NEW ORLEANS – Riley Leonard passed for a touchdown, Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score and Notre Dame’s defense held strong in a 23-10 win over No. 2 Georgia in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff at Allstate Sugar Bowl on Thursday, sending the fifth-seeded Fighting Irish to the CFP semifinals.

In a game postponed a day because of a deadly terrorist attack in the host city, Notre Dame (13-1) made enough big plays and got some help from a smart move from coach Marcus Freeman.

“Our coaches called the game aggressive. Our players showed everything and put everything on the line for this university and this football team,” Freeman said. “I’m really proud of her. Proud of the way they have handled the events of the last 24 hours.”

Georgia (11-2) was able to get within one score when Notre Dame tied the game on fourth-and-5 from the Irish 9-yard line with 9:29 left.

Minutes later, Notre Dame had a fourth-and-short deep in its own territory when Freeman sent out the punt team before knocking all 11 players off the field and sending the offense running. Georgia quickly tried to keep up and then went offside as the game clock expired, giving the Irish a time-killing first down with 7:17 left.

“They wanted to count us hard. We are preparing for that. We do this every week,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We went offside.”

When the Bulldogs got the ball back, there was only 1:49 left and Notre Dame was on its way to facing No. 5 Penn State (13-2, CFP No. 6 seed) in the semifinals of the Orange Bowl Miami on January 9th.

“That’s the aggressiveness in terms of our preparation that I want for our program,” Freeman said. “That has to be one of our advantages, that we are an aggressive group and we are not afraid to make mistakes.”

The Irish were a 1.5-point favorite over the Nittany Lions, according to ESPN BET, while Ohio State remains the favorite to win the CFP at +110.

Georgia entered the game without starting quarterback Carson Beck, who injured his right elbow in the Southeastern Conference championship game. He was replaced by Gunner Stockton, who was 20 of 32 for 234 yards and a touchdown.

The Bulldogs outgained Notre Dame 296 yards to 244, but Georgia was stopped on all three fourth-down attempts and lost two fumbles – one deep in Notre Dame territory and one inside its own 20.

“The turnovers are the difference in the game, guys,” Smart said. “I mean, you should know that if you turn it over twice and they return a kickoff for a touchdown, you’re not going to have much success.”

Leonard finished the game with a team-high 90 yards passing and 80 yards rushing, including a late first-down run that sent him headlong into the air as he attempted to jump over a defender .

“We’re in the playoffs,” Leonard said. “Anyone else can put their body on the line, I’ll do it right there with them.”

The game was scheduled for Wednesday night as part of a New Year’s Day three-way playoff game, but was postponed after an Army veteran inspired by the Islamic State group drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday, killing 14 revelers had killed. Security was increased at the Superdome – where the Super Bowl will be held next month – and arriving fans said they felt safe.

Because some fans were unable to change their travel plans, an attendance of 68,400 was reported at the 70,000-seat stadium. There were a few empty seats in the upper floors, but passionate fans made no shortage of noise, trying to get their teams into the next round of college football’s first 12-team playoffs.

The score was tied at 3 before Notre Dame scored 17 points in 54 seconds.

The unusual sequence began with Mitch Jeter’s 48-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the first half.

Shortly thereafter, Georgia paid for an aggressive decision to attempt a dropback pass from its own 25. RJ Oben’s blind sack led to Stockton fumbling at the 13, where Irish defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka recovered. Leonard found Beaux Collins over the middle for a touchdown on the next play, making it a 13-3 lead that held at halftime.

With 15 seconds left in the third quarter, Notre Dame led 20-3.

Harrison took Georgia’s second-half kickoff into the end zone, where he made a tackle in the middle of the field, moved toward the right sideline and outran everyone.

Georgia closed the gap to 20-10 when Stockton hit reserve running back Cash Jones for a 32-yard score before Jeter’s third field goal of the game gave the Irish the victory.

Takeaways

Notre Dame: With a dominant defense and the dual threat of Leonard’s play, the Irish look to be dangerous heading into the semifinals.

Georgia: A team looking to win big games without its starting QB can’t afford big mistakes, and missed opportunities have doomed coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs.

Next

Notre Dame: The Irish are continuing a series with the Nittany Lions that is currently 9-9-1.

Georgia: The 2025 season opener is Aug. 30 at home against Marshall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.