Georgia-Notre Dame CFP Quarterfinal postponed due to terror attack

The College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which features the Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, has been postponed following a terror attack early Wednesday morning.

At 2:00pm ET on New Year’s Day, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, drove a white Ford pickup truck through a large crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others early Wednesday morning. Below is the complete statement from the FBI:

Today, at approximately 3:15 a.m. CST, an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others. After hitting the crowd, he exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire, and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. Two law enforcement officers were injured and transported to a local hospital.

The subject has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented, and we are working to confirm how the subject came into possession of the vehicle.

An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.

Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter. The FBI’s special agent bomb technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable, and they will work to render those devices safe.

The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject.

The FBI has set up a digital tip line, and we ask anyone with information or video of the incident to submit them to www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

No. 2 Georgia and No. 7 Notre Dame will now square off on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, per an official statement from the bowl game. The game remains at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.

The Sugar Bowl Committee is devastated by the terrible events from early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey also released a statement on the postponement of the Sugar Bowl.

Statement from @SEC Commissioner @GregSankey on @SugarBowlNola: pic.twitter.com/hWl8qUt9Qv

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) January 1, 2025

Earlier on Wednesday, UGA President Jere Morehead released a statement on the attack:

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.

At this point, we have learned that a University of Georgia student was critically injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment. I have spoken to the student’s family and shared my concern, support and well wishes on behalf of the entire UGA community. I would like to express my gratitude to all the first responders who moved so quickly to help those affected by this senseless act of violence, as well as to the medical personnel who are caring for the injured.

As we continue to hold the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers, the University will do everything in its power to support those in our community who have been impacted by this unspeakable event.

The rescheduled Georgia-Notre Dame contest on Thursday will be televised on an ESPN network, but the exact network and kickoff times remains to be determined. We will provide an update as details are announced.

UPDATE (5:00pm ET)

The Georgia-Notre Dame game on Thursday, Jan. 2 will kickoff at 4:00pm ET / 3:00pm CT and will be televised by ESPN.