered with an official on the sidelines.

Notre Dame can't convert its caused turnover into points, as Riley Leonard's third-down pass to Jayden Harrison is well short of the first down. The Irish are forced to punt for the second straight drive. Leonard is just 4 of 5 for 11 yards to start the game.

It's even at 0-0 after the first quarter of the Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame is moving on offense and will face a third-and-11 at its 25-yard line to start the second quarter.

The Irish struggled to get their offense going in the first quarter, only recording 16 total yards of offense in the 15 minutes compared to the Bulldogs' 58 yards.

Notre Dame's defense comes up with its first turnover of the afternoon. The Irish stack the box and blitz Georgia's offensive line, with Adon Shuler knocking the ball out of the hands of Georgia running back Trevor Etienne.

Big stop for the Notre Dame's defense as Georgia was knocking on the door. The Irish take over at their 10-yard line tied 0-0 with 2:28 remaining in the first quarter.

It's a three-and-out for Notre Dame's offense, as Riley Leonard's pass on third-and-19 falls short of reaching Aneyas Williams. Notre Dame is unable to get itself out of a hole caused by an illegal forward pass penalty on first down.

Notre Dame's Bryce Young gets hits with back-to-back running into the kicker penalties on Georgia punter Drew Miller. Kirby Smart and Georgia decline the second penalty, sending Riley Leonard and Notre Dame's offense out for the first time at their own 36-yard line.

After an official review, Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser was credited for a forced fumble after blitzing Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton at the Bulldogs' 27-yard line. Due to the reverse of the call, the Bulldogs' punt was moved back further to their end zone.

It looked like a three-and-out was coming by Notre Dame's high-powered defense against Georgia's offense, but Christian Gray was flagged for defensive pass interference.

The Irish had recorded two tackles for a loss of 2 yards on the drive prior to Gray's penalty, which came on a deep throw from Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton on third-and-12.

The Irish have won the coin toss and deferred the opening kickoff to the second half. Notre Dame will head out on defense to open up the 2025 Sugar Bowl.

We are just a few minutes from kick off in New Orleans between Notre Dame and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl! Irish look to knock off the only remaining top-four seed left in the CFP bracket.

Should Notre Dame be able to pull off the upset over No. 2 Georgia Thursday, the Irish will take on No. 6 Penn State in the College Football Playoff Orange Bowl semifinal. The Irish and Nittany Lions would face each other on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Riley Leonard has taken the field for warmups ahead of what arguably is the biggest start of his collegiate career. Leonard, who transferred from Duke over the offseason, ranks second among all active FBS quarterbacks in career rushing touchdowns, at 34.

Leonard completed 23 of 32 passing for 201 yards and a touchdown in Notre Dame's CFP first-round win over Indiana, adding 30 rushing yards and a score.

The Irish enter Thursday's CFP quarterfinals against No. 2 Georgia with a 2-2 record in the Sugar Bowl. It is the first time Notre Dame in appearing in the Sugar Bowl since 2007 against LSU.

Here's a look at how the Irish have fared in the Sugar Bowl:

• 2007: LSU 41, Notre Dame 14
• 1991: Notre Dame 34, Florida 28
• 1980: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10
• 1973: Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23

Marcus Freeman leads Notre Dame into the Caesars Superdome ahead of Thursday's CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinals contest vs. No. 2 Georgia. Freeman is looking for his second CFP win in his fourth season at Notre Dame.

In the wake of Wednesday's early morning terrorist attack on Bourbon Street, security has increased inside Caesars Superdome, including from the FBI.

Other reports mention that Homeland Security is blocking roads to and around the Superdome.

Notre Dame vs Georgia time today

• Date: Thursday, Jan. 2
• Time: 4 p.m. ET
• Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)

Notre Dame and Georgia are scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. ET from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans following the postponement of the Sugar Bowl following Wednesday's terrorist attack in New Orleans.

What channel is Notre Dame vs Georgia game on today?

The Fighting Irish and Bulldogs' game will air nationally on ESPN, with Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy calling the game from the booth and Molly McGrath and Laura Rutledge reporting from the sidelines.

Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a cable login) and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

REQUIRED READING: Notre Dame football will try to stop Georgia run game and its 'massive dudes' up front

Notre Dame vs Georgia history

• Series record: Georgia leads 3-0
• Notre Dame's last win: N/A
• Georgia's last win: Sept. 21, 2019 (23-17)

Notre Dame and Georgia have met three times, with the Bulldogs winning all three meetings. The teams first met in the 1981 Sugar Bowl, with Vince Dooley's Bulldogs — led by running back Herschel Walker — beating the 9-1-1 Fighting Irish 17-10 to cap off an undefeated national championship season.

Prior to Thursday's meeting, the Fighting Irish and Bulldogs have met just two more times since: in 2017 at Notre Dame and in 2019 in Athens, Georgia. The Bulldogs won those games 20-19 and 23-17, respectively.

Notre Dame vs Georgia predictions

• CBS Sports: 5 of 7 writers pick Notre Dame straight up | 5 of 7 writers pick Notre Dame (+1.5)
• NBC Sports: Notre Dame exceeds 20.5 team points total
• Fox Sports: Notre Dame 30, Georgia 23

Notre Dame vs Georgia betting odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday, Jan. 1

• Spread: Notre Dame (-1)
• Over/under: 45.5 points
• Moneyline: Georgia (-110) | Notre Dame (-110)

Notre Dame vs Georgia injury updates

This section will be updated.

Georgia

• QB Carson Beck — OUT

Notre Dame

• DT Rylie Mills — OUT

REQUIRED READING: Smarts plus skill plus opportunity: It all adds up for Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame

Notre Dame vs Georgia weather update

According to forecasts from The Weather Channel, it will be 61 degrees in New Orleans at 4 p.m. ET, with a 2% chance of rain and winds blowing east as fast as 8 mph.

The Caesars Superdome is an indoor stadium, meaning Notre Dame vs. Georgia will not be adversely affected by the weather.

Notre Dame football 2024 schedule

• Saturday, Aug. 31: at Texas A&M (W, 23-13)
• Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Northern Illinois (L, 16-14)
• Saturday, Sept. 14: at Purdue (W, 66-7)
• Saturday, Sept. 21: vs. Miami (Ohio) (W, 28-3)
• Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. No. 15 Louisville (W, 31-24)
• Saturday, Oct. 5: BYE
• Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. Stanford (W, 49-7)
• Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 31-13)
• Saturday, Oct. 26: vs. No. 24 Navy (W, 51-14)
• Saturday, Nov. 2: BYE
• Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Florida State (W, 52-3)
• Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Virginia (W, 35-14)
• Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. No. 19 Army (W, 49-14)
• Saturday, Nov. 30: at USC (W, 49-35)
• Friday, Dec. 20: vs. No. 9 Indiana, CFP first round (W, 27-17)
• Thursday, Jan. 2: vs. No. 2 Georgia (CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal)*
• Record: 12-1

* Denotes CFP ranking

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Georgia football 2024 schedule

• Saturday, Aug. 31: vs. No. 14 Clemson (W, 34-3)
• Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Tennessee Tech (W, 48-3)
• Saturday, Sept. 14: at Kentucky (W, 13-12)
• Saturday, Sept. 21: BYE
• Saturday, Sept. 28: at No. 4 Alabama* (L, 41-34)
• Saturday, Oct. 5: vs. Auburn* (W, 31-13)
• Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. Mississippi State* (W, 41-31)
• Saturday, Oct. 19: at No. 1 Texas* (W, 30-15)
• Saturday, Oct. 26: BYE
• Saturday, Nov. 2: vs. Florida* (W, 34-20)
• Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. No. 16 Ole Miss* (L, 28-10)
• Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. No. 7 Tennessee* (W, 31-17)
• Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. UMass (W, 59-21)
• Friday, Nov. 29: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 44-42, 8 OT)
• Saturday, Dec. 7: vs. No. 2 Texas (W, 22-19, OT) (SEC championship)
• Thursday, Jan. 2: vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal)**
• Record: 11-2, 6-2 SEC

* Denotes SEC game

** Denotes CFP ranking

Notre Dame football news

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