By Jay Berry
A bizarre penalty became one of the most talked-about moments in the Sugar Bowl game between Georgia and Notre Dame, and ESPN would not let viewers forget it.
The moment happened as QB Gunner Stockton connected with wide receiver Arian Smith on a 67-yard completion with the score tied 0-0 early second quarter.
A penalty was called for sideline interference after Parker Jones, an inactive walk-on redshirt sophomore defensive back, bumped into an official running down the sideline. This resulted in a costly 15-yard penalty. The completed pass had moved the ball down to the Notre Dame 11-yard line, but the penalty pushed it back to the 26-yard line.
If no contact was made, it would likely have been a warning. The contact made by the player with the official caused the penalty. Georgia settled for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Yes, it was a significant penalty and changed the momentum, but it was early in the game, with much football left to play.
“Very unfortunate,” coach Kirby Smart said afterward. “I think it was a player, from what I’ve been told, in the white, is reserved for the officials. That’s a safety concern. Most of the time, they’ll grant you a warning on that, but it was not — it was a situation where it cost us 15 yards. We still had first and 10 and didn’t take advantage of it. “
The Bulldogs committed five penalties for 36 yards during the game, and this one has been the most talked about, even more than the offsides penalty in the fourth quarter.
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It was a bonehead penalty, especially for a reserve player who is only on the sideline, so the team can have many numbers in red jerseys. While rosters are limited in regular season games, bowl games typically permit a larger number of players to travel with the team, leading to a more populated sideline.
Not only was it a big and bizarre penalty, but the ESPN broadcast did not let people forget about it. As the fourth quarter was winding down and Notre Dame had a 13-point lead, the camera kept panning over to Jones on the sideline.
Announcer Sean McDonough highlighted Jones’ penalty with under two minutes remaining as the camera focused on Jones for what seemed like a long time.
— Vid Clip Hero (@VidClipHero) January 3, 2025
“The one play that should not be forgotten will certainly be talked about in the postmortems, is the play at the beginning of the second quarter,” McDonough said in the fourth quarter.
Social media was unhappy with ESPN focusing on him at the end of the game, with people commenting that he wasn’t the reason Georgia lost the game. That is true. It was a significant penalty, but it wasn’t the reason the Bulldogs. At some point, the broadcast should have let it go.
ESPN showing Parker Jones again and again acting like he's the reason that Georgia couldn't move the ball, tackle, show discipline or come up with the big play when they needed it.
Do better. pic.twitter.com/fUcut8eLFU
— Tim Preston (@TimmyTebrows) January 3, 2025
They put Jones in Steve Bartman territory, the famous Cubs fan who interfered with a Cubs player in the 2003 NLCS.
It got ridiculous at the end of the game when they were still talking about him. I can’t imagine the night he had last night and the day he’s having today.
Kirby Smart and his team will watch Texas, an SEC newcomer, represent the conference in the Final Four.
