Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish to Play in Sugar Bowl Amid Terror Attack on Bourbon Street
The Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will play in the Sugar Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Thursday evening, despite a terror attack on Bourbon Street that left more than a dozen dead. Sugar Bowl officials and lawmakers decided to postpone the game to 4 p.m. ET after it was set to be the final game of a three-game playoff slate on Wednesday.
Fans who came to New Orleans scrambled to make their final plans with the game on hold. Lisa Borrelli, a 34-year-old Philadelphia resident and Notre Dame graduate, said she understood why officials postponed the game and that it was “absolutely the right call.” Borrelli and her fiancé paid more than $250 per ticket and did not bother listing them on a third-party site because prices were so low. Early Thursday morning, tickets were going for as low as $26 on some sites.
Darrell Huckaby, a 72-year-old Georgia resident, decided to return home on Thursday instead of staying for the game. He said he was in a room overlooking where the attack took place and was asleep when it happened, but when he woke up, he saw blankets covering dead bodies. Huckaby said he would “probably eat” the $360 per ticket he paid.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC News on Wednesday that the game should be postponed to Friday. “Not my decision, but I would like to see it delayed at least another day. If they asked my opinion, I would tell them that,” Murrill said.
Georgia and Notre Dame players spent the day on lockdown, spending most of it in ballrooms going through meetings. Georgia players were bused to the Superdome for a walk-through practice on Wednesday evening. Notre Dame players watched the Rose Bowl quarterfinal with their family.
The terrorist attack left several injured, including a University of Georgia student. The University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead said in a statement, “I am deeply saddened by the devastating attack in New Orleans overnight, and I extend my sincere condolences to the victims, their families, and all those affected by this terrible tragedy.”
Security will be heightened for the game, with the security perimeter around the facility being “extended to a larger zone.” New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno told WDSU-TV before the game was postponed, “There are more police officers who are coming in.”