Sweet Victory in the Big Easy: No. 6 Ole Miss Topples Georgia in the Sugar Bowl

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In a New Year’s Night thriller that redefined the “Party in the Pelis,” the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels stunned the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs with a 39–34 victory in the 2026 Sugar Bowl. The win, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal masterpiece, not only secured the Rebels’ first-ever 13-win season but also signaled a fearless new era for the program in the post-Lane Kiffin landscape.

The Carneiro Cannon: Record-Breaking Leg

While the game featured high-octane offenses, the story of the night was Rebels kicker Lucas Carneiro. In an era of elite special teams, Carneiro’s performance was historic. He accounted for 13 of the Rebels’ points, shattering Sugar Bowl records with first-half field goals of 55 and 56 yards.

However, his most important kick was his shortest of the night—a 47-yarder with just six seconds remaining that broke a 34–34 deadlock and sent the sea of powder blue in the Caesars Superdome into a frenzy.

The Chambliss Statement

With the departure of Lane Kiffin earlier in the season, many wondered if the Rebels’ offense would lose its edge. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss answered those doubts emphatically. Chambliss delivered a career-high 362 passing yards and two touchdowns, earning Offensive Player of the Game honors.

His poise was most evident on the final drive. After Georgia’s Peyton Woodring tied the game at 34 with 55 seconds left, Chambliss orchestrated a lightning-fast march. The dagger was a 40-yard connection to De’Zhaun Stribling on third down that put the Rebels in field goal range, setting the stage for Carneiro’s heroics.

Defensive Grit and a Chaotic Finish

Under the leadership of Pete Golding, the Rebels’ defense proved it could trade blows with the SEC’s best. Though they surrendered a 21–12 halftime lead, the unit locked down in the fourth quarter.

Suntarine Perkins was the catalyst, recording a massive strip-sack of Georgia QB Gunner Stockton when the Bulldogs attempted a desperate fourth-down conversion in their own territory.
The game ended on a bizarre note: following Carneiro’s field goal, Georgia attempted a series of laterals on the kickoff that resulted in the ball going out of bounds through their own end zone for a safety, providing the final 39–34 margin.

Box Score Breakdown

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
No. 6 Ole Miss	6	6	7	20	39
No. 3 Georgia	0	21	3	10	34

Stat Leaders:

Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss: 30/46, 362 Yds, 2 TD
Ole Miss WR Harrison Wallace III: 9 Rec, 156 Yds, 1 TD
Georgia QB Gunner Stockton: 203 Pass Yds, 124 Rush Yds, 3 Total TD

What’s Next?

The Rebels (13–1) now head to the Fiesta Bowl on January 8th for a College Football Playoff Semifinal matchup against the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes. For a program that had never reached a 12-win season before this year, the Rebels are now just two wins away from the ultimate prize.