Parker Jones, a redshirt sophomore who plays cornerback for Georgia, became the subject of conversation online on Thursday night after he did an unusual penalty in their Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Notre Dame.
Jones cost Georgia 15 years while the second quarter of the goalless Sugar Bowl was inactive.
Gunner Stockton, a quarterback, completed a 67-yard pass across to Arian Smith, a wide receiver, but the play was wiped off after Jones, enthusiastically cheering from the sidelines, hit an official.
The interference penalty by Jones pushed Georgia back, which caused the fans and the team frustration. Video below:
Kirby Smart, the Georgia head coach, discussed the issue after the game ended, providing a response likely the best Jones could hope for after the incident.
“Very unfortunate. We had a – they said a coach, but I think it was a player who I’ve been told [was] in the white. The white is reserved for the officials,” Smart began.
“That’s a safety concern. Most of the time they’ll grant you a warning on that, but it was a situation where it cost us 15 yards. We still had first-and-10 and didn’t take advantage of it. But, again, I call those things undisciplined, self-imposed wounds that you lose momentum on. It’s something you can’t have happen.”
Their playoff loss does not depend only on the mistake from Jones despite the penalty. The Bulldogs outshined Notre Dame and gained 296-244 but did not do well on key plays, going 0-for-3 on fourth downs and allowing a 98-yard kickoff return.
