Heartbreak in the Big Easy. That's basically the only way to sum up what happened at the Caesars Superdome. If you’re looking for the score on the Georgia game, here is the raw reality: Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34.
It wasn't just a loss. It was a season-ending, gut-punching exit in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals. For a team that walked into New Orleans as the No. 3 seed and a 6.5-point favorite, seeing the clock hit zero with the Rebels celebrating was... well, it was a lot.
Honestly, the box score tells a story of two different games. Georgia looked like they had it in the bag by halftime. They were up 21-12. The defense was scoring touchdowns. Gunner Stockton was moving the chains. Then, the second half happened, and things got weird. Really weird.
The Score on the Georgia Game: A Breakdown of the Chaos
Most people see "39-34" and think it was a standard shootout. It wasn't. This was a tactical chess match that turned into a backyard brawl in the fourth quarter.
The first half was all about Georgia's defense making plays. Daylen Everette’s 47-yard fumble return for a touchdown felt like the knockout blow at the time. Ole Miss star running back Kewan Lacy had gone all season without a fumble—nearly 300 touches—and he chose the Sugar Bowl to cough it up. It gave the Dawgs a nine-point lead and all the momentum.
But the Rebels didn't blink. Trinidad Chambliss, the Ole Miss QB, played out of his mind in the second half. He threw for 362 yards total.
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Here is how that final score of 39-34 actually materialized:
- The Lead Change: Ole Miss surged to a 34-24 lead after Kirby Smart took a massive gamble.
- The Gamble: Kirby went for it on 4th-and-2 from his own 33-yard line. Why? Maybe he didn't trust the defense at that point. Stockton got sacked, fumbled, and Ole Miss scored two plays later.
- The Comeback: Gunner Stockton didn't quit. He hit Zachariah Branch for an 18-yard TD to pull within three.
- The Tie: Peyton Woodring nailed a 24-yard field goal with just 55 seconds left. 34-34. Overtime felt inevitable.
That Bizarre Final Minute
If you turned the game off at the tie, you missed one of the strangest endings in CFP history. Ole Miss had no timeouts. 55 seconds is nothing, right? Wrong.
Chambliss hit a 40-yard bomb to De’Zhaun Stribling. Suddenly, they were in range. Lucas Carneiro, who had already hit from 55 and 56 yards earlier in the game, stepped up. He drilled a 47-yarder with six seconds left.
37-34.
Then came the "pylon safety." Georgia tried a desperate cross-field lateral on the kickoff. The ball hit the pylon. In college football, if a fumble hits the pylon and goes out of bounds while the receiving team has it, it’s a safety. That’s how we got the final 39-34 score. It was a statistical oddity that didn't change the winner but definitely changed the "score on the Georgia game" for everyone’s betting slips.
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Key Stats from the Sugar Bowl
| Stat Category | Georgia Bulldogs | Ole Miss Rebels |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 344 | 473 |
| Passing Yards | 204 | 362 |
| Rushing Yards | 140 | 111 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
Stockton finished 18-for-31. He ran for two scores, too. He played well enough to win, but the defense just couldn't get off the field in the third quarter. Ole Miss outgained Georgia by over 100 yards. That's usually a recipe for a loss, no matter how many defensive touchdowns you score.
What About the Basketball Game?
Interestingly, if you're searching for the "score on the Georgia game" today, January 15, you might actually be seeing results for the hoops team.
The No. 21 ranked Georgia men's basketball team just had their own version of a nightmare. They played Ole Miss (yes, again) on Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
It went to overtime. It was high scoring. It ended on a buzzer-beater.
Final Score: Ole Miss 97, Georgia 95.
Patton Pinkins tipped in a rebound with one second left in OT to stun the Dawgs. Jeremiah Wilkinson went off for 32 points, but it wasn't enough. It’s been a rough couple of weeks if you’re a Bulldog fan facing anyone from Oxford, Mississippi.
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Moving Toward the 2026 Season
So, where does Georgia go from here? The football season is over. The quest for another natty ended in the New Orleans humidity.
Kirby Smart is already hitting the transfer portal, though not as hard as some other schools. He’s banking on "internal development." He’s kept a lot of the roster together, only losing 12 players to the portal while bringing in seven. The big news is the focus on the offensive line and snagging guys like TyQuez Richardson.
People are already arguing about that 4th down call. Was it a mistake? Probably. Kirby admitted in the post-game presser that they needed to be more aggressive, but the execution just wasn't there.
What You Should Do Next
If you're still reeling from the 39-34 loss, here are the real-world moves for the off-season:
- Watch the Transfer Portal: The window is closing soon. Keep an eye on the defensive line depth. That’s where the Sugar Bowl was lost—Georgia couldn't pressure Chambliss when it mattered.
- Spring Game Prep: Mark your calendar for G-Day. With Stockton presumably being the guy for 2026, seeing how the mid-year enrollees mesh with him will be the first sign of whether the "development" strategy is working.
- Check the 2026 Schedule: It’s brutal. They open with Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, but the SEC slate includes road trips to Alabama and Ole Miss. Revenge tour, anyone?
The score on the Georgia game is a permanent mark on the 2025 season record. 39-34. It’s a reminder that in the expanded 12-team playoff, one bad quarter can end everything. Now, the focus shifts entirely to making sure the 2026 score looks a lot different.