Kirby Smart complains that officials allowed Notre Dame’s 11-man substitution in a critical Sugar Bowl game
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Kirby Smart complains that officials allowed Notre Dame’s 11-man substitution in a critical Sugar Bowl game

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 2: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs speaks with an official in the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 2, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Kirby Smart had something to say to Sugar Bowl officials. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Georgia’s season is over after a 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, but the only moment that truly ended it came with just under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Facing 4th-and-1 with a 23-10 lead, the Fighting Irish gathered their entire punt team and unleashed their offense at breakneck speed. The rules dictated that the Bulldogs also had to be given the opportunity to respond with their own substitutions, which they did.

However, the resulting confusion – one official held the ball until the defense was ready – led to two Georgia defenders being caught offside. A long pass from Riley Leonard fell incomplete, but the damage was already done in the form of a five-yard penalty.

It’s unclear whether Notre Dame would have even snapped the ball if Georgia hadn’t pounced, but they happily took the first possession and burned through so much time that there were only two minutes left when they finally gave the ball back to Georgia. Smart was visibly angry on the sideline as it all unfolded.

Even though the Irish didn’t score on the drive, it’s about as good to shave more than five minutes off the clock and take a two-point lead in the fourth quarter. Georgia only had one drive the rest of the game.

In his postgame press conference, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart complained that he had been told by SEC officials that an 11-man substitution like the one implemented by Notre Dame was illegal.

Smart’s argument:

“It’s really unfortunate because I was told by our head of the SEC that you can’t do that. You can’t run 11 on and 11 off. We played Tennessee in 2017. That’s what we wore.’ I practiced and repeated that because teams try to do it and they were told by the officials that you can’t do that, so we tried to say you can’t do that.”

“We got our defense on point. We were fine. If I were them I would have tried, so I don’t think that’s what they were planning on doing. They wanted to count us hard and that’s what we prepared for. “We do it every week and got caught offside, but our league also told us that wasn’t possible.”

As the X-Community notes and many other viewers have observed, it’s hard to see what Smart is talking about. Looking at the NCAA rulebook, there appear to be no restrictions on 11-man substitutions relevant to the game in question.

Here’s what the substitutions section has to say:

Between periods of play, after a score or try, or during the break between downs, any number of permitted substitutes for each team may enter the game solely to replace one or more players or to fill one or more vacant player spots.

A legal substitute may replace a player or fill a vacancy provided none of the following restrictions are violated:

a) No incoming substitute may enter the field of play or an end zone while the ball is in play

b) No player older than 11 may leave the field of play or an end zone while the ball is in play

Here’s how dead ball fouls work:

If Team A sends its substitutes, the referees will not allow the ball to be caught until Team B is given the opportunity to make a substitution. During a substitution or simulated substitution, Team A is prohibited from rushing toward the attack line in an apparent attempt to create a defensive disadvantage. If the ball is ready for play, the match officials will not allow the ball to be grabbed until Team B has brought the substitutes into position and the substituted players have left the field of play. Team B must react immediately with its substitutes.

Notre Dame’s long snapper never touched the ball and therefore could not factor it into the game. Notre Dame’s offense entered the field with 20 seconds left in the game, giving Georgia enough time to use its defense, and an official was on site to prevent an early snap that could have put Georgia at a disadvantage.

The ball wasn’t in play until all players were in place with five seconds left, and only then did the Georgia players jump. Smart at least admitted that the confusion didn’t stop Georgia from flexing its defense, but it sounds like he’ll have to deal with those SEC officials more than anyone involved in Thursday’s game speak.

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