All eyes turned to the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans as the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels clashed in a high-stakes Sugar Bowl quarterfinal on January 1, 2026. With a College Football Playoff semifinal berth on the line and the winner set to face Miami at the Fiesta Bowl, the tension was palpable from the opening kickoff. The Bulldogs, coming off a dominant 28-7 SEC Championship victory over Alabama, looked to defend their title hopes against a Rebels squad hungry for redemption after a narrow regular-season loss in Athens.
Georgia entered the contest with a 12-1 record, their only blemish a distant memory as they sought to prove they could topple a top-tier opponent twice in one season. Ole Miss, meanwhile, boasted an 11-1 regular season and had steamrolled Tulane 41-10 in the first round of the playoffs. But the Rebels faced challenges of their own—most notably, a midseason coaching change after Lane Kiffin departed for LSU on November 30, leaving defensive coordinator Pete Golding at the helm for the program’s first-ever CFP appearance.
The anticipation was stoked further by Georgia’s epic hype video, released in the days leading up to the game. Former Bulldog tight end Benjamin Watson set the tone, declaring, "Folks love talking about the past. And they love pointing to the future. I'm here to tell you that doesn't matter. This team has started a new season, a new path, a standard with new expectations. What you need to focus on is what's important now. Winning today. Winning the moment. Win the now." The message resonated throughout the Georgia locker room—this was about seizing the present.
As kickoff approached, both teams faced roster shake-ups. Georgia’s injury report was lengthy: defensive back Joenel Aguero missed his second straight game, edge rusher Gabe Harris, center Drew Bobo, defensive back Kyron Jones, and defensive lineman Jordan Hall were all ruled out. Freshman Rasean Dinkins, a Warner Robins native, earned his second consecutive start in Aguero’s absence, having impressed in coverage during the SEC Championship. Yet, there was good news for the Dawgs—tight end Ethan Barbour and wide receiver Colbie Young, both previously sidelined, made miraculous recoveries and suited up for the Sugar Bowl.
Across the field, Ole Miss’s biggest concern was the health of star running back Kewan Lacy. The Missouri transfer had racked up 1,366 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the season, including two scores against Georgia in their October meeting. Though he exited the Rebels’ first-round win over Tulane with a shoulder injury, Lacy was listed as probable and took the field in New Orleans, determined to make an impact.
The opening quarter set the stage for a fierce battle. Ole Miss struck first, nailing a field goal with 5:47 left in the first, and tacked on another to lead 6-0 late in the quarter. But Georgia responded with authority. Quarterback Gunner Stockton, who had blossomed into one of the nation’s top signal-callers, put the Bulldogs on the board with a rushing touchdown early in the second quarter, giving Georgia a 7-6 lead.
The back-and-forth continued as Ole Miss answered with a touchdown of their own, though a failed two-point conversion left them clinging to a 12-7 advantage. Stockton wasn’t finished, however. With just over four minutes left in the half, he punched in another rushing score, reclaiming the lead for the Dawgs at 14-12. The Bulldogs seized momentum just before halftime, capitalizing on an Ole Miss fumble to score a 46-yard touchdown. At the break, Georgia led 21-12, their fans roaring from the stands and across living rooms nationwide as the game aired live on ESPN.
The third quarter was just as dramatic. Ole Miss refused to go quietly, narrowing the gap with a rushing touchdown to make it 21-19. But Georgia’s resilience shone through yet again. With just 30 seconds left in the third, the Bulldogs hit a 37-yard field goal, extending their lead to 24-19 as the final period loomed.
Both teams leaned heavily on their quarterbacks. For Ole Miss, Trinidad Chambliss—who had taken over as starter after transferring from Division II Ferris State—continued his impressive campaign, entering the game with 3,298 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. Stockton, for his part, had tallied 2,691 passing yards and 23 touchdowns on the season, and his leadership was on full display in this pressure-packed setting. The chess match between the two QBs added another layer to the contest, with every drive carrying the weight of a season’s worth of effort and expectation.
There was no shortage of storylines. The coaching rivalry between Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Ole Miss’s Pete Golding, both former Alabama defensive coordinators, added intrigue to the proceedings. While Smart had already established himself as one of the premier coaches in college football, Golding was just beginning to carve out his own legacy, thrust into the spotlight by circumstance and opportunity.
Defensively, Georgia’s unit had been nearly impenetrable in the lead-up to the Sugar Bowl, holding opponents to an average of just 7.25 points over their last four games. That tenacity was put to the test by an Ole Miss offense known for its explosiveness, but the Bulldogs’ ability to come up with key stops—especially in the red zone—proved crucial as the game wore on.
Off the field, the looming transfer portal opening on January 2 cast a shadow over both programs. With potential roster shake-ups on the horizon, the urgency to capitalize on this playoff window was heightened for players and coaches alike. But as Watson’s words echoed, the focus remained squarely on the moment at hand.
Fans who couldn’t make it to New Orleans tuned in from around the country, with the game broadcast live on ESPN and available for streaming via several platforms, including DirecTV and Fubo. The Sugar Bowl’s primetime slot ensured maximum exposure, and the energy inside the Superdome was electric from start to finish.
As the clock ticked down in the third quarter, Georgia held a slim 24-19 lead, but with an entire fourth quarter still to play, nothing was set in stone. Would the Bulldogs’ defense hold firm, or could Ole Miss engineer a comeback for the ages under their new head coach? The stakes couldn’t have been higher, with a trip to the Fiesta Bowl and a shot at the national championship hanging in the balance.
For now, the action in New Orleans rages on, with both teams refusing to back down. One thing’s for sure: college football fans everywhere are getting their money’s worth in this Sugar Bowl showdown.
