‘Undisciplined’: Kirby Smart Incensed After Georgia Player Draws Crucial Sideline Interference Penalty

Georgia was looking for under-the-radar players to step up and impact the game in Thursday night’s Sugar Bowl game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but it’s safe to say this is not what UGA head coach Kirby Smart had in mind.

Early in the second quarter, with the game still tied, Georgia QB Gunnar Stockton threw a pass to wide receiver Arian Smith for a 67-yard gain before getting taken down on the sideline. However, Georgia was hit with a 15-yard penalty on the play because redshirt sophomore cornerback Parker Jones, who was on the sideline and not suited up for the game, blocked the path of the official who was running down the sideline following the play, causing a collision that rocked the referee and resulted in a sideline interference penalty.

Jones is #39 in the video.

According to the rule book, the white boundary between the sideline and the playing field belongs to the officials. Players and coaches should not venture from the green area onto the white. Of course, they do, quite frequently, violate that boundary. However, usually, they’re aware enough to get out of the way of the referee and not interfere with the play.

Whether Jones’ indiscretion ruined the drive or not is up for debate. However, Georgia did not capitalize on a massive play, and the score remained tied after that drive.

“Very unfortunate,” Kirby Smart said about the play after the game. “We had a – they said a coach, but I think it was a player who I’ve been told [was] in the white. The white is reserved for the officials.

“That’s a safety concern. Most of the time, they’ll grant you a warning, but it was a situation that cost us 15 yards. We still had first-and-10 and didn’t take advantage of it. But, again, I call those things undisciplined, self-imposed wounds that you lose momentum on. It’s something you can’t have happen.”

ESPN showed Jones relentlessly towards the end of the game as if he had cost Georgia the game. However, that’s an extremely precarious position to hold out in. Georgia lost the turnover battle, gave up a kick return for a touchdown, and lost by two scores, not one.