Ole Miss wins Sugar Bowl over Georgia with last-second field goal.

Ole Miss secured a remarkable 39-34 win in the Sugar Bowl, clinched by Lucas Carneiro’s decisive 47-yard field goal with just six seconds remaining.

The crucial kick from Carneiro followed No. 3 Georgia leveling the score with under a minute left via a brief field goal from Peyton Woodring. Subsequently, the Rebels maneuvered into field goal range as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss connected with wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling against man coverage on third down, inside the final 30 seconds, after Georgia’s blitz attempt aimed to prompt a punt and their own late winning try.

This triumph propels No. 6 Ole Miss to face No. 10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on January 8th, vying for a berth in the national championship contest on January 19th. Furthermore, this marks Ole Miss’s second College Football Playoff victory under head coach Pete Golding, who took over after Lane Kiffin departed the squad at the conclusion of the regular season to become LSU’s new coach.

While Carneiro’s field goal resolved the 34-34 deadlock, the eventual winning difference expanded to five points when Georgia’s lateral pass on the subsequent kickoff struck an end zone pylon, leading to a safety.

The safety prompted a video review to confirm that one second remained on the game clock. This official scrutiny unfolded amidst Ole Miss’s celebrations, with the Sugar Bowl trophy presentation platform already positioned on the playing surface.

Once the platform was removed from the field—and the festivities paused—Georgia attempted and recovered an onside kick. However, the Bulldogs’ desperate multi-lateral maneuver was flagged for a penalty and gained no yardage whatsoever.

Undoubtedly the season’s most outstanding quarterfinal contest

The concluding quarterfinal match of this College Football Playoff iteration delivered the highest level of excitement. Both Chambliss and Georgia’s signal-caller Gunner Stockton exhibited exceptional performances, with the Rebels remarkably accumulating 27 points during the second half en route to their victory.

Chambliss asserted his dominance in the second half, showcasing extraordinary impromptu abilities. The Rebels gained a 27-24 advantage following a touchdown run by Kewan Lacy, largely due to Chambliss rescuing several plays that appeared destined for minimal, if any, yardage.

Chambliss concluded the game with 30 completions out of 46 attempts, accumulating 362 yards through the air and throwing for two scores. It is entirely reasonable to consider this his finest career outing.

The ex-Ferris State quarterback transferred to Ole Miss before the 2025 season and commenced the year as a backup to Austin Simmons. Following Simmons’s ankle injury in Week 2, Chambliss assumed the starting role and retained it even after Simmons recovered.

Chambliss placed eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting—just below Stockton—having passed for almost 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns throughout the regular season, in addition to rushing for 506 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ole Miss was behind 21-12 at intermission, a deficit that occurred after the Rebels mismanaged their last offensive snap before the break. Rather than potentially attempting a field goal to reduce Georgia’s lead to six points, Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright failed to step out of bounds after securing a reception in Georgia’s half of the field with under ten seconds remaining.

One could easily foresee how the conclusion of the initial half might have discouraged the Rebels. Nevertheless, Ole Miss counteracted by scoring 20 points in the final quarter, thereby asserting dominance over the contest.

Georgia nearly gained advantage from a significant uncalled infraction

Supporters of Ole Miss would readily emphasize that Georgia ought not to have been afforded the chance to equalize the score with under a minute left.

The Bulldogs’ field goal that drew them level followed an inexplicable oversight by officials, who missed a clear facemask penalty committed against Lacy. This uncalled infraction occurred on second down and would have guaranteed a first down with roughly six minutes remaining.

Consequently, Chambliss’s third-down throw was deflected at the line, and Georgia then successfully converted a critical fourth-down play of its own to position themselves for the game-equalizing field goal.

Stockton completed the game with 18 passes out of 31 attempts for 204 yards and one touchdown, additionally scoring twice on the ground. In virtually any other matchup—particularly one played in November—such a performance would have been more than sufficient for Georgia to secure a win.

However, this was not the case on Thursday evening.

Georgia arrived at the Sugar Bowl having conceded only 29 points across their preceding four combined contests. The Bulldogs’ defensive unit had showcased its strength towards the end of the regular campaign, limiting Alabama to a mere 209 total yards in the SEC championship. The 12 points accumulated by Ole Miss by halftime represented the highest score against Georgia since Mississippi State tallied 21 points on November 8th.

The Rebels maintained their offensive output throughout the second half. Lacy concluded with 22 rushing attempts for 98 yards and two touchdowns, concurrently, Harrison Wallace III recorded nine receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown, and Stribling secured seven catches for 122 yards.