In front of a sea of powder blue in the Sugar Bowl, it was the Ole Miss Rebels taking on the Georgia Bulldogs with the final spot in the College Football Playoff Semifinals on the line. A win and you head to Arizona to take on Miami in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl, a loss and your 2025 season comes to an end. 

Georgia, the SEC Champion, came to New Orleans looking to beat Ole Miss for a second time this season, while the Rebels of Ole Miss look to avenge their lone loss of the season. These two met in October in Athens, where Georgia came out on top 43-35 in an instant classic. 

Ole Miss jumped out to an early 6-0 lead over Georgia at the end of the first thanks in part to the leg of Lucas Carneiro, who drilled two field goals over 50 yards each time. Georgia would respond with a powerful touchdown drive that capped off with a quarterback keeper from Gunner Stockton to take a 7-6 lead with 13:37 remaining in the first half. Ole Miss, led by Trindad Chambliss, would take it right down the field in response, where Chambliss found Luke Hasz in the back of the end zone to make it 12-7 after a failed two-point conversion. Georgia would have another response of their own with a 75-yard touchdown drive with Gunner Stockton once again finding the endzone to retake a 14-12 Georgia lead with 4:05 in the second. Shortly thereafter, a fumble from Kewan Lacy that would lead to a scoop and score for the Georgia would extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 21-12 with 2:34 remaining in the half. Ole Miss had a chance to cut into the lead before half, but poor clock management left the Rebels scoreless to end the half as the Bulldogs took a 21-12 lead to the locker room. 

Georgia would open the second half with a punt after a monster stop by the Landshark defense, but then Ole Miss would see the next drive stall out on 4th down and one, giving the ball right back to Georgia. The Ole Miss defense would once again bend but not break as they forced a missed 55-yard Georgia field goal to keep the game within reach for the Rebels’ offense. Ole Miss would respond with a quick touchdown drive capped off by a Kewan Lacy 7-yard rushing touchdown to cut the Georgia lead to 21-19 with 4:51 to go in the third. Peyton Woodring would add to the Georgia lead with a 37-yard field goal to make it 24-19 with 30 seconds remaining in the third. 

At the end of the third, Georgia led Ole Miss 24-19. 

Ole Miss would open the fourth quarter with an insane drive capped off by a 5-yard touchdown run from Kewan Lacy to take the lead with a two-point conversion, making it 27-24 in favor of Ole Miss with 11:29 to play. The Ole Miss defense would once again get a massive stop, forcing a turnover on downs, giving the Ole Miss offense prime real estate to add to the level. Ole Miss would take full advantage as Trinidad Chambliss finds Harrison Wallace for an Ole Miss touchdown to extend the Rebels’ lead to 34-24 with 9:02 remaining. Feeling the pressure, Gunner Stockton and the Georgia offense would put together a quick scoring drive capped off by Stockton finding Branch on a fade route to cut the Ole Miss lead to 34-31 with 7:03 remaining in the game. The Georgia defense would force an Ole Miss punt with a little over 5 minutes remaining in the game. Georgia would put together a scoring drive that would tie the game at 34 after a chip-shot field goal with 56 remaining. Lucas Carneiro would drill a 47-yard field goal with six seconds remaining to give Ole Miss a 37-34 victory over Georgia. 

Trinidad Chambliss took over in the 4th quarter, and Ole Miss did what they had to find a way to win the game, and now the Rebels are one win away from playing for a National Championship. 

With the win over Georgia, Ole Miss is now one win away from playing for a National Championship. Ole Miss will now play in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl, where they will play the Miami Hurricanes next Thursday night. 

Photo Credits- Ole Miss Football on X