Social media responds to ESPN’s spotlight on Parker Jones penalty during the Sugar Bowl broadcast.
Georgia football became the fourth and last first-round bye team to be eliminated from the College Football Playoff on Thursday, falling to No. 7 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
During the Bulldogs’ third loss of the season, Parker Jones, who was inactive for Thursday’s game, committed a rare sideline inference penalty. However, he was a part of one of the most important plays in the first half of the game.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton connected with wide receiver Arian Smith for a 67-yard ball down to the Notre Dame 11-yard line in the second quarter, giving the Bulldogs their best scoring opportunity in a 0-0 tie. However, the Bulldogs were sent back 15 yards to the Notre Dame 26 after side judge JB Garza collided with Jones while following the play down the sideline.
Jones was penalized under Article 5 of the NCAA’s “Game Administration and Sideline Interference” rulebook, which specifies that “physical interference with an official is a foul charged to the team for unsportsmanlike conduct.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart commented on the penalty:
“Very unfortunate,” Smart replied. “According to what I’ve been told, it was a player in the white, which is meant for officials. That is a safety risk. Most of the time, they’ll give you a warning for that, but this time it cost us 15 yards. We still had first-and-10 but did not take advantage of it.”
Georgia settled for a field goal, its only tally of the first half, to lead 3-0. ESPN presenters Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy repeatedly referred to Jones throughout the broadcast, leading some to feel ESPN was indicating Jones was the reason the Bulldogs were defeated by the Irish.
“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 stated in the fourth quarter.
College football fans on social media criticized ESPN’s attention on Jones, pointing out that the Fighting Irish were overwhelmingly dominant in the 23-10 victory. The Notre Dame defense recovered two Georgia turnovers, one of which went directly to Riley Leonard’s touchdown. Moreover, Jayden Harrison returned the opening second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.
So, here’s how social media reacted to ESPN’s attention on Jones during Thursday’s Sugar Bowl broadcast:
Social media responds to ESPN’s attention on Georgia’s Parker Jones.
Georgia finishes the season with an 11-3 record. Meanwhile, Notre Dame will face No. 6 Penn State in the CFP Orange Bowl semifinals on Thursday, January 9, at Hard Rock Stadium.
