Trinidad Chambliss saved his best for the biggest stage, and Lucas Carneiro delivered the final blow. With stunning plays at the most pivotal moments, No. 6 Mississippi outlasted third-ranked Georgia 39-34 on Thursday night in a dramatic College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl, earning a semifinal berth and further proving the Rebels are thriving in the post–Lane Kiffin era.
Chambliss passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns, repeatedly escaping pressure to make schoolyard-style throws, and Carneiro capped the night by drilling a 47-yard field goal with six seconds remaining to put Ole Miss ahead for good. Moments later, the Rebels added a safety on Georgia’s desperation final kickoff, when a cross-field lateral struck the pylon with one second left.
The Rebels (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed), now led by head coach Pete Golding after Kiffin’s departure to LSU on Nov. 30, have won two postseason games under the new regime and now advance to face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl semifinals. Georgia (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) saw its national title hopes end despite a furious late rally.
Coming on the heels of lopsided CFP quarterfinals at the Orange and Rose Bowls, the all-SEC Sugar Bowl matchup delivered nonstop drama.
Ole Miss jumped in front early after Georgia briefly grabbed a 7-6 lead on Gunner Stockton’s 12-yard run. Chambliss answered immediately, hitting De’Zhaun Stribling for 39 yards down the left sideline before finding Luke Hasz crossing the back of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown.
The Bulldogs regained momentum when Stockton absorbed a heavy hit while delivering a 26-yard completion to Cash Jones, then followed with a short keeper for another touchdown. On the ensuing Ole Miss possession, Kewan Lacy fumbled, and Daylen Everette scooped it up and raced 47 yards untouched for his first career touchdown, giving Georgia a 21-12 halftime lead.
Georgia stretched that advantage to 24-19 in the third quarter after a bold fake punt — a reverse pass from Landon Roldan to Lawson Luckie — sustained a drive that ended with Peyton Woodring’s 37-yard field goal. But Chambliss kept responding. On fourth down, he found Harrison Wallace III over the middle for 36 yards to the Georgia 8, setting up Lacy’s 7-yard scoring run.
Later, after Ole Miss briefly took a 27-24 lead, Georgia gambled again on fourth down deep in its own territory. This time, Stockton was sacked by Suntarine Perkins, and the Rebels cashed in. Chambliss delivered a perfect back-shoulder throw to Wallace for a touchdown, making it 34-24 with just over nine minutes left.
Georgia wasn’t finished. Stockton led a rally, throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Zachariah Branch and then setting up Woodring’s short field goal with 55 seconds left to tie the game at 34.
That’s when Chambliss produced his defining moment. Facing third down from Mississippi’s own 30-yard line, he stepped up under pressure and fired a 40-yard strike to Stribling, putting the Rebels in range. A few plays later, Carneiro — who had already shattered Sugar Bowl records with field goals of 55 and 56 yards — split the uprights again and sprinted toward the Ole Miss sideline as teammates swarmed him in celebration.
Ole Miss outgained Georgia 473 yards to 343. Wallace hauled in nine passes for 156 yards and a touchdown, Stribling added seven catches for 122 yards, and Lacy rushed for 98 yards and two scores. Stockton finished with 203 passing yards, one touchdown, and two rushing scores, repeatedly making throws just before absorbing crushing hits.
Both quarterbacks converted key fourth downs to keep drives alive, and both showed toughness under relentless pressure. But in the end, Chambliss’ poise and Carneiro’s leg proved decisive.
Ole Miss heads to the Fiesta Bowl to face a dangerous No. 10 Miami team that has pulled off back-to-back CFP upsets. Georgia will turn the page and open its 2026 season at home against Tennessee State on Sept. 5.
