Georgia got screwed on Notre Dame substitution play, but not how Kirby Smart thinks

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was furious with the refs after Notre Dame successfully drew the Bulldogs offside on a fourth-down attempt. The Irish caught UGA off-guard by substituting their entire special teams unit for their offense as the play clock ran down.

"They can't do that!" Smart seemed to say on the sidelines. He reiterated that opinion while talking to the media after the game.

"It's really unfortunate because I've been told by our head officials in the SEC you can't do that... you can't run 11 on and 11 off," Smart said.

We haven't gotten official confirmation of whether Notre Dame violated the actual substitution rule. Even if the Irish didn't break a rule, Georgia fans have reason to be furious at the refs anyways. A Notre Dame wide receiver very clearly flinched before Jalon Walker jumped into the neutral zone. The refs missed a false start.

The false start would have penalized Notre Dame five yards instead of the offsides giving them five yards and a first down.

Georgia's CFP hopes died with missed call on fourth down

Georgia trailed 23-10 at that point in the Sugar Bowl. With just over seven minutes left on the clock, they were going to get the ball back with plenty of time to score the two touchdowns they needed. Because of the penalty, Notre Dame kept the ball and ran the clock down under two minutes. Essentially, the Bulldogs' hopes of winning died on that play.

It's clear the refs messed this one up. Did it change the outcome of the game? It might have, but let's be honest here. Georgia struggled to score one touchdown in the first three quarters. It was no sure thing they'd have been able to find the endzone twice in the last seven minutes.

Still, it's a shame the refs didn't give them the chance to do the seemingly impossible. It was improbable for Arizona State to score 16 points in the final seven minutes against Texas. They still did it to force overtime in the Peach Bowl.

This is the College Football Playoff. They've got to get these calls right.