Superdome reopens for delayed Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal between Notre Dame and Georgia
NEW ORLEANS — Flags were at half-staff outside the Superdome and at nearby state buildings on Thursday as fans arrived a day later than scheduled for the Sugar Bowl — a game serving this season as a College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Notre Dame and Georgia.
Security was ramped up around the stadium a little more than a day after an attack early Wednesday in the nearby French Quarter, where authorities say a truck driver deliberately plowed into a New Year's crowd — killing 15 people and injuring more than 30.
The attack occurred on Bourbon Street, which runs through the heart of the French Quarter and is famously lined with bars, restaurants and clubs, near the corner of Canal Street, a main downtown artery.
The crime scene, which was gradually being cleared so it could be reopened to the public on Thursday afternoon, is about a mile's walk from the Superdome.
Numerous security officers around the 70,000-seat stadium were handling dogs trained to sniff for explosive devices. They encircled cars entering the Superdome parking garage and in some cases sniffed bags and backpacks.
The game, originally scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CST on Wednesday, was pushed back to 3 p.m. Thursday, with the winner advancing to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against Fiesta Bowl winner Penn State.
While many traveling fans extended their stay to attend the game, the postponement meant some would not be able to attend because of travel plans that were deemed too expensive or logistically difficult to change.
Numerous tickets were listed for resale online at prices of $30 or less, some as low as $23.
Postponing the game "was absolutely the right call," said Lisa Borrelli, a 34-year-old Philadelphia resident who came to New Orleans with her fiancé, a 2011 Notre Dame graduate, but could not stay for the game.
She said they paid more than $250 per ticket and weren't sure if they'd bother listing them for resale because prices were so low.
"Of course we're disappointed to miss it and to lose so much money on it, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter," Borrelli said. "We're fortunate enough that we'll be fine."
U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., said the decision to postpone the game "was not done lightly."
"It was done with one single thing in mind: public safety," he said.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he would attend the game, adding, "That is proof, believe you me, that that facility and this city is safer today than it was yesterday. "
Darrell Huckaby, 72, of Athens, Georgia, also decided to return home Thursday instead of staying for the game. He was in a hotel room overlooking where the attack took place. He was asleep when it occurred, but when he woke up, he could see pink blankets covering bodies of the dead.
"It was heartbreaking," he said. "I think the first instinct of most people this morning was wanting to be home. As important as football is to our Georgia culture, for a little while, the game just didn't really seem to matter.
He added that he would "probably eat" the $360 per ticket he paid.
Sugar Bowl Chief Executive Officer Jeff Hundley had pledged on Wednesday afternoon to "set up a safe and efficient and fun environment" at and around the Superdome on Thursday.
Statements from the University of Georgia Athletic Association and from Notre Dame said both schools had accounted for all team personnel and members of official travel parties.
The Superdome also is scheduled to host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.