The biggest opportunity in coach Marcus Freeman’s fledgling head coaching career at Notre Dame has been postponed until Thursday at 4 p.m. EST.
The heartache behind the reason for deferring the College Football Playoff/Sugar Bowl matchup between 7 seed ND (12-1) and 2 seed Georgia (11-2) will likely linger indefinitely, as details behind an early Wednesday morning terrorist attack in New Orleans continue to surface.
From a football standpoint, the CFP quarterfinal matchup originally scheduled for Wednesday night at 8:45 EST at the Caesars Superdome will now be played Thursday afternoon at 4 on ESPN. The original reschedule time was 8:45 Thursday, but the kick time was moved up after discussions with both teams on Wednesday afternoon.
The winner advances to a Jan. 9 semifinal at the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla., against 8 seed Penn State (13-2).
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From a bigger-than-football/humanity standpoint, reportedly 10 people were killed and 30 others injured in what the FBI is calling a terrorist assault. From the USA TODAY: “An armed man drove a speeding truck into a New Year's Eve celebration on Bourbon Street in New Orleans' French Quarter early Wednesday..
“The pick-up truck crashed into the crowd at high speed around 3:15 a.m. and within moments the driver started firing on police officers from inside the vehicle,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. Two officers were shot and are now being treated in stable condition.
Police confirmed with USA TODAY that the driver was fatally shot by police. "Perpetrator was shot by NOPD officers and killed," said Karen Boudrie, public relations specialist with New Orleans police.”
More on the news story HERE.
Notre Dame reported all members of the team and its traveling party are accounted for and safe.
Here is the official statement from the Sugar Bowl officials:
Tonight’s College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl has been postponed to tomorrow (Thursday) at [4 p.m. Eastern] due to today’s early-morning terrorist attack. The decision was made in coordination with federal, state, and local authorities as well as the College Football Playoff, ESPN, the Southeastern Conference, the University of Georgia, the University of Notre Dame, and Caesars Superdome.
With law enforcement assets that would typically be allocated to an event of this stature currently engaged in active investigations related to the incident, the postponement will allow for additional security resources to be put in place in order to maintain the typical standards of a major event in the Caesars Superdome.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families as we work through this,” said Jeff Hundley, the chief executive officer of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. “We have full faith and confidence in the governor and the mayor and all the federal, state, and local first-responders that they’ve applied to this horrific event. Any time we have an event like the Sugar Bowl, public safety is paramount, and all parties involved agree that could only be achieved with a postponement. Now we will move ahead to take care of the details to make the Sugar Bowl the first-class, fun, and safe event that it has been for over 90 years.”
“On behalf of the College Football Playoff, we are devastated by this morning’s attack, and our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy,” said Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff. “We are grateful to the leadership of the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, the State of Louisiana and federal authorities as we work together to ensure we can provide a safe environment for everyone. We are also appreciative of ESPN’s flexibility in moving the game to tomorrow afternoon.”
The game will still be televised on ESPN. Additional details will be shared as that information becomes available. All game tickets for tonight’s game will be valid for [Thursday].
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