Postponed Sugar Bowl Gets Underway With Words Of Support From President Joe Biden

greg evans and dessi gomez

Thu, 2 Jan 2025, 4:30 pm·3-min read

UPDATE, with moment of silence: Though flags outside New Orleans’ Superdome flew at half-staff, security officers with bomb-sniffing dogs greeted visitors and President Joe Biden delivered pre-game videotaped words of consolation and support, the postponed 2025 Sugar Bowl football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish got underway this afternoon very much as any other game of the season.

In the brief video aired on ESPN prior to the official coin-toss, Biden said, “The spirit of New Orleans can never be kept down, and that’s also true of the spirit of America.” He ended his remarks with “God bless New Orleans and God protect our troops.”

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Immediately after, ESPN’s Sean McDonough began the game broadcast with a fleeting mention of yesterday’s tragedy. “After what’s been a very emotional and difficult 36 hours here in New Orleans,” he said, “the focus shifts to football, and it should be a very entertaining and exciting game here today.”

Also before kick-off, the stadium observed a moment of silence for the victims. Then, after the National Anthem, the crowd erupted into chants of “USA! USA!.” (ESPN tweeted the moment of silence but did not include it in the broadcast; Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger tweeted the anthem.)

A moment of silence was held prior to the Allstate Sugar Bowl to honor the victims and those impacted by Wednesday's attack in New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/GOv5F6n2VG
— ESPN (@espn) January 2, 2025

A booming finish to the national anthem before the Sugar Bowl. A little extra sauce on the HOME OF THE BRAVE. pic.twitter.com/BdzxJ6CcjU
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 2, 2025

About 20 minutes into the College Football Playoff match broadcast, Thomas J. Wilson, chairman, president and CEO of the Allstate Corporation – sponsor of the game – said in a pre-recorded video message, “On Wednesday, tragedy struck the New Orleans community. Our prayers are with the victims and their families.” He then made a plea to “become stronger together by overcoming an addiction to division and negativity,” encouraging viewers to “amplify the positive, increase trust and accept people’s imperfections and differences. Together we win.”

The game was postponed from last night after the horrific attack on nearby Bourbon Street earlier in the day that left 14 people dead and at least 30 injured. At a press conference yesterday, Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley announced that the game would be postponed by a day to ensure public safety.

As of the beginning of the fourth quarter, the score stood 20 to 10 with Notre Dame in the lead after scoring a touchdown following a turnover in the final minute of the second quarter. The Fighting Irish also scored seven points running the ball back from kickoff at the beginning of the second half. Georgia came back for a touchdown, but that was the only one they scored as Notre Dame kicked one more field goal to clinch victory.

The Sugar Bowl was the last of four College Football Playoff quarterfinal games.As the winner of the Sugar Bowl, The Fighting Irish will next take on Penn State in the Orange Bowl, the College Football Playoff Seminfinals, on Jan 9 at 5:30 p.m. ET. on ESPN.

The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns will do battle in the Cotton Bowl, the other semifinal matchup, on Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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