This story was updated on Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 6:19 p.m.
The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame has been postponed after a truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd about a mile away early Wednesday, killing at least 15 people. A University of Georgia student was among the dozens injured.
The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday night at the 70,000-seat Superdome, has been pushed back to Thursday at 4 p.m. EST.
“For now, that’s the plan,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said.
The truck attack led Atlanta police to increase security for the Peach Bowl, a College Football Playoff game between Texas and Arizona State that kicked off Wednesday afternoon.
“In light of today’s development and as an added precaution, specialized units and additional personnel will be further deployed to the Downtown and Midtown areas to ensure the continued safety and security of residents and visitors,” APD said in a statement.
The Superdome in New Orleans was on lockdown for security sweeps on Wednesday morning, when people with offices in the Superdome — including officials with the Sugar Bowl and Sun Belt Conference — were told not to come into work until further notice.
“Rest assured that the decision that was made to postpone this game was not done lightly. It was done with one single thing in mind: public safety,” said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a Democrat from Louisiana.
Some credentialed Superdome employees were permitted into offices by Wednesday afternoon.
The casualties occurred when a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day. The driver was killed in a firefight with police following the attack at about 3:15 a.m. along Bourbon Street near Canal Street, the FBI said.
The Georgia and Notre Dame football teams arrived in New Orleans on Sunday and have been staying at downtown hotels just blocks away from where the violence occurred.
A statement from the University of Georgia Athletic Association said that “all team personnel and members of the official team travel party have been accounted for.”
New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno told WDSU-TV: “What you’ll see today for the Sugar Bowl, which will go on, is that the perimeter for security around the Superdome has been extended to be a larger zone.”
“So expect obviously extra security. There are more police officers who are coming in.”
The Superdome, which is about 20 blocks away, also is scheduled to host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
The first Super Bowl after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, also was held in New Orleans, and there was a massive security perimeter for that game including street closures surrounding the Superdome and officers — including snipers — on the tops of surrounding high-rise buildings, as well as on the roof of the dome itself.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of the devastating incident in New Orleans,” the NFL said in a statement. “The NFL and the local host committee have been working collaboratively with local, state and federal agencies the past two years and have developed comprehensive security plans.
“These planning sessions will continue as they do with all major NFL events,” the statement continued. “We are confident attendees will have a safe and enjoyable Super Bowl experience.”
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Clearwater, Florida, and AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report. WABE’s Patrick Saunders and Molly Samuel contributed to this report.
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