Kirby Smart has no regrets about his aggressive play-calling late in the first half of Thursday's College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame.
Moments after Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton fumbled with 33 seconds left in the first half and touchdowns by Riley Leonard and Beau Collins ultimately gave the Fighting Irish a 13-3 lead, Georgia State 's head coach defended his decision to try to make a little more of a difference. Points were added on the board before the end of the second quarter.
“Yeah, I think we tried to be aggressive in those two minutes, and we probably regret that, right? Let's go 6-3 in the second half,” Smart said on the ESPN broadcast heading into halftime. “But we showed confidence in our quarterbacks and wanted them to make plays. We didn't get the blocks we needed, but they made a good play.”
The play ended up being one of the most important of the game, as Notre Dame took a two-point lead into the first half, but Georgia couldn't find a way to fight back.
After losing 23-10, Smart gambled on a backup quarterback late in the second quarter.
“Usually when you're depressed, you need everything you have,” Smart says. “We made the decision to be aggressive and go within two minutes. That's all you have to do. You can't give up assets when you're behind.”
Stockton, making his first start of the season, was playing in place of Carson Beck, who was injured in the SEC Championship Game and underwent season-ending elbow surgery.
The 2024 season will be the second consecutive year that Smart's Bulldogs missed out on a national title after winning the national title in back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022.
Notre Dame will face Penn State in the CFP semifinals on January 9th at 7:30pm ET.
