Mississippi native and country music giant Charley Pride once sang, “Is anybody going to San Antone or Phoenix, Arizona?” I’m not sure who’s heading to the Lone Star State, but the No. 6 Ole Miss football team is continuing its storybook season in the desert after amassing a thrilling 39-34 comeback win over No. 3 Georgia in Thursday night’s Sugar Bowl.
Playing true to the fairy tale that has been the ongoing 2025-26 season, a myriad of first-half miscues was not enough to end the Rebels’ pursuit of a national title, nor was it sufficient in keeping Pete Golding’s crew from avenging its lone loss – a 43-35 shortfall to the Bulldogs in October. Ole Miss had a costly fumble resulting in a Georgia touchdown, missed assignments on thirdand-long, untimely drops, a time-management blunder by a veteran, and a dangerous turnover on downs. But it did not matter when the clock struck 0:00.
When standout Ole Miss (13-1) placekicker Lucas Carneiro connected on a 47-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in regulation, followed by a safety on the ensuing kickoff and a stop on a last-ditch effort by Georgia (12-2) to lateral their way into the end zone, it marked history for the Rebels who have never made it to the semifinals much less to a College Football Playoff until this year.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns. Unlike his first battle against the Bulldogs, where a raucous crowd in Athens got to him in the fourth quarter, Chambliss was sharp in the final frame, extending plays with his feet, keeping his eyes forward, and improvising, leading to a go-ahead touchdown to take a late lead, along with what was ultimately a game-winning drive.
Complementing Chambliss was star running back Kewan Lacy, who logged 98 yards and two scores on 22 carries. Aside from a first-half fumble, Lacy was a difference maker in extending drives. Even more impactful offensively were Harrison Wallace III, who had 156 yards and a score on nine receptions, and De’Zhaun Stribling with his 122 yards on seven catches.
While the Ole Miss offense shone, the defensive effort was night and day different than what was displayed against the Bulldogs in the regular season. The first go around, Georgia punted a grand total of zero times. On Thursday, the Bulldogs booted the ball away four times and were turned over on downs once.
Ole Miss broke the first-quarter stalemate after an exchange of punts with a 55-yard field goal by Carneiro. The Rebels capitalized on a Georgia punt with a record-setting 56-yard kick by Carneiro. The Ole Miss lead, however, was short-lived. Bulldog quarterback Gunner Stockton rushed for a 12-yard score, capping a seven-play, 75-yard drive to give his team a 7-6 advantage with 13:37 left in the second quarter.
Ole Miss struck back, though. On third-and-three in the red zone, Chambliss found an unsung hero in Luke Hasz for the Rebels’ first touchdown of the game. The touchdown haul was the tight end’s first of the season. It was followed up by an unsuccessful two-point try, making the score 12-7 in favor of the Rebels.
Momentum favored the Bulldogs from there in the first half. A lengthy offensive drive ending in a touchdown, followed by a scoop-and-score off the Lacy fumble, found Georgia leading 21-12 at halftime.
As the Ole Miss defense buckled down, the offense ebbed. A forced punt on Georgia’s opening second-half drive bore no fruit for the Rebels, who turned it over on downs near midfield. But a little Superdome magic in New Orleans started to bless the red and blue.
An unusual miss by Georgia placekicker Peyton Woodring yielded a big fourth-down conversion for Ole Miss, then a seven-yard touchdown by Lacy made it 21-19. With the Ole Miss-heavy crowd getting louder and louder, Kirby Smart knew he had to improvise, and he did so with a successful fake punt. After that, Woodring had his name called again, and made up for his earlier miss, giving Georgia a 24-19 advantage going into the final period.
Chambliss’ clutch gene kicked in, with a 44-yard bomb to Wallace setting up a five-yard score by Lacy and a successful two-point toss to Wallace to reclaim the lead at 27-24. Smart dialed up another fourth-down try on his team’s side of the field, one that ended with Stockton taking a 10-yard sack. And Ole Miss pounced with a 13-yard touchdown to Wallace.
Ole Miss led 34-24 with nine minutes left in regulation and held on for dear life. Georgia scored in under two minutes as Stockton found Zacharia Branch in the end zone. A quick three-and-out by the Rebels fueled a resurgence for the Bulldogs. Georgia managed to bleed out the clock and get into the red zone but ultimately elected to tie the game with a field goal on fourth down, less than a minute to play.
However, it was too much time to give the Rebels. A 40-yard bomb to Stribling landed Ole Miss in Carneiro territory, and the trustworthy specialist sent his team to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff with his third field goal of the night.
When asked what the difference was in this matchup versus the one in Athens, Ole Miss defensive end Kam Franklin said, “The leader, Pete.” Golding, who previously served as the team’s defensive coordinator, is now 2-0 since taking over as head coach following the unprecedented departure of Lane Kiffin.
Franklin had five tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup in the game.
Building off of his teammate’s remarks, Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris said, “Pete’s always kept it real with us, so we’re always going to keep it real with him.” Harris had a team-best 10 tackles and a pass breakup in the game. Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery credited Golding’s presence on the field versus in the coach’s box as a game changer, one that he believes flipped the result of the scoreboard on Thursday.
All three players said their goal is to win the national championship and that they are confident in this team’s ability to do just that.
Next up
Ole Miss inaugural College Football Playoff quest will continue in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 10 Miami. The game will kick off from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m. CT, and will be aired on ESPN, along with participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.