Allstate Sugar Bowl | CFP Quarterfinal | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans | January 1, 2026 | Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34 | Attendance: 68,371 | TV: ESPN
Six seconds left in the Caesars Superdome. Score tied 34-34. Lucas Carneiro walked onto the field and hit a 47-yard field goal that sent the sixth-seeded Rebels to the CFP semifinals.
It was his third field goal of the night and probably his third most impressive. In the first quarter, Carneiro had booted a 55-yarder to set a Sugar Bowl distance record. Minutes later, on the very next Ole Miss scoring possession, he hit from 56 yards and broke his own mark. Both were struck cleanly enough that he said afterward both were good from 10 yards further out.
Between those two records and the game-winner, Trinidad Chambliss spent four quarters taking apart a Georgia defense that had allowed 11.7 points per game over the back half of the regular season. He finished with 362 passing yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, a 103.7 passer rating, and a Sugar Bowl record 13 consecutive completions. Ole Miss absorbed a 21-12 halftime deficit, outscored Georgia 27-13 in the second half, and walked out of New Orleans with a 39-34 win.
Georgia also put up 34 points, gained 343 yards, and won time of possession 32:32 to 27:28. None of it held.
Below is the full box score and complete player statistics from the Ole Miss Rebels vs Georgia Bulldogs CFP quarterfinal.
Table of Contents
Team Stats
| Category | Ole Miss | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 39 | 34 |
| Total Yards | 473 | 343 |
| Passing Yards | 362 | 219 |
| Rushing Yards | 111 | 124 |
| Completions / Attempts | 30/46 | 19/33 |
| Yards Per Pass Attempt | 7.9 | 6.6 |
| Yards Per Rush | 4.1 | 3.4 |
| Rushing Attempts | 27 | 37 |
| First Downs | 23 | 23 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 5/14 | 3/13 |
| 4th Down Efficiency | 1/2 | 2/3 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 4 for 48 yds | 4 for 38 yds |
| Time of Possession | 27:28 | 32:32 |
| Total Plays | 73 | 70 |
| Avg EPA Per Play | +0.095 | -0.077 |
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time Left | Scoring Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 5:47 | Carneiro 55-yd FG (Sugar Bowl record) | MISS 3–0 |
| Q1 | 2:13 | Carneiro 56-yd FG (new Sugar Bowl record) | MISS 6–0 |
| Q2 | 13:37 | Stockton 12-yd TD run / Woodring XP | UGA 7–6 |
| Q2 | 10:33 | Chambliss to Hasz 3-yd TD pass / 2-pt run failed | MISS 12–7 |
| Q2 | 4:05 | Stockton 1-yd TD sneak / Woodring XP | UGA 14–12 |
| Q2 | 2:34 | Everette 47-yd fumble return TD / Woodring XP (Sugar Bowl record) | UGA 21–12 |
| Q3 | 4:51 | Lacy 7-yd TD run / Carneiro XP | MISS 19–21 |
| Q3 | 0:30 | Woodring 37-yd FG | UGA 24–19 |
| Q4 | 11:29 | Lacy 5-yd TD run + Chambliss to Wallace 2-pt conv. | MISS 27–24 |
| Q4 | 9:02 | Chambliss to Wallace III 13-yd TD pass / Carneiro XP | MISS 34–24 |
| Q4 | 7:03 | Stockton to Branch 18-yd TD pass / Woodring XP | MISS 34–31 |
| Q4 | 0:56 | Woodring 24-yd FG | Tied 34–34 |
| Q4 | 0:06 | Carneiro 47-yd FG | MISS 37–34 |
| Q4 | 0:01 | Safety — Georgia kickoff lateral hits pylon | MISS 39–34 Final |
Quarterbacks
| Stat | Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) | Gunner Stockton (Georgia) |
|---|---|---|
| Completions / Attempts | 30/46 | 18/31 |
| Passing Yards | 362 | 203 |
| Passing TDs | 2 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Passer Rating | 103.7 | 90.1 |
| Adj. Completion % | 78.0% | 69.2% |
| Avg Depth of Target | 8.9 yds | 10.1 yds |
| Avg Time to Throw | 2.57s | 3.30s |
| Deep Completions (20+ yds) | 4 of 7 | 1 of 6 |
| Yards on Deep Completions | 145 | 18 |
| Rush Carries | 4 | 13 |
| Rush Yards | 14 | 20 |
| Rushing TDs | 0 | 2 |
| PFF Grade | 91.1 | — |
Chambliss was named the Miller-Digby Offensive MVP. Twice he retreated ten yards behind the line of scrimmage to avoid sacks, changed direction, and found open receivers downfield on a single 75-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
“Their quarterback is just incredible,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game. “He does an unbelievable job of not taking sacks and making plays with his legs.”
Stockton ran for two touchdowns and absorbed heavy contact throughout. He was knocked flat on one play by what appeared to be contact to the head from Ole Miss linebacker Tahj Chambers with no flag thrown. Both quarterbacks converted fourth-down throws on drives that ended in scores.
Rushing Stats
Ole Miss
| Player | Pos | Carries | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kewan Lacy | HB | 22 | 98 | 4.5 | 2 | 16 |
| Trinidad Chambliss | QB | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 0 | 5 |
| Deuce Alexander | WR | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | — |
| Team Total | 27 | 111 | 4.1 | 2 |
Georgia
| Player | Pos | Carries | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nate Frazier | HB | 15 | 86 | 5.7 | 0 | 16 |
| Gunner Stockton | QB | 13 | 20 | 1.5 | 2 | 12 |
| Cash Jones | HB | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 8 |
| Chauncey Bowens | HB | 5 | 10 | 2.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Josh McCray | HB | 2 | -3 | -1.5 | 0 | — |
| Team Total | 37 | 124 | 3.4 | 2 |
Lacy scored both of his touchdowns in the second half, including a diving effort over the goal line that gave Ole Miss a 27-24 lead with 11:29 remaining. The fumble he lost in the second quarter, which Daylen Everette returned 47 yards for a score, was the first fumble of Lacy’s college career on his 308th carry.
Frazier carried the ball hard for 86 yards at 5.7 per carry but left the field with a knee injury at the 4:39 mark of the fourth quarter, with Georgia still in a one-possession game.
Receiving Stats
Ole Miss
| Player | Pos | Targets | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | YAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Wallace III | WR | 11 | 9 | 156 | 17.3 | 1 | 56 |
| De’Zhaun Stribling | WR | 9 | 7 | 122 | 17.4 | 0 | 47 |
| Cayden Lee | WR | 7 | 4 | 19 | 4.8 | 0 | 7 |
| Dae’Quan Wright | TE | 3 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | 12 |
| Deuce Alexander | WR | 3 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 1 |
| Kewan Lacy | HB | 1 | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Logan Diggs | HB | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 13 |
| Winston Watkins | WR | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Caleb Odom | TE | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luke Hasz | TE | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Team Total | 41 | 30 | 362 | 12.1 | 2 |
Georgia
| Player | Pos | Targets | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | YAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 11 | 8 | 67 | 8.4 | 1 | 48 |
| Colbie Young | WR | 4 | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 0 | 14 |
| Nate Frazier | HB | 3 | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 0 | 50 |
| Cash Jones | HB | 3 | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | 27 |
| Sacovie White-Helton | WR | 1 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Lawson Luckie | TE | 2 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | — |
| Oscar Delp | TE | 2 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 | 12 |
| Dillon Bell | WR | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| London Humphreys | WR | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| Noah Thomas | WR | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| Team Total | 33 | 19 | 219 | 11.5 | 1 |
Wallace was the widest gap in the receiving corps between the two teams. Nine catches, 156 yards, a touchdown, and the two-point conversion that pushed Ole Miss to 27-24. Stribling added seven catches for 122 yards, including the 40-yard grab on third-and-5 with under a minute left that moved the Rebels into field goal range for the win.
Branch saw 11 targets from Georgia and hauled in eight. His 18-yard touchdown catch with 7:03 left cut the Ole Miss lead to 34-31 and set up the Bulldogs’ final rally.
The Three Plays That Changed This Game
A clean read of the Georgia Bulldogs vs Ole Miss Rebels player stats shows the game was close across most categories. Three plays separated the scores:
Everette’s fumble return, Q2 (2:34 remaining): Elijah Griffin stripped Lacy near the Ole Miss 47. Daylen Everette picked it up and returned it 47 yards untouched, a Sugar Bowl record for a fumble return touchdown. Georgia’s lead moved from 14-12 to 21-12 with two minutes left in the half.
Perkins’s sack-fumble, Q4 (9:31 remaining): Trailing 27-24 and facing fourth-and-two at their own 33-yard line, Georgia sent the offense back out. Suntarine Perkins beat the protection and dropped Stockton for a 10-yard loss and a fumble. Ole Miss recovered at the Georgia 23. Chambliss found Wallace for a 13-yard touchdown two plays later. Georgia went from one yard away from a first down to trailing 34-24 in under 30 seconds.
The final sequence (0:54 remaining): Tied 34-34, Chambliss hit Stribling for 40 yards on third-and-5 from Ole Miss’s own 30 to move into field goal range. Carneiro hit the 47-yarder with six seconds left. On the ensuing kickoff, Georgia’s Landon Roldan threw a cross-field lateral attempt that hit the pylon. Ole Miss was awarded a safety with one second remaining. Final: 39-34.
Georgia defensive back JaCorey Thomas had been ejected for targeting on Cayden Lee with 23 seconds left in the second quarter, a call that generated significant debate on review given the contact appeared to be shoulder-to-shoulder.
Defense Stats
| Player | Team | Total | Solo | Sacks | TFL | PBU | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zxavian Harris | Ole Miss | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| KJ Bolden | Georgia | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Daylen Everette | Georgia | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Princewill Umanmielen | Ole Miss | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Cole | Georgia | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suntarine Perkins | Ole Miss | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Wydett Williams Jr. | Ole Miss | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Will Echoles | Ole Miss | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Tahj Chambers | Ole Miss | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kam Franklin | Ole Miss | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Raylen Wilson | Georgia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rasean Dinkins | Georgia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Griffin | Georgia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylon Braxton | Ole Miss | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TJ Dottery | Ole Miss | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CJ Allen | Georgia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ellis Robinson IV | Georgia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elo Modozie | Georgia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking and Punting
Field Goals and Extra Points
| Player | Team | FG | Pct | Long | XP | Total Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas Carneiro | Ole Miss | 3/3 | 100% | 56 yds | 2/2 | 11 |
| Peyton Woodring | Georgia | 2/3 | 66.7% | 37 yds | 4/4 | 10 |
Carneiro’s 55 and 56-yard field goals each broke the Sugar Bowl distance record at the moment they were kicked. The 56-yarder stood as the new Sugar Bowl record by game’s end. Woodring’s missed attempt was a 55-yard try in the fourth quarter that fell short.
Punting
| Punter | Team | Punts | Total Yds | Avg | Long | In 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar Bird | Ole Miss | 3 | 144 | 48.0 | 51 | 1 |
| Brett Thorson | Georgia | 4 | 194 | 48.5 | 54 | 2 |
Punt Returns
| Player | Team | Returns | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zachariah Branch | Georgia | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 12 | 0 |
PFF Advanced Numbers
| Metric | Ole Miss | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Per Passing Play | +0.28 (87th percentile) | +0.06 (25th percentile) |
| EPA Per Rushing Play | -0.21 | -0.21 |
| Sacks Allowed | 0 | 2 |
| Total Pressures Allowed | 11 | 16 |
| Air Yards Total | 221 | 79 |
| Yards After Catch Total | 149 | 164 |
| Explosive Passes (15+ yds) | 6 | 9 |
| Deep Completions (20+ yds) | 4 of 7 | 1 of 6 |
| Yards on Deep Completions | 145 | 18 |
| Explosive Runs (10+ yds) | 2 | 5 |
| Top Offense PFF Grade | Chambliss — 91.1 | Frazier — 74.9 |
| Top Defense PFF Grade | Perkins — 76.2 | Griffin — 87.1 |
The gap that mattered most in the advanced numbers was in the deep passing game. Chambliss went 4-for-7 on throws of 20-plus yards for 145 yards. Stockton went 1-for-6 for 18.
Georgia’s Halftime Streak, Golding’s Record, and What Followed
Georgia entered the second half with a 21-12 lead and a 53-game winning streak in games where the Bulldogs held a halftime advantage. That streak ended here.
“I’m sick that we lost, and there’s things I would love to go back and do differently,” Smart said. “But I’m just so proud of the way our guys competed.”
For the second straight year, Georgia earned a first-round bye as a top seed, then fell in the CFP quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame had ended their 2024 season in this same building. Ole Miss, a team that had played an extra first-round game the week before, ended the 2025 season the same way.
Pete Golding, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach on November 30 after Lane Kiffin left for LSU, finished the Sugar Bowl 2-0 as a head coach with both wins in the CFP. He grew up 35 miles from the Superdome in Hammond, Louisiana, and advanced the Rebels to the CFP Semifinals to face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
Chambliss, the game’s offensive MVP, addressed the departures and the doubters directly:
“A lot of people did doubt us before the season and they still doubted us when our coach left. We just want to play ball and have fun, and I think that’s showing right now.”
The complete Georgia Bulldogs vs Ole Miss Rebels match statistics from this game covered 816 total offensive yards, 73 combined points, multiple lead changes, four Sugar Bowl records, a targeting ejection, a fake punt, a sack-fumble, a game-winning field goal, and a safety on a lateral that hit the pylon with one second left. Carneiro, on his own, outscored Georgia’s kicker 11-10. That about covers it.
Statistics sourced from ESPN, PFF, the Associated Press, the official Allstate Sugar Bowl, and the College Football Playoff. Game played January 1, 2026 at the Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana.
