Photostory: Ole Miss outlasts Georgia 39–34 in thrilling Sugar Bowl finish

NEW ORLEANS — Ole Miss closed the 2026 Sugar Bowl with a dramatic final minute, edging Georgia 39–34 on Thursday night at Caesars Superdome in a game that swung repeatedly and wasn’t decided until the final seconds.

“It was an incredible college football game,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “It’s what the College Football Playoff was built for, to have battles like that.”

The Rebels (13-1) survived a furious Georgia comeback by getting a 47-yard field goal from Lucas Carneiro with six seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, Georgia’s lateral attempt resulted in a safety, accounting for the final points of the night.

Ole Miss built an early 6–0 lead behind a pair of long first-quarter field goals by Carneiro, who connected from 55 and 56 yards. Georgia (12-2) answered in the second quarter, taking a 14–12 lead on two short touchdown runs by quarterback Gunner Stockton. The Bulldogs briefly seized control late in the first half when Daylen Everette scooped up a fumble and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown, sending Georgia into the break ahead 21–12.

The second half turned into a back-and-forth shootout. Ole Miss cut into the deficit with a 7-yard touchdown run by Kewan Lacy in the third quarter, but Georgia responded with a Peyton Woodring field goal to carry a 24–19 edge into the fourth.

The Rebels delivered their biggest surge early in the final period. Lacy scored his second rushing touchdown, and after Ole Miss forced a turnover deep in Georgia territory, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss found Harrison Wallace III for a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Rebels a 34–24 lead with just over nine minutes to play.

Georgia refused to fold. Stockton threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Zachariah Branch, then Woodring drilled a 24-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining to tie the game at 34–34.

That set the stage for Ole Miss’ final drive. Chambliss calmly moved the Rebels into range, highlighted by a 40-yard completion to De’Zhaun Stribling, before Carneiro delivered again, drilling the go-ahead field goal from 47 yards with six seconds left.

After a review of the safety on the kickoff, officials ruled that one second remained in regulation. Georgia recovered the ensuing onside kick, but the Bulldogs’ desperation series of laterals ended when Ole Miss tackled Stockton to seal the victory.

Ole Miss finished with 473 yards of total offense, including 362 passing yards from Chambliss, who completed 30 of 46 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Wallace III led the Rebels with nine catches for 156 yards, while Lacy added 98 rushing yards and two scores.

“A lot of credit goes to Ole Miss and the defensive improvements they made,” Smart said. “They played much better and tougher and more physical on defense, created some problems for us. They made more plays, and outexecuted us, outcoached us, outplayed us.”

Georgia totaled 343 yards of offense. Stockton accounted for three touchdowns — two rushing and one passing — while throwing for 203 yards. Branch led the Bulldogs with eight receptions for 67 yards and a score.

Georgia ends the season 12–2 with an SEC Championship, while Ole Miss advances to face Miami in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., on Thursday, Jan. 8.