No. 2 seed Georgia is set to take on No. 7 Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl on Thursday after the game was postponed in response to an attack in New Orleans.
According to the AP, 14 people were killed and at least 30 were injured when a man drove a pickup truck through a crowd in the French Quarter in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
Ninth-year head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs (11-2) spent most of Wednesday sheltering in place at their hotel, excluding a brief practice on Wednesday evening.
Smart spoke with ESPN’s Marty Smith on Thursday as the team arrived at the Caesars Superdome for the playoff matchup against the Irish (12-1). It was Smart’s first public comment since the attack occurred.
Tragic, Smart said in response to how the last two days have been in New Orleans. “To have what’s happened in our country where you come and feel safe. A lot of people lost their lives. It’s saddening and scary.
I first want to thank the first responders who have done such a tremendous job keeping the city safe since then and doing what they do. These kids want to come play a football game and do what they love to do, and they’ve got an opportunity to do that today.
Caesars Superdome, which has hosted the Sugar Bowl since 1975, underwent a security sweep on Wednesday and has an increased police presence for Thursday’s game.
“Things are bigger than football out there,” Smart said. “Sometimes we get caught up in our own selves and our own moments, and you lose sight of how blessed we are every day to have the opportunity we have to play football and to play in a CFP quarterfinal game against a historic program. A lot of times when you have gratitude, it takes away a lot of anxiety.”
Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN. The winner will face No. 6 Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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