ESPN’s Molly McGrath and Sugar Bowl president Walter Becker shared a rather awkward on-stage moment during Notre Dame’s victory celebrations at the Caesars Superdome.
The No. 7 seed Fighting Irish clinched their semifinal spot in the College Football Playoff with a stunning 23-10 win over the No. 2 seed Bulldogs on Thursday, setting the stage for head coach Marcus Freeman to hoist the coveted Sugar Bowl trophy post-game.
McGrath was slated to shepherd the proceedings, with Becker at her side surrounded by the exuberant Notre Dame squad of players ready to bask in their triumph. But when McGrath cued up Becker to speak, there was an uneasy pause.
A brief period of hesitation passed after Becker appeared to take stock of the situation, glanced down, and hesitantly asked if he could take the mic. McGrath gave her consent with a nod, but as Becker began his speech, she held onto the mic alongside him.
“On behalf of the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff, congratulations to two outstanding teams for your effort this afternoon, during this game, and throughout the season,” proclaimed Becker.
Becker momentarily stepped away from the mic, giving McGrath a knowing head shake and locking eyes with her right after saying “season.” McGrath, misreading the pause, moved to ask Notre Dame’s coach questions. Becker, surprised, indicated he wasn’t done.
“Oh, okay,” McGrath said, returning the mic to Becker with a smile. He then proudly announced: “And now, it is my pleasure to present the All-State Sugar Bowl Trophy to Coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish!”
The exchange didn’t go unnoticed; fans took to social media to comment on the awkwardness. “That was an awkward exchange between sugar bowl president and reporter,” one viewer noted on X. Another mentioned: “Walter Becker with the awkward ‘I’m not done yet’ moment to Molly McGrath there.”
“Please tell me that someone noticed the awkward microphone situation during the trophy ceremony,” another chimed in, while yet another quipped: “She would not let go for the life of her.”
One fan even called it “maybe the most awkward trophy ceremony in the history of trophy ceremonies,” as another simply summed it up with “awkward”.
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