NEW ORLEANS – Notre Dame’s 23-10 win over Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday might have been a 60 Minutes commercial about how to use the transfer portal effectively.

Nearly half a dozen transfers headed to the No. 1s ahead of the 2024 season. 7 Fighting Irish changes helped them to one of their biggest wins in decades against No. 2 bulldogs. It was Notre Dame’s 13th win of the season, the most in program history, and it ended an eight-game losing streak in BCS/New Year’s Six bowl games.

The Irish couldn’t have defeated the Bulldogs without transfers like quarterback Riley Leonard, defensive end RJ Oben, kick returner Jayden Harrison, receiver Beaux Collins and kicker Mitch Jeter, who made big play after big play in Caesar’s Superdome.

Notre Dame advanced to No. 6 Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 9.

“I see the work that they’ve done and I’ve seen the process that they’ve gone through and I’m just so proud of them for making a lot of progress,” Irish linebacker Jack Kiser said. “There are a lot of firsts this year. It was a great ride. But it just shows we deserve another one and we’re looking forward to the guaranteed opportunity that’s in front of us and we’re not going to take anything for granted. “We’re going to take the chance.”

Leonard, who played three seasons at Duke before transferring for his final season, essentially carried the Fighting Irish’s offense on his back. He threw for 90 yards with a touchdown on 15-for-24 passing and ran 14 times for 80 yards.

“They’re a very physical group,” Leonard said. “They applied a lot of pressure today but I think we handled that pretty well and stayed behind the chains at the start of the game and then figured it out a bit. I had trouble with the passing game, but, shoot, that opens up the running game. And we were able to use our skills and execute when it mattered most.”

According to ESPN Research, Leonard’s rushing total was the fourth-most by a quarterback in a CFP game, and his 831 rushing yards this season are the second-most in a season by a Notre Dame quarterback (Tony Rice had 884 in 1989).

Several of Leonard’s biggest runs against Georgia came on third down, and he lowered his shoulder to convert some of them.

Above, Leonard’s former Duke teammate, made the biggest defensive play of the game. With the Fighting Irish leading 6-3 late in the first half, Oben sacked Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton from his blind side and caused him to fumble.

Irish defensive tackle junior Tuihalamaka recovered the ball at the Georgia 13 with 33 seconds left in the half. On the next play, Leonard threw a 13-yard touchdown to Collins, a transfer receiver from Clemson.

Oben, a senior from Montclair, New Jersey, didn’t have a sack in his first season at Notre Dame before Thursday. He had 14 in his last three seasons at Duke.

“It was great,” Oben said. “Things didn’t always go the way I wanted, but that’s why I came here and I’m so happy to have this experience with my team. I know Riley can take this team as far as it can go, and I’m so glad we were able to continue playing together.

Oben moved into the starting lineup against Georgia after senior Rylie Mills suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 27-17 win over Indiana in a CFP first-round game on Dec. 20.

“These guys don’t always have control over the number of plays they make,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “Your coaching staff determines what they expect from your role in this game. RJ is a guy who gives his best no matter what role he is given.”

“And when you have that attitude and that work ethic, good things like what happened today happen to you. And if you sit here and complain about why you don’t play more than the next guy, then you know something.” ? You’re not doing everything you can to make the most of your opportunity.”

Harrison, a Marshall transfer, helped the Irish push the Bulldogs even deeper when he returned the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the second half.

It was the longest postseason kickoff return in Notre Dame history and the second longest in Sugar Bowl history. Florida’s Andre Debose had a 100-yard return in a 33-23 loss to Louisville in 2013.

“The whole journey has been a blessing, and things happen for a reason,” said Harrison, who was second in the FBS in kickoff returns with a 30.7-yard average at Marshall last season. “We’re all in this together. Georgia was a great team, but my guys took it game after game.”

Jeter converted all three of his field goal attempts, each from more than 40 yards. The South Carolina transfer was 5 for 9 on such attempts before Thursday.

ESPN’s David Hale contributed to this report.