Ole Miss Clinches Sugar Bowl in a Thrilling Win Over Georgia with a Last-Second Field Goal

Ole Miss edged out Georgia 39-34 in an electrifying Sugar Bowl, securing the win with a 47-yard field goal by Lucas Carneiro with six seconds to go. Ole Miss now moves on to the Fiesta Bowl against Miami on January 8, chasing the national championship.

Georgia tied the game at 34-34 as Peyton Woodring kicked a field goal in the final minute. Ole Miss sprang into action. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss delivered a crucial third-down pass to De’Zhaun Stribling, leading to Carneiro's winning kick.

After the kick, Georgia's kickoff attempt went wrong, the ball hitting the end zone pylon and giving Ole Miss a safety. An official review confirmed a second remained. Ole Miss had started celebrating, causing the trophy stage to be briefly removed.

Georgia's onside kick recovery was useless, as their final multi-lateral play was voided by a penalty. Ole Miss, seeded No. 6, has now advanced two games into the College Football Playoff with coach Pete Golding, succeeding Lane Kiffin, now at LSU. Chambliss's memorable performance saw him complete 30-of-46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns, earning him eighth place in Heisman voting this year.

The Rebels lit up the scoreboard with 27 points in the second half. Chambliss had standout moments in the fourth quarter, including a touchdown run by Kewan Lacy giving Ole Miss a 27-24 lead. The game is hailed as the best quarterfinal this season perhaps.

Georgia's Gunner Stockton impressed too, with 18-of-31 completions for 204 yards and three total touchdowns. The Bulldogs had a 21-12 halftime lead, thanks to Stockton's play. But Ole Miss poured on the pressure in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points. A notable moment came when a missed facemask call on Rebels’ Lacy let Georgia continue their drive.

Chambliss set up Ole Miss for the decisive kick with a 40-yard pass to Stribling. Carneiro had earlier matched his feat with field goals from 55 and 56 yards, setting records at the Sugar Bowl. Stockton’s key 16-yard pass to Zachariah Branch had previously set up Georgia's field goal tie in the final moments.

One standout play for Georgia was a third-quarter fake punt. Landon Roldan’s reverse pass to Lawson Luckie set up Woodring's 37-yard field goal for a fleeting 24-19 lead. The game also saw defensive scrutiny, highlighted by a possible illegal hit by Ole Miss’s Tahj Chambers on Cash Jones that went unflagged.

Early in the game, Ole Miss led 6-0 with two Carneiro field goals before Georgia swung the lead with a Stockton run. Chambliss struck back for Ole Miss with a 39-yard pass followed by a touchdown to Luke Hasz. Their final charge saw a failed two-point conversion, ending the half at 12-7 before Georgia reclaimed the lead.

Chambliss's second-half heroics included a Wallace completion boosting the lead to 34-24. Ole Miss had even rehearsed the exact winning kick the day before, missing on Wednesday but connecting on Thursday.

"He got his mulligans out [Wednesday]," recalled Pete Golding. Ole Miss enjoys a 13-1 record, thriving under Golding after Kiffin's departure. Georgia, with the No. 3 seed and a 12-2 record, couldn’t hold onto their halftime lead in a game packed with twists, turns, and drama.