Georgia defeats No. 5 Ole Miss with second-half surge to snap Rebels’ perfect record
🏆 Georgia second half comeback gives Ole Miss its first loss
Georgia’s defense finally showed up when it mattered most.
After two quarters of offense-dominated football, the Bulldogs flipped the script in the second half and shut the door on No. 5 Ole Miss to escape with a 43–35 win at Sanford Stadium.
The Rebels, who scored on their first five drives of the game, couldn’t find the end zone in the fourth quarter as Georgia forced two three-and-outs and a turnover on downs to seal the victory. The final stop came when Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had his fourth-down pass batted down at the line, allowing Georgia to kneel out the clock in front of a roaring home crowd.
Gunner Stockton led the Bulldogs’ comeback with 348 total yards and five touchdowns — four through the air and one on the ground — while Lawson Luckie turned in a breakout performance with three touchdown catches. Stockton’s poise in the pocket helped the Bulldogs drain the clock and set up Peyton Woodring’s 42-yard field goal to make it a two-score game.
Early on it looked like Ole Miss might run Georgia out of its own stadium. Chambliss engineered touchdown drives of 14, 10, and 11 plays in the first half, mixing precision passing with creative looks from Lane Kiffin’s playbook. Running back Kewan Lacy punched in two touchdowns, and the Rebels took a 21–20 halftime lead after holding Georgia to a field goal late in the second quarter.
The Rebels then came out firing after the break — Chambliss hit De’Zhaun Stribling on a short route that turned into a 75-yard touchdown to push the lead to 28–20. Georgia immediately answered with a physical drive capped by a short Stockton-to-Luckie touchdown, and the tug-of-war continued into the third quarter.
Momentum shifted early in the fourth, when Georgia’s defense forced the first punt of the game — and followed it up with another stop on the next drive. Luckie’s third touchdown grab gave Georgia a 40–35 lead, and the defense took control from there.
Ole Miss’ last gasp came in the final two minutes, when Andrew Jones’ key third-down tackle kept the Rebels within striking distance. But Georgia’s defense stood tall once again, as Mykel Williams and Smael Mondon Jr. pressured Chambliss into the game-ending incompletion.
The Bulldogs, now 6–1, keep their SEC and College Football Playoff hopes alive heading into a crucial November stretch. Ole Miss falls to 6–1, snapping its six-game winning streak to start the season.
3️⃣ Hat trick for Luckie
Luckie pushes the lead to 5⃣ on his third TD reception.
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball)
📺: ABC
🏈 PUNT
Dawgs force the three-and-out‼️
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball)
🤲 Stockton to Frazier
Gunner Stockton faked the handoff to Nate Frazier, then found him in the flat for a three-yard touchdown pass. It was the sophomore running back's first career receiving touchdown. Ole Miss leads 35-33 with 12:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
12 plays, 75 yards. Dawgs cut the lead to 2.
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball)
📺: ABC
🐾 Bulldogs score TD but miss 2-point conversion
Georgia decided to keep the ball on the ground in its opening drive, marching down the field before opening up the offense for Stockton to find Luckie for his second touchdown, cutting the lead to 28-26. The two-point conversion attempt failed as the Ole Miss defense registered its first victory.
Quick strike from Gunner to Lawson 💪
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball)
📺: ABC
💨 Rebels don't skip a beat
One way ticket to Strib City ✈️ x
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB)
½ Halftime recap
No. 9 Georgia and No. 5 Ole Miss traded blows for 30 minutes in a fast and furious first half that ended with the Bulldogs kicking a field goal as time expired to cut the Rebels’ lead to 21-20.
Both offenses moved the ball with ease as neither defense forced a punt before halftime. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the way early, capping a 14-play opening drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. He later engineered another long march before a creative goal-line package saw backup quarterback Austin Simmons line up in the backfield while Chambliss motioned wide. Running back Kewan Lacy took the direct snap and powered in for his second score of the game, giving Ole Miss a 21-17 advantage late in the second quarter.
Georgia’s Gunner Stockton matched Chambliss stride for stride, passing for 175 yards and two total touchdowns before the break. He connected with tight end Lawson Luckie for an 11-yard score early in the second quarter, then raced 22 yards into the end zone to give Georgia a brief 17-14 lead.
The Bulldogs struck first on a 51-yard Peyton Woodring field goal after a 36-yard flea-flicker to wideout Colbie Young, who later exited with a leg injury.
At the half, Ole Miss holds a one-point edge in a game that has lived up to its billing. The Rebels seek their first back-to-back wins over Georgia since 1994-95, while the Bulldogs look to keep their SEC and College Football Playoff hopes alive.
