Football took a backseat to tragedy on New Year’s Day after a deadly truck attack in New Orleans ended with 15 people dead and dozens injured.
A driver identified by authorities as a Texas-born man and Army veteran drove a truck with an ISIS flag into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street at around 3:15 a.m., killing 15 and injuring at least 30, police said.
The horrific attack came on a day when the University of Georgia and Notre Dame were scheduled to play a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Here’s what to know about the rescheduled game.
Why was the Sugar Bowl postponed?
The truck attack prompted Sugar Bowl officials to move the game to 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 from its originally scheduled time of 8:45 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day.
“Of course any time we have a major event in the city of New Orleans, public safety is paramount,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said at a media briefing on Jan. 1, adding, “All parties all agree that it’s in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game.”
Hundley said organizers were in consultation with state and local officials, ESPN, which will broadcast the game, and the universities to reach the decision to move the game.
“We live in the fun-and-games world with what we do, but we certainly recognize the importance of this, and we’re going to support it a hundred percent,” Hundley said.
Democratic congressman Troy Carter spoke about postponing the game.
“It was done with one single thing in mind: public safety — making sure that the citizens and visitors of this great city, not only for this event, but for every event you come to in Louisiana, that you will be safe,” Carter said, according to The Associated Press.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman also supported the decision.
“I have a lot of faith this country will rally around New Orleans and support all the victims of families that were affected today,” Freeman told ESPN.
What time will the Sugar Bowl be played and how can fans watch?
The game is now scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 at the 74,000-seat Superdome, the home of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. It will be broadcast live on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN app.
New Orleans officials said extra security measures have been put in place for the game.
“We have bomb dogs out there sweeping the Superdome and all the exterior area that will be locked down through the game,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at a news conference.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said at a news conference on Jan. 1 that he will be in attendance at the game.
“I tell you one thing: Your governor’s going to be there,” Landry said. “That is proof, believe you me, that that facility and this city is safer today than it was yesterday.”
The winner of the Georgia-Notre Dame game will advance to the CFP semifinals against Penn State, which beat Boise State 31-14 in the quarterfinals. The semifinal will be at the Orange Bowl, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 9 in Miami.