When Notre Dame takes the field against the Georgia Bulldogs on New Year’s night, it won’t be a renewal of hostilities with an old foe. That’s because the Sugar Bowl clash will mark only the fourth time the two teams have faced each other in each program’s respective histories.
In those trio of previous clashes, the Irish have come up on the short end of the final score each time. Only one of these matchups had national title implications, with that final decision made by voters from the media. This year’s battle will mark the halfway point of a playoff push that ends with the national champion being crowned for their efforts on the field.
Below is a look at the three previous games:
1981 Sugar Bowl: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10
The 9-1-1 Irish made a spirited bid to knock undefeated Georgia out of the national title hunt but didn’t quite make it. The victory gave the Bulldogs football program the first of three championship teams, the last two coming consecutively in 2021 and 2022.
The Irish put the first points on the board when Harry Oliver’s 50-yard field goal but a pair of first-half mistakes would doom their hopes. The first came after Oliver’s field goal attempt was blocked and led to a game-tying Bulldog field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Notre Dame return men Ty Barber and Jim Stone failed to get possession of the ball, allowing Georgia to recover at the Irish two.
That led to the first of two rushing touchdowns for game MVP Herschel Walker, who gained 150 yards for the afternoon. Before the half had ended, Walker added another score, three plays after Irish running back John Sweeney fumbled at the Notre Dame 22.
Facing a 14-point deficit with two quarters left, the Irish cut that margin in half on a Phil Carter one-yard dive in the third period. However, that would end the scoring, with Notre Dame missing other opportunities on two missed field goals and three interceptions, one coming in the Georgia end zone.
2017: Georgia 20, Notre Dame 19
Despite the game being at Notre Dame, Bulldog fans made their presence felt with an estimated 30,000 Georgia fans at the game. All attendees watched a tight battle that began like the long-ago Sugar Bowl did, with the 1-0 Irish taking an early 3-0 lead before the Bulldogs tied it up.
Early in the second quarter, Notre Dame took advantage of a Georgia fumble to take a 10-3 lead. Irish signal-caller Brandon Wimbush connected with Josh Adams on a 32-yard pass and then scored on a one-yard run. Georgia would tie it up again midway through the quarter but Justin Yoon’s 42-yard field goal allowed the Irish to take a 13-10 lead at the half.
That advantage became six midway through the third on a 37-yard three-pointer from Yoon. The Bulldogs then took their first lead on a seven-play drive highlighted by a 40-yard run from D’Andre Swift and a costly personal foul call on Julian Okwara. By the time the third quarter ended, Notre Dame had its last lead on the third Yoon field goal, this one from 28 yards out to make it 19-17 in favor of the Irish.
Unfortunately, Georgia would have the last laugh by notching its second field goal of the contest, a 30-yarder with 3:34 left. Notre Dame’s last attempt at victory ended with just over a minute left when Wimbush was blindsided and fumbled the ball away. The Irish would finish the 2017 campaign with a 10-3 record, dropping November road games to Miami and Stanford.
2019: Georgia 23, Notre Dame 17
The seventh-ranked Irish made their first-ever trip to Athens’ Sanford Stadium but once again fell just short to the third-ranked Bulldogs in a 23-17 defeat. Notre Dame had won its first two games of the 2019 campaign but watched a 10-7 lead disappear because of a running game that only managed 46 yards on the night.
That first-half lead came about after Georgia muffed a punt that was recovered by Chase Claypool at the Bulldogs’ eight. Soon after, Ian Book found tight end Cole Kmet for a one-yard touchdown. Georgia managed to tie it in the second quarter but Jonathan Doerer kicked a 27-yard field at the end of the half for the Notre Dame lead.
The Bulldogs countered with two field goals and a leaping scoring grab over Irish cornerback Troy Pride to make it a 20-10 contest. Georgia then extended the lead with another field goal before the Irish made things interesting with a Book-to-Claypool touchdown pass with 3:12 remaining.
Notre Dame’s defense then delivered a three-and-out, which gave Book one more opportunity for the win. However, despite starting at their 48 with 1:51 left, the Irish gained only 14 yards and gave the ball up after a fourth-down incompletion.
The only other loss that season was a 45-14 thrashing at Michigan, with Brian Kelly’s squad finishing the year with an 11-2 mark.
