NEW ORLEANS — The shadows grew long over the Caesars Superdome on New Year’s Night, 2026, as the Georgia Bulldogs faced a reality they hadn’t known in years. For a decade, Kirby Smart’s program has been the gold standard of college football—a machine built on “physicality,” “composure,” and an almost supernatural ability to win games when leading late. But as the clock struck zero in the 92nd Allstate Sugar Bowl, that machine finally sputtered.
In a 39-34 loss to the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels, the No. 3 Bulldogs saw more than just their season end. They saw a 75-game winning streak when leading at the start of the fourth quarter vanish into the humid Louisiana air. They saw their College Football Playoff title hopes die in the same building for the second consecutive year. And most painfully, they saw a single, chaotic misfire on fourth down become the symbol of a season that slipped through their fingers.
The “Misfire” That Changed Everything
The moment that will be dissected in Athens for years occurred with 11:29 remaining in the game. Trailing 27-24 after a furious Ole Miss comeback, Georgia faced a fourth-and-2 at their own 33-yard line.
Initially, the punt team took the field. However, an injury to an Ole Miss defender created a stoppage, giving Smart a window to reconsider. He sent his offense back out, intending to either draw the Rebels offside or take a delay of game penalty to better space the punt.
Instead, disaster struck. The ball was snapped prematurely to a surprised Gunner Stockton. Ole Miss linebacker Suntarine Perkins came screaming off the edge unblocked, burying Stockton for a 10-yard loss and a fumble.
“We had a misfire there,” Smart admitted in the post-game press conference, his voice steady but heavy. “The ball was not supposed to be snapped in that situation. That’s on us as coaches. We had an option to look at the look, and if we didn’t like it, take the delay. We didn’t execute the communication.”
The Rebels recovered at the Georgia 23-yard line. Two plays later, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss found Harrison Wallace III for a 13-yard touchdown. What was a three-point deficit suddenly ballooned to 10 points.
A Game of Two Halves
For the first thirty minutes, it looked as though Georgia would cruise to the Fiesta Bowl. Gunner Stockton was surgical, accounting for two rushing touchdowns and leading a balanced attack that put Georgia up 21-12 at halftime. The Bulldog defense even chipped in with a spectacular 46-yard scoop-and-score by Daylen Everette after Elijah Griffin stripped Ole Miss star running back Kewan Lacy.
But the second half belonged to Trinidad Chambliss. The Rebels’ quarterback, who would eventually be named the Sugar Bowl Offensive MVP, put on a performance for the ages. He finished 30-of-46 for 362 yards and two touchdowns.
Chambliss set a Sugar Bowl record by completing 13 consecutive passes to start the second half, breaking a mark previously held by Florida legend Tim Tebow. His favorite target, Harrison Wallace III, was unstoppable, hauling in nine catches for a career-high 156 yards.
The Final Stand
Despite the botched fourth down and the 34-24 deficit, Georgia showed the “DNA” Smart always talks about. Stockton led a frantic rally, finding Zachariah Branch for an 18-yard touchdown to cut the lead to three. After the Georgia defense forced a rare three-and-out, Stockton drove the Bulldogs 58 yards in 12 plays.
Faced with a fourth-and-goal at the 6-yard line with under a minute left, Smart opted for the tie. Peyton Woodring drilled a 24-yard field goal to knot the score at 34-34 with 55 seconds remaining.
However, 55 seconds was too much time for Chambliss. On a critical third-and-5, he escaped a collapsing pocket and fired a 40-yard laser to De’Zhaun Stribling, moving the Rebels to the Georgia 30. Three plays later, kicker Lucas Carneiro—who had already set Sugar Bowl records with 55 and 56-yard field goals earlier in the game—stepped up and nailed a 47-yarder with just six seconds left.
The final margin was pushed to five after a desperate Georgia lateral play on the ensuing kickoff resulted in a safety.
| Team Stats | Ole Miss | Georgia |
| Total Yards | 473 | 343 |
| Passing Yards | 362 | 219 |
| First Downs | 23 | 23 |
| Final Score | 39 | 34 |
The Road Ahead
For Ole Miss (13-1), the win marks the first 13-win season in program history and earns them a date with No. 10 Miami in the CFP Semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl. For Georgia (12-2), the off-season begins with difficult questions.
“They outexecuted us, outcoached us, outplayed us,” Smart said, refusing to blame the fourth-down error alone. “That’s what the playoff was built for—to have games like that. It hurts, but I’m proud of how our guys competed.”
As the Bulldogs head back to Athens, the “misfire” in New Orleans will serve as a reminder of how thin the margins are at the top of the mountain.