Ole Miss Rallies Past Georgia In Sugar Bowl Thriller
Ole Miss Shows Grit and Advances to Fiesta Bowl
The last quarterfinal matchup of the College Football Playoff set No. 3 Georgia against No. 6 Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. Tonight was a rematch of the October 18 Georgia win. This game had everything you could want in a playoff game, and I am calling it an instant classic.
This game was the perfect ending to New Year’s Day college football. Let’s get into the details.
After a couple of drives stalled for each team, Ole Miss jumped on the board first midway through the first quarter with a 55 yard field goal from Lucas Carneiro. I am sure he could have hit that from 60 plus, and it was indoors.
A couple of drives later, Ole Miss continued to figure some things out. Chambliss connected with Harrison Wallace III for 22 yards to get into Georgia territory. They ended up with another field goal from Carneiro, this time from 56 yards out.
He had already set the Sugar Bowl record with the earlier 55 yard kick, and then came right back and broke his own mark in the same game. He had plenty of leg on both. Ole Miss took a 6-0 lead to the second quarter.
Georgia opened the second quarter by establishing the run game, and Nate Frazier was able to get loose with a couple of strong carries into the red zone. Gunner Stockton finished off the drive with a 12 yard keeper to put Georgia up 7-6 after the extra point. Georgia seemed to do much better when they established a run.
Give Chambliss a clean pocket and time to work, and he can make throws. He later hit De’Zhaun Stribling for 39 yards, then tossed a seven yard touchdown pass to Winston Watkins for six. After a failed two point try, Ole Miss led 12-7 with 10:33 left in the half.
Georgia answered right back. Nate Frazier turned a short pass into a 24 yard gain in space, then Stockton stood in the pocket and delivered another short throw to Cash Jones that turned into 26. Stockton got leveled by Tahj Chambers while releasing that throw, one of a few hits he took on the night.
A few plays later, Stockton punched it in from a yard out to give Georgia the 14-12 lead.
Defense took over for Georgia on the next drive. Ole Miss made their first costly mistake when Kewan Lacy fumbled. Elijah Griffin forced it, and Daylen Everette scooped it and scored to stretch the Georgia lead to 21-12.
Ole Miss was right there with Georgia in the first half, and for much of it they were actually better in some areas. They just let a couple of mistakes get in their way. Whether it was dropped passes, a fumble, or at the end of the second quarter when Dae’Quan Wright failed to get out of bounds to stop the clock. Adjustments were needed at halftime, and they were made.
Coming out of the half the Rebels really settled in. They got some stops, forced Georgia into some uncomfortable situations, cut the mistakes, and the offense began to ramp up. After failing to convert on a fourth down attempt earlier in the quarter, they went right back to it and this time made it count.
Chambliss found Harrison Wallace III in the middle of the field, and with one quick move he was up the field and deep into Georgia territory. A few plays later, Kewan Lacy finished the drive with a seven yard touchdown run to pull the Rebels back within two after the extra point, 21-19.
You could feel the momentum starting to swing in Ole Miss’ direction. Defensively, they were getting stops in the third quarter and forcing Georgia into uncomfortable spots. Then Kirby Smart dialed up one of the gutsiest calls of the night. Georgia lined up to punt from their own 29 yard line, and instead ran a fake.
Landon Roldan took the snap and completed a 16 yard pass to Lawson Luckie for a first down. It completely flipped the situation. What looked like another Ole Miss stop suddenly turned into fresh life for Georgia’s offense.
That fake punt bought Georgia more downs, and they were able to work their way into field goal range. Peyton Woodring stepped up and knocked through a 37 yarder to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 24-19. That drive was huge in slowing the momentum because you could feel it drifting toward Ole Miss.
Even so, the margin was still just five, and Ole Miss remained very much in business.
Trinidad Chambliss really began to assert himself as the game moved into the fourth quarter. First he scrambled around like a schoolyard play to convert a third and seven, finding Kewan Lacy for a first down. A few snaps later, Chambliss launched a 44 yard throw down the right sideline to Wallace III to set Ole Miss up deep in Georgia territory.
Lacy finished the drive off with a five yard touchdown run, and after the two point conversion, Ole Miss had grabbed the lead at 27-24.
That momentum Ole Miss had been building throughout the second half had finally swung fully in their favor. Now the challenge was finding a way to sustain it.
The Rebels were not done. Their defense came up with another huge stand when Georgia went for it in their own territory and Stockton was sacked. That opened the door once again for Ole Miss, and Trinidad Chambliss did not miss the opportunity.
He hit Harrison Wallace III for another touchdown on what was his 13th straight completion, and suddenly Ole Miss had stretched the lead to 34-24. The Rebels looked like a completely different team in the second half. Once they shook off the early mistakes and fully locked in, the entire feel of the game changed in their favor.
Gunner Stockton and Georgia did not go away. Stockton completed three of five passes on the next drive and capped it with an 18 yard touchdown to Zachariah Branch to pull Georgia back within three at 34-31. With 7:03 left in the fourth quarter, this one was setting up for a big finish.
Georgia forced Ole Miss into a three and out and suddenly had a real chance to take this game back. In the process, they lost Nate Frazier after he got rolled up on, which was a tough blow for the Bulldogs. Then a big third down conversion was wiped out by a holding call, pushing Georgia into a 1st and 20.
Even with that setback, they managed to battle back into solid field goal range. Kapena Gushiken was flagged for pass interference twice on the drive, and that marched Georgia all the way to the Ole Miss 8 yard line with 1:08 left in the game.
Ole Miss’ defense held strong inside the 10 and kept Georgia out of the end zone, forcing the Bulldogs to settle for a field goal to tie the game at 34 with 55 seconds left on the clock. That proved to be very big.
On 3rd and 5, Trinidad Chambliss delivered a 40 yard strike to De’Zhaun Stribling to put Ole Miss in great field goal range. The game was right there for them to take. Chambliss has the confidence like no other. He just makes plays, and the moment is never too big.
Lucas Carneiro is another Ole Miss player that was not phased all night. He would get the chance to win it for the Rebels, and he did. Carneiro drilled a 47 yard field goal to give Ole Miss the 37-34 lead. Then on the kickoff, the ball was touched by Georgia and went out of the end zone for a safety, sealing it.
The final score was Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34.
This game had all the momentum swings and drama you could want in a playoff game. Ole Miss stayed the course, and Trinidad Chambliss showed grit, guts, and poise to keep the Rebels in position to pull this off. He finished the night 30 of 46 for 362 yards and two touchdowns. Kewan Lacy ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
It was well rounded production across the board. A complete team effort. Even in the receiving group, Harrison Wallace III finished with 156 yards and one touchdown on nine receptions, while De’Zhaun Stribling added 122 yards on seven catches.
Ole Miss advances to face the Miami Hurricanes at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on January 8 at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.
Stay tuned here for more news at Mays Sports Media
Featured Image Credit: Ole Miss Athletics
