Inactive Georgia player, wearing no pads, flagged for sugar bowl interference

Parker Jones probably wants to hide for a while.

During Georgia’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup with Notre Dame at the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, Jones was flagged for a ridiculous penalty that cost his team dearly. And he’s not even active for the game.

The game was scoreless early in the second quarter when quarterback Gunner Stockton hit Arian Smith for a huge gain. As Smith raced down the field for a 66-yard gain to Notre Dame’s 12-yard line, the official running after the play collided with a player on the Georgia sideline. It was Jones, a redshirt sophomore cornerback, standing in the white area on the sideline. That area is supposed to be for officials only.

Jones was hit with a sideline interference penalty, and instead of the ball being inside Notre Dame’s 15-yard line, it was moved out to the 26-yard line. Video is below:

And a closer look:

The penalty killed Georgia’s momentum and the Bulldogs’ drive stalled, forcing them to settle for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

Something tells me Jones is going to get a tough talk from his coaches.

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