Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
Kirby Smart Breaks Silence on Controversial Parker Jones Penalty
John David Mercer-Imagn Images

The Georgia Bulldogs won't be winning the national title this year after falling 23-10 to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl.

While there were a number of plays that stick out as potentially game-altering, a sideline interference call is certainly at the top of the list. Defensive back Parker Jones, who wasn't dressed for the game, and a number of his teammates celebrated a play a bit too much and he ended up bumping into an official running down the sideline.

Jones was hit with an interference call, costing the Bulldogs 15 yards.

Asked about the play after the game, head coach Kirby Smart suggested officials normally hand a warning out before throwing a flag on that sort of penalty. However, he knows the implications of a player being in the restricted area.

"They said a coach but I think it was a player, from what I've been told -- in the white, and the white is reserved for the officials. That's a safety concern. Most of the time, they'll grant you a warning on that; but it was not a -- it was a situation where it cost us 15 yards," he told reporters after the game. "We still had first and ten and didn't take advantage of it. But, again, I call those things undisciplined, self-imposed wounds that you lose momentum on. So, it's just something you can't have happen."

Notre Dame will now face off against Penn State, which defeated the Boise State Broncos earlier this week. Meanwhile on the other side of the bracket, Ohio State will square off against Texas.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

Texas HC sent Arch Manning a message after bad scrimmage
College Football

Texas HC sent Arch Manning a message after bad scrimmage

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian needs Arch Manning to keep improving before the team's season opener against Ohio State on Aug. 30. In his first season as the starter, Manning is set to lead the No. 1 Longhorns into a tough battle on the road against No. 3 Ohio State. During Saturday's scrimmage, the defense dominated Manning and the offense for most of the practice. The redshirt sophomore had trouble behind a struggling offensive line. On Monday, Sarkisian told the media that he talked to Manning after the scrimmage about a few missed plays he believes could have been made. “I think when we visited with Arch coming out of Saturday, there was probably five or six plays that I’m very confident he’s going to make as we move forward,“ Sarkisian said, via Wescott Eberts of Burnt Orange Nation. “He didn’t do anything catastrophically bad, but I just know what he’s capable of, and so we’ve just got to keep tightening the screws to make sure that he’s performing the way he’s capable of performing." Saturday's practice is a reminder of a couple of things. One, it may take a few weeks in the regular season for Manning to ease into being the starting quarterback. Two, Manning cannot mask all of the Longhorns' problems, and the offensive line is going to need to do their part if they want a chance at the national championship. As the preseason No. 1 team in the country, the expectations for Texas and Manning are extremely high. The Longhorns might eventually prove that they're the best team, but they might not look like it during the first quarter in Columbus.

Green Bay Packers: Josh Jacobs Gets Honest About Malik Willis’ Future
NFL

Green Bay Packers: Josh Jacobs Gets Honest About Malik Willis’ Future

In 2024, Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis was suddenly given the keys to the offense under center after Jordan Love suffered an injury in Week 1’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. Despite limited time with the Packers in the offseason, Willis managed to be a steady presence on the field, with Green Bay tailoring the offense for him. With Love reportedly undergoing a procedure on his left thumb, Willis filled in as the Packers’ QB1 during Thursday’s joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts. Willis appeared to make a good account of himself on the field, with Packers running back Josh Jacobs taking notice of the quarterback’s performance. “We know what Malik is and what we have in Malik,” Jacobs said, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers’ website. Jacobs also shared his confidence in Willis’ NFL outlook. “He made a few throws today that was kinda like, ‘Wow.’ Just him being more comfortable and him being the leader, I think he’s naturally a guy that he puts in the work, so I think he’s going to succeed.” Will Jordan Love be ready for the Green Bay Packers’ 2025 NFL season opener? The Packers are less than a month away from kicking off their 2025 campaign, with a date with the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field scheduled for September 7. Green Bay, however, doesn’t seem all that worried about Love’s availability for that contest. “We’ll get him back in plenty of time,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said (h/t Rob Demovsky of ESPN). “I don’t foresee this affecting him long term at all.” As for the upcoming preseason clash with the Colts and the one after that versus the Seattle Seahawks, Love can be expected to sit out both contests, with Willis possibly getting some snaps.

LeBron James Stunned by Son’s Change in Appearance
NBA

LeBron James Stunned by Son’s Change in Appearance

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is in peak off-season mode, enjoying his time off while staying ready for his upcoming 23rd season in the NBA, eighth with Los Angeles. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists for the Lakers last season. On a separate note, his youngest son, Bryce James, is preparing for his first collegiate season with the Arizona Wildcats, where he committed early in 2025. Before this new chapter, he spent most of his high school basketball career playing for Sierra Canyon, where he won a State Division 1 title in his senior year. Meanwhile, upon Bryce's first trip back home since leaving for college, James was taken aback by his appearance. In the Lakers star's latest Instagram story, he welcomes home his youngest son after his first stint away at Arizona. Within the video, James is overcome with excitement as he points out Bryce's latest physical change to his 159 million followers: his beard. "Y'all see his beard? Oh my goodness!" said James. Born in 2007, Bryce is just 18 years old and stands 6'6 tall ahead of his first season with the Wildcats. Primarily playing the shooting guard position, he's poised for a bright future under legendary coach Tommy Lloyd, who is entering his fifth season with the team. Lloyd's 61 wins in his first two seasons with Arizona are an NCAA Division 1 record. The Wildcats will open their season on November 3 against the defending champion Florida Gators at a neutral site in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Handicapping the 49ers' tight end competition: A Young TE is Emerging
NFL

Handicapping the 49ers' tight end competition: A Young TE is Emerging

One position to watch in the next two weeks is the San Francisco 49ers tight end room. The team may only keep three, but will likely keep four tight ends on their 53-man roster. They appear to have two locks and three players competing for the final two spots. Which depth players will make the San Francisco 49ers roster at tight end? George Kittle and Luke Farrell should be locked down. Kittle is the star tight end, and Farrell was given a modest free agent contract, solidifying that he would have a role this year. He played sparingly in the preseason opener, likely because he was new to the team, but he left the game early. The thought is that Farrell is an in-line tight end who takes pride in blocking. This will allow Kittle to be spaced out and used in mismatches that you do not see from a normal tight end. The final two spots will come down to Brayden Willis, Ross Dwelley and Jake Tonges. Is Brayden Willis a lock? Willis appears to be the frontrunner for the third spot. He is a former seventh-round pick who has developed in his first two years. Now, in year three, he is a better blocker than he used to be, which has given him a step up on his competition. Willis started next to Farrell in the preseason, indicating he would be the next man off the bench. He played 35 snaps with 28 as an in-line tight end. This is valuable as it shows he can step in and replace Farrell if anything happens, being a complement to Kittle, who allows him to remain a weapon. He has also been a special teams contributor over the past two years, so his spot feels safe. So, one spot may be down to Dwelley and Tonges. There are two ways that you can take this battle. The case of Ross Dwelley Ross Dwelley did not play any offensive snaps in the 49ers preseason opener, but he did play 12 special teams snaps. So, the team was not sitting him with the rest of the starters. The vibe was more that he was behind Farrell, Willis, and Tonges and was hoping to show that he can stick around with enough special teams value. A positive spin is that Dwelley was with the team from 2018-2023, so they did not need to see him on offense. His main role will be special teams, so of course, he played there. Meanwhile, Willis is still developing, Farrell is new, and they do not know much about Tonges. Is it that Dwelley is a lock, and they needed to see more from others, or that Dwelley is truly behind them? How do the 49ers view Jake Tonges? Tonges played three fewer special teams snaps than Dwelley, which can speak to the idea that Dwelley is a core player. However, Tonges played 38 offensive snaps, so he was the one with the chance to prove he belongs on the roster, while Dwelley could not. Still, while Tonges played 38 snaps, only 15 were as an in-line tight end. He has 13 snaps in the backfield, eight in the slot, and two as a wide receiver. If anything, the 49ers may not view Tonges as competition for the tight end role; they may view him as a backup to Kyle Juszcyk. If that is the case, they are likely going to push him back to the practice squad, where he was most of last year. The final two weeks will determine things, and you can spin the preseason usage however you want. It will be interesting to see how the room sorts out.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!