Georgia’s season came to an inglorious end at the hands of Notre Dame, in large part due to a most miserable minute of football and two turnovers.

The Irish got the 23-10 win in the Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal at Caesars Superdome, getting 17 of their points in a span of 54 seconds at the end of the first half and start of the second half to advance to play Penn State in the Orange Bowl CFP semifinal.

Notre Dame had only 244 yards of total offense -- the fewest by a team to win a game in the College Football Playoff era -- to snap UGA’s seven-game bowl winning streak that dated back to 2019.

Irish quarterback Riley Leonard, the game’s MVP, was 15-of-24 passing for 90 yards and rushed 14 times for 80 yards.

The disastrous sequence of UGA play occurred at the end of the first half and start of the second half, breaking open what had been a closely contested game.

The Irish booted a 48-yard field goal to take their first lead of the game at 6-3 with 39 seconds left in the half and scored 12 seconds later when Riley Leonard hit Beaux Collins with a 13-yard strike one play after Gunner Stockton fumbled on a blind-sit hit.

Notre Dame proceeded to score on a 98-yard kickoff return to open the second half -- the first UGA had surrendered in six seasons -- completing Georgia’s miserable minute of playoff football and give the Irish a 20-3 lead with 14:45 remaining.

Georgia out-gained the Irish 296-244, but the Bulldogs were just 2-of-12 converting on third downs, and 0-for-3 on fourth down conversions.

The Bulldogs had looked to stage the comeback after falling down 20-3 when Stockton hit Cash Jones with a 32-yard touchdown, making it 20-10 with 9:36 left in the third quarter.

The drive started with disappointment when a wide-open Dillon Bell dropped what would have been at least a 45-yard gain at the Notre Dame 18.

Stockton (20-of-32 passing, 234 yards, TD) took the next snap and drilled a pass to Dominic Lovett for 19 yards to the Notre Dame 44.

A 3-yard Trevor Etienne run and 9-yard Nate Frazier reception moved the chains before Stockton unloaded to Jones, who bobbled the ball before reeling it in and crossing the goal line.

Notre Dame went for fourth-and-1 at the 50 with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter, but Nazir Stackhouse beat his blocker and stopped Leonard two inches short of a first down.

Georgia faced a fourth-and-2 at Notre Dame 42 on the ensuing possession, but Dylan Fairchild moved before the snap and Smart sent out the punt team.

Notre Dame, however, gave the 5 yards back on the next play on a defensive delay of game, and Smart sent the offense back on the field, only to see Stockton’s pass to Dillon Bell come up short of the sticks.

“They gave us an opportunity to go for it and we didn’t capitalize on it after we had a big stop on them,” Smart said. “We have to get some momentum back and make a stop on defense, or a turnover.”

Notre Dame took advantage of the field position when Mitch Jeter made.47-yard field goal to put the Irish up 23-10 with 13:47 left.

The Bulldogs looked to answer on the next drive, but Stockton was unable to connect with Lawson Luckie on a fourth-and-5 from the Notre Dame 9 with 9:25 left.

Georgia had converted on a fourth-and-13 earlier in the drive from the 29 when Luckie drew a pass interference penalty..

The Bulldogs appeared to have a stop when Notre Dame went into punt formation at its own 18, but the Irish suddenly ran its offense back on the field and baited All-American Jalon Walker into an offsides penalty that led to first down with 7:17 left.

That led to nine more Notre Dame plays and another 5:17 taken off the clock before UGA got the ball back with 1:49 left at their own 20.

Georgia was unable to move the ball, however, as Stockton was sacked on fourth down, enabling Notre Dame to run out the clock.

Georgia had trailed by 10 points at the half despite out-gaining Notre Dame 152-135 in the first half.

Smart lamented the decision to come out throwing after the Irish had kicked a field goal to go up 6-3, as RJ Oben beat left tackle Monroe Freeling to deliver the blind-side hit on Stockton that Tuihalamaka Und recovered at the UGA 13.

“We tried to be aggressive in 2-minute and probably regret it,” Kirby Smart said during his halftime interview. “We wanted to show confidence in our quarterback and we didn’t get the block we needed to get and they made a good play.”

Mitch Jeter’s 48-yard field goal had come just moments earlier 38.

The Bulldogs had opened the scoring on their third drive of the game when Peyton Woodring hit a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0 with 12:14 left in the second quarter.

Gunner Stockton had connected with Arian Smith on a 67-yard pass to the Notre Dame 11, but the Bulldogs were backed up 15 yards before their next play because of sideline interference.

A referee trailing the play ran into a UGA player not dressed out on the white part of the sideline, leading to the Bulldogs having to start with a first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 26 and UGA settled for the field goal.

The Irish answered with a field goal of their own on the ensuing drive, with Leonard doing most of the damage on the ground.

Leonard had runs of 5 and 32 yards, leading to Jeter booting a 44-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

“Everybody’s just got to do their job,” Smart said of Leonard’s runs. “We held them to a field goal, that was the best we could do right there.”

Georgia was poised to score in the opening quarter, driving to the Notre Dame 16 on its second possession when Etienne fumbled the ball away at the Irish 10-yard line.

“We turned the ball over twice, one time going in we would have had a lead but they brought an extra guy and the receiver didn’t block him, and the next time we just missed a guy at left tackle,” Smart said. “If you don’t block people on the edges you’re gonna struggle.”

That was indeed the case for Georgia, which finishes Smart’s ninth season as SEC champions, with a 11-3 record.