Right now, college football fans are in complete shock mode. After all, they were ready to spend the New Year’s Day cocooned in their living room, watching the Sugar Bowl. The luckier ones were able to get themselves a ticket for the Bowl game. While the fans were ready for some neck-to-neck rivalry between Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame, the universe had some other plans. Instead of the tight race, Kirby Smart and Marcus Freeman stood together to overcome one of the most difficult times. 

Life has got some unfair ways to hit you. Sugar Bowl is the greatest example. The preps were going on in full swing. The Caesars Superdome was all decked up to host Smart’s Bulldogs and Freeman’s Fighting Irish. But at the last moment, the Bowl had to be postponed. That’s because an unfortunate incident transpired at Bourbon Street in New Orleans. In the wake of New Year’s Day, an armed man drove a speeding truck into a gathering. The aftermath has been disturbing as it k- – – – d 15 people while leaving more than 30 people injured. The Bowl committee could not take any more risk since the Superdome Stadium is less than a mile from the site. Interestingly, the decision has been a joint one. As  Notre Dame HC Freeman stated on the ESPN podcast. 

He shared, “Me and Kirby have not spoken directly since our press conference but our athletic directors have been talking. We’ve been in communication and so in the brief time I spent with Kirby Smart I have a lot of respect for him and I know that he understands how important this country is and how minute the game of football is compared to real lives and to our nation.” Well, it was obvious for Smart and Freeman to be on the same spot. After all it’s indeed one of the “toughest moments” for the nation. Now that’s a big sacrifice for both Smart and Freeman. 

That’s because the delay could impact the program that wins Thursday, January 2nd’s game. The winner would get a shorter turnaround to prepare themselves before the College Football Playoff semifinal that has been scheduled for next week against Penn State Nittany Lions. Meanwhile, things are a bit tougher for Smart who is also dealing with a family emergency. 

A double dose of distress for Kirby Smart 

Just when the college football fans were already disturbed about the New Orleans attack, another news ushered in some panic. As per the reports, Smart’s father Sonny Smart has been admitted to a New Orleans hospital. While there were no constructive updates on the legend’s health, the panic increased by 10x. After all, both the news came at the same time. 

So, it was obvious for the fans to associate the two. But thank god, that was not the case. Smart’s father was not involved in the unfortunate attack. As per the report by Rivals’ reporter Radi Nabulsi, “Sonny Smart, the father of Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart, suffered a fall in front of his New Orleans hotel on Tuesday afternoon. Per multiple sources, he has been admitted to a local hospital, where he is expected to have hip surgery.”

Poor Kirby Smart! A few days back, he was so excited for his quarterback, Gunner Stockton, claiming that his signal-caller has accuracy. Now that so many things are lined up, let’s see if Stockton can finally give Georgia HC some respite from his struggles. Meanwhile, we don’t know the winner of the Sugar Bowl yet, but both Smart and Marcus Freeman have won our hearts, joining hands in times of crisis.