NEW ORLEANS, La. — Beating Tulane in Oxford in the first round of the College Football Playoff may have been the biggest game in Ole Miss history, but stunning Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl was a season-defining victory that will be remembered as one of the greatest nights in program history.
In just his second game as a head coach, Pete Golding has now elevated the program to new heights, making a statement that Ole Miss is here to stay in the national spotlight.
“I thought they responded the right way. Definitely didn’t play our cleanest football in the first half on either side of the ball, and kind of challenged them at halftime and said, you know, look, we were up nine on these guys going into the fourth quarter last time. Let’s play 30 minutes of football and out physical them and execute. They responded like they have all year. It’s a super tough group. They’ve got a lot of grit, and they love playing football, and they’re not tired of it. So just really, really proud of the group and the effort that took place tonight.”
~ Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding after the Sugar Bowl win
Game recap
The Rebels received the opening kick and picked up a quick first down to start the game, with Kewan Lacy converting a third-and-short. However, the Bulldogs quickly forced a punt and were set up near their own 30-yard line.
For the first time this season, the Ole Miss defense forced a Georgia punt and followed it with an effective drive into Bulldog territory. Behind the legs of Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss, the Rebels cracked the scoreboard first with a 55-yard field goal from Lucas Carneiro that made history as the longest in Sugar Bowl history.
After the field goal, Ole Miss quickly forced another punt, playing well on the perimeter to prevent big gains. The Landshark defense dialed up pressure as Tahj Chambers batted down a Gunner Stockton pass to bring up fourth down.
A 10-yard run from Lacy and a 22-yard completion to Harrison Wallace III set the Rebels up past midfield late in the first quarter, but another long field goal followed. Again, it was no problem for Carneiro, who drilled a 56-yarder to put Ole Miss up 6-0 and break the longest field goal record that he set earlier in the quarter.
As the opening quarter came to a close, the Bulldogs began to find a rhythm on offense as Nate Frazier looked much like he did in the previous meeting. Frazier rushed for 16 yards to open the second quarter, and Stockton gave Georgia its first lead with a 12-yard scramble into the end zone.
Ole Miss responded quickly thanks to a 39-yard gain over the top of the defense to De’Zhaun Stribling. Chambliss followed with a pass into the flats to Wallace III, drawing a facemask penalty that placed the ball at the Georgia 8-yard line. He then found Luke Hasz for a 3-yard touchdown pass — the first of the season for Hasz — to put the Rebels up 12-7 after a failed two-point try.
Frazier and Stockton continued to control the ground game and moved the Bulldogs back into scoring position. Chambers delivered a big hit on Stockton on third-and-long, but Stockton completed a 26-yard pass to the Ole Miss 1-yard line before pushing it across himself to regain the lead.
Costly errors for Ole Miss followed as Lacy coughed up the ball for the first time this season, allowing Daylen Everette to scoop it and score on a 46-yard return, pushing the Georgia lead to 21-12 late in the half. The Rebels went three-and-out after a Dae’Quan Wright drop on third down, but a pair of tackles for loss forced a Georgia punt.
With under a minute to play, Ole Miss drove the field after a targeting call against JaCorey Thomas moved the ball past midfield. Again, mistakes kept the Rebels from scoring as Wright caught a third-down pass near the sideline and turned upfield instead of stopping the clock. Ole Miss rushed the field-goal unit onto the field, but time expired in the first half as the Rebels trailed 21-12 going into halftime.
Despite the miscues, Ole Miss went into the locker room within striking distance, while Georgia looked to reassert control with its physical ground game. The Rebel defense opened the second half by forcing a three-and-out, but the offense could not capitalize.
Lacy was stuffed on 4th-and-1, giving Georgia the ball at the Ole Miss 49. A pass interference call extended the Bulldogs’ next drive, but Peyton Woodring came up a few yards short on a 55-yard field-goal attempt. The fourth-down decision loomed large as Ole Miss continued to search for momentum, while Georgia failed to take advantage of favorable field position.
Chambliss began to enter “flow state” from here on out, finding Stribling for 12 yards before connecting with Wallace III for 36 more to move inside the Georgia 10. Two plays later, Lacy found the edge to cut the deficit to two points. For the Bulldogs, Stockton continued to make plays, and although the drive stalled in the red zone, Woodring drilled a 37-yard field goal that extended the lead again.
The next drive was perhaps the biggest in Ole Miss history. Opening the fourth quarter, Chambliss scrambled before making Johnny Manziel-type plays and tossing a beautiful pass on the run to Wallace III for a 44-yard completion into the red zone. A few plays later, Lacy scored again to give the Rebels a 27-24 lead after a successful two-point conversion to Wallace III.
As the conversion was completed, the Ole Miss sideline erupted, and the sound inside the Superdome shifted from loud to deafening as the Rebels took their first lead since the second quarter.
On a career-high night, Wallace III led the Rebels in receiving with 9 grabs for 156 yards and a touchdown. Stribling added to that with his best game of the year as well, 7 catches for 122 yards.
The Ole Miss defense kept bringing pressure as Suntarine Perkins strip-sacked Stockton on 4th-and-2, setting up the Rebels at the Georgia 23. Two plays later, Chambliss found Wallace III for a 13-yard touchdown to make it a 10-point Ole Miss lead. Georgia answered with a scoring drive, leaning again on Stockton’s ability to extend plays, but with 56 seconds left, Ole Miss took over at its own 25 knowing one more drive could seal the game.
However, Georgia got the ball back following a facemask that went uncalled. The Ole Miss defense stood tall despite more penalties that put the Bulldogs near the goal line, forcing a Woodring game-tying field goal to make it 34-all.
Instead of playing for overtime, Chambliss made a gutsy throw and hit Stribling in stride for a 40-yard gain to the Georgia 30. After three incomplete passes to drain some clock, Carneiro drilled a 47-yard field goal with six seconds remaining to give Ole Miss a 37-34 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Georgia attempted the usual last-second laterals but ended up hitting the pylon to give the Rebels two more points on a safety. After wildly recovering the onside kick afterwards, the Bulldogs unsuccessfully attempted the laterals again and the party in New Orleans began for Ole Miss.
Chambliss was named the offensive MVP, completing 30 of his 46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns. Will Echoles earned defensive MVP honors, leading the team with two tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
Zxavian Harris led the Ole Miss defense with 10 tackles. The Landshark defense arguably played their best game of the year, racking up a nine tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and six pass breakups.
On the other side, the Ole Miss offensive line did not allow a sack and only allowed three tackles for loss. Lacy rushed for over 60 more yards than he ran for in Athens, finishing with 22 carries for 98 yards and a pair of score. The Ole Miss offense put up an astonishing 473 yards of offense.
Up next
Reaching the final four of the CFP bracket, the Rebels will head to Arizona to take on the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl with a trip to the National Championship on the line. Kickoff is set for Thursday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m. CT.
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Kameron Wicker
Kam is an Ole Miss alumnus with a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. He currently resides in Gulf Shores, Alabama where he works full-time as a sports editor.
