Georgia redshirt sophomore cornerback Parker Jones was the talk of social media shortly after a collision early in Thursday’s Sugar Bowl matchup between the Bulldogs and Notre Dame.
However, the collision was not with an opponent but with the referee along the sideline, and the reason it began trending was that it cost the Bulldogs 15 yards and possibly a touchdown.
Jones, who was not active for Thursday’s game, got caught up in the excitement over a 66-yard pass from backup quarterback Gunner Stockton to Arian Smith, as the reserve defensive back bumped into one of the officials trailing the play along the sideline.
Video of the sequence clearly showed the two colliding, slowing the official down and sending Jones backward on the sideline just before Smith was tackled on the chunk play.
Had the infraction not occurred, the Bulldogs would have been down at the Fighting Irish’s 11-yard-line, but instead, they were pushed back to the 26.
“If there’s contact, yes,” ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin said when if that’s something that needs to be flagged. “It’s dangerous down there. [The official] is running full speed to get to keep up with the play, to get a good spot. And if someone gets in his way and there’s a collision it’s extremely dangerous, so yeah, that’s a good call.”
Georgia did get points out of the drive, settling for a field goal instead of getting a touchdown.
Other videos from the broadcast showed Jones moved back on the sideline behind several teammates after the incident.
Jones had not played in a single game this season, according to his bio page.
