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Notre Dame kick returner Jayden Harrison took the opening kickoff of the second half back 98 yards to cap off an unbelievable stretch of 17 points in 54 seconds against 2-seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal on Thursday. The return gave the Fighting Irish a commanding 20-3 lead in the third quarter, though Georgia pulled it to 20-10 after a touchdown shortly after. 

After catching the kickoff, Harrison, a former All-American kick returner, maneuvered around a mess of five Georgia defenders and broke it outside with plenty of daylight. Kicker Peyton Woodring had one last crack at Harrison, but he outran him down the sideline to reach the end zone flanked by plenty of extra blockers. 

Notre Dame and Georgia were scoreless at the end of the first quarter, marking the first time since 2018 that a CFP game went a full quarter without points. With 39 seconds remaining in the half, the score was only 3-3. However, the Irish went on a massive run from there. 

Kicker Mitch Jeter connected on a 48-yarder with 39 seconds remaining to take their first lead. One play later, RJ Oben forced a fumble on a sack of Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton which was recovered by Junior Tuihalamaka. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard hit Beaux Collins for a 13-yard touchdown only 11 seconds after the field goal. Harrison capped it off with the 98-yard return 

Granted, Georgia has now trailed its last three games at halftime. The Bulldogs came back to beat both Georgia Tech and Texas. Kirby Smart’s squad has won seven straight postseason games dating back to the 2018 Sugar Bowl against Texas, including four consecutive wins in the College Football Playoff. Smart’s only CFP loss came in the 2017 CFP National Championship against mentor Nick Saban and Alabama.