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NEW ORLEANS — For three quarters inside the Superdome, it felt like Ole Miss was chasing something just a bit out of reach.
Georgia had weathered the early punches. The Bulldogs absorbed mistakes, capitalized on miscues, and leaned into the kind of physical, grinding football that has defined their championship run. By halftime, Ole Miss found itself trailing by nine points, staring at a familiar problem against a familiar opponent.
But what unfolded in the final 15 minutes wasn’t borrowed magic or borrowed time.
It was ownership.
Ole Miss didn’t sneak past Georgia. The Rebels didn’t survive. They seized control of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, erased the memory of October, and pushed their season into uncharted territory — the CFP semifinals.
A Game That Refused to Sit Still
The first half was chaotic and punishing. Georgia turned a turnover into points, rode a bruising run game, and consistently made Ole Miss work for every inch. The Rebels moved the ball but couldn’t fully cash in, leaving points on the field and momentum swinging sharply toward the Bulldogs.
By the break, Georgia looked comfortable.
Ole Miss did not.
But comfort has never defined this Rebel team.
Trinidad Chambliss Changed the Temperature
When the game tightened after halftime, it became clear that Ole Miss wasn’t going to win by waiting Georgia out.
It was going to take force.
Trinidad Chambliss delivered it.
The quarterback threw for more than 360 yards, extended plays with his legs when the pocket collapsed, and repeatedly punished Georgia’s coverage with throws that demanded confidence and precision. Two Rebel receivers cleared 120 yards. Deep shots weren’t hopeful — they were intentional.
Every time Georgia tried to reassert control, Chambliss answered.Every time the Bulldogs surged, Ole Miss responded with pace.
The Fourth Quarter Belonged to the Rebels
Ole Miss entered the fourth quarter trailing, 24-19.
They didn’t stay there long.
A deep strike flipped the scoreboard. Kewan Lacy powered into the end zone. A fourth-down gamble by Georgia backfired when Suntarine Perkins crashed the pocket, stripped the ball from Gunner Stockton, and recovered it in a moment that finally tilted the field.
Suddenly, the Rebels were playing ahead.
Georgia, predictably, didn’t fade. The Bulldogs answered. They drove. They scored. They pushed Ole Miss back toward the edge one more time.
But the Rebels never panicked.
A critical defensive stand forced Georgia to settle for three points instead of seven, making it 34-34. And when Ole Miss got the ball back with seconds ticking away, there was no hesitation.
Chambliss launched one last throw downfield — a strike that split coverage and set the stage.
Lucas Carneiro walked out and delivered the final blow: a 47-yard field goal with six seconds left that cut through the noise and sealed the game.
No drama after. No second guessing.
Just silence from one sideline and disbelief from the other.
This Wasn’t About Luck
Georgia will return plenty of talent. The Bulldogs remain one of the sport’s standard-bearers. This loss won’t define them.
But this night defined Ole Miss.
The Rebels were tested repeatedly — by adversity, by momentum swings, by a team that rarely loses games like this. They absorbed mistakes, answered physicality with composure, and executed when the margin evaporated.
Ole Miss didn’t win because Georgia faltered. Ole Miss won because, when the game demanded belief, precision, and nerve, the Rebels delivered all three.
And now, for the first time ever, they move on — not as a surprise, not as a feel-good story, but as a semifinalist that earned every inch of its place.
The season continues.
And Ole Miss is still standing.
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Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
