(BCSNN) — Ole Miss didn’t just win a Sugar Bowl. The Rebels rewrote their own history, shattered Georgia’s streaks, and delivered one of the most resilient second‑half performances the College Football Playoff has seen.
Down nine at halftime to a Georgia team that had won 53 straight games when leading at the break and 75 straight when leading after three quarters, No. 6 Ole Miss stormed back to defeat No. 3 Georgia 39–34 on Thursday night in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, earning the program’s first trip to the CFP Semifinals.
The Rebels (13–1) will face No. 10 Miami in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl - and they’ll do so with the first 13‑win season in school history, the first 11‑win regular season, and the first 12‑win season already in hand. Their seventh Sugar Bowl victory moves them behind only Alabama in all‑time wins in the New Orleans classic.
The heroes were unmistakable:
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and kicker Lucas Carneiro.
Chambliss delivered the finest performance of his career, completing 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns, earning Sugar Bowl Offensive Player of the Game honors. Carneiro drilled three field goals, including the game‑winner from 47 yards with six seconds remaining.
A Second‑Half Surge for the Ages
Chambliss’ second half was nearly flawless. He completed his first 12 passes after the break and set a Sugar Bowl record with 13 straight completions, breaking Tim Tebow’s mark.
His favorite target, Harrison Wallace III, was unstoppable:
- 9 receptions
- 156 yards (career high)
- 1 touchdown
- A two‑point conversion
- A 44‑yard catch that flipped the fourth quarter
Wallace III and De’Zhaun Stribling (122 yards) became the first Ole Miss duo to surpass 120 receiving yards in a bowl game.
On the ground, Kewan Lacy continued his breakout season with 98 yards and two touchdowns, pushing his single‑season rushing TD total to 23, tying him with Tim Tebow and Tre Mason for third‑most in SEC history.
Defensive Grit When It Mattered Most
Ole Miss’ defense bent early but delivered the defining plays late.
Suntarine Perkins produced the moment of the game - a strip‑sack of Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton on fourth down, recovering the fumble himself. He finished with six tackles and the game‑changing turnover.
Zxavian Harris led the Rebels with a career‑high 10 tackles, while Princewill Umanmielen, Perkins, and Wydett Williams Jr. each added six.
Up front, Will Echoles was everywhere:
- 2 tackles for loss
- 2 batted passes
- Sugar Bowl Defensive Player of the Game
Ole Miss finished with nine tackles for loss, repeatedly disrupting Georgia’s rhythm.
How the Game Unfolded
Carneiro opened the scoring with a 55‑yard field goal, breaking the Sugar Bowl record - then broke it again minutes later with a 56‑yarder.
Georgia responded with two long touchdown drives and a scoop‑and‑score off an Ole Miss fumble to take a 21–12 halftime lead.
But the Rebels owned the second half.
Chambliss found Wallace III on a 36‑yard fourth‑down strike to set up Lacy’s touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21–19. After a defensive stand, Lacy scored again early in the fourth quarter, and Wallace III hauled in a 13‑yard touchdown to push the lead to 34–24.
Georgia rallied, tying the game at 34 with 56 seconds left.
Chambliss needed one more drive - and delivered it. His 40‑yard strike to Stribling set up Carneiro’s game‑winning kick.
The Rebels had completed one of the most improbable comebacks in CFP bowl history.
Next Up
Ole Miss heads to Phoenix to face No. 10 Miami in the CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on January 8.
A program that had never won 13 games, never reached a CFP semifinal, and never authored a comeback quite like this one now stands one win from the national championship game.
