Refs missed Notre Dame flinch on critical Sugar Bowl trick play

Georgia looked like a shell of its once-dominant self without star quarterback Carson Beck on Thursday, but a missed call by the referees in the fourth quarter surely didn’t help the Bulldogs’ cause.With 7:17 left in Notre Dame’s 23-10 Sugar Bowl win, the Fighting Irish went no-huddle on fourth down in a surprising trick move that saw their special teams sprint off the field and substitute their offense on the field with a little more than 20 seconds left on the play clock.That spicy move by Notre Dame’s coaching staff forced Georgia to also substitute its defense onto the field for a fourth-and-1 at the Fighting Irish’s 18-yard line.The chaos ultimately worked in Notre Dame’s factor when Georgia’s Jalon Walker went offsides to award the Fighting Irish a first down that continued the drive.But the Fighting Irish may have gotten away with their own penalty.Keen fans noticed running back Jadarian Price was lined up at wide receiver and clearly flinched just before the snap, which should have been a penalty on Notre Dame for a false start.Had that infraction been whistled, Notre Dame would have punted and Georgia potentially would have had good field position on its ensuing drive since the Fighting Irish would have been backed up to their 13-yard line.Notre Dame melted 7:36 off the clock during that drive, getting the ball with 9:25 remaining in a 23-10 game and eventually punting with roughly two minutes left.

The Fighting Irish outplayed the Bulldogs in all three phases as Georgia struggled to mount a consistent enough offensive attack to overcome a key stretch around halftime.Notre Dame forced a fumble from QB Gunner Stockton and scored on the next play just before half and then returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown.That turned a 6-3 game into a 17-point Irish advantage.

Marcus Freeman’s group ran the ball 35 times for 150 yards and a touchdown, helping them win the time of possession battle 31:47 to 28:13.The Fighting Irish will face t...