NEW ORLEANS – The Allstate Sugar Bowl wasn’t sweet to Georgia for a second consecutive year, as the No. 3 Bulldogs lost to No. 6 Ole Miss 39-34 in the CFP quarterfinal matchup Jan. 1 at the Caesars Superdome.
It was a tough pill to swallow for Georgia, which also lost to Notre Dame last year and ended the 2025 season.
“A lot of credit goes to Ole Miss and the defensive improvements they made. They played much better and tougher, and more physical on defense, creating some problems for us,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said.
Ole Miss led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter, as kicker Lucas Carneiro connected on field goals from 55 yards and 56 yards, respectively. The Bulldogs took over the game in the second quarter, though.
Georgia struggled to move the ball on its first two possessions of the game, resulting in punts. However, on the third drive, the Bulldogs elected to give the ball to running back Nate Frazier, who burst off several long runs before quarterback Gunner Stockton scored on a 12-yard keeper on the third play of the second quarter.
Ole Miss then retook the lead as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the offense back down the field in a few plays. He tossed a touchdown pass to tight end Luke Hasz before Georgia stopped the two-point conversion attempt.
Trailing 12-7, the Bulldogs relied on Stockton’s arm, as he completed long passes to playmakers Zachariah Branch, Frazier, and Cash Jones before rushing for his second touchdown, a 1-yard quarterback keeper.
Georgia’s defense helped extend the lead to two scores on the next drive, as defensive tackle Elijah Griffin caused Rebel running back Kewan Lacy to fumble, leading to cornerback Daylen Everette scooping it up and scoring.
Georgia went into halftime leading 21-12 with the momentum, but Ole Miss came out firing for the second half.
The Rebels’ defensive unit made stops, and Chambliss made play after play in the final 30 minutes of the game. However, the Bulldogs still held a 24-19 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, but it didn’t last long.
Lacy put Ole Miss in the driver’s seat with his second rushing touchdown of the second half. The Rebels elected to attempt a two-point conversion, which was successful, putting them ahead 27-24 with 11:29 left in the game.
Georgia then faced a 4th-and-2 from its 33-yard line. The Bulldogs went for it, and Stockton was sacked, as linebacker Suntarine Perkins forced a fumble and recovered it. The Rebels then extended their lead to two scores.
Chambliss threw a touchdown to wide receiver Harrison Wallace III, giving Ole Miss a 34-24 lead with 9:02 left.
Smart said Georgia was supposed to punt in that scenario rather than go for it on fourth down.
“We screwed that up a little bit. We had a misfire there,” he said. “It was a change-up from the look we had done twice. And we knew teams were going to sit back and not honor us, because we had not snapped it on those plays in two different locations, two different times. The ball was not supposed to be snapped in that situation.”
The Bulldogs didn’t give up, though. They quickly drove down the field as Stockton tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Branch. Woodring added on the PAT, and Georgia trailed 34-31 with 7:03 left in the game.
The Bulldogs’ defense then forced a three-and-out and got the ball back. The offense drove down to inside the Ole Miss 10-yard line before Woodring tied it up at 34-34 with a 24-yard field goal with 56 seconds left.
That was enough time for Chambliss, who completed 13 straight passes in the game, to work his magic. He completed a 40-yard pass downfield to wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, setting up Carneiro for his 47-yard game-winning field goal.
The Rebels then added a safety after Georgia mishandled the following kickoff.
Ole Miss outscored Georgia 27-13 and outgained the Bulldogs 239-153 in total yards through the final two quarters.
Chambliss was surgical against the Georgia defense, completing 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Lacy was also productive on the ground, rushing for 98 yards on 22 attempts with two scores.
“[Chambliss] is just incredible. I mean, he does an unbelievable job of not giving up sacks and making plays with his legs,” Smart said. “They made more plays than we did, and I’ve got to be honest, that’s part of football. They made more, and outexecuted us, outcoached us, outplayed us.
“But I enjoyed that game and that atmosphere. I am proud of our team. I’m sick that we lost, and there are things I would love to go back and do differently. But I’m just so proud of the way our guys competed when down 10, and just didn’t finish it.”