Four takeaways from Georgia's loss to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl

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The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (12-2) came into the Sugar Bowl favored to win against the Ole Miss Rebels. As the SEC champions and one of the top teams in the College Football Playoff, they generated a lot of momentum in their last five games (plus-99 point differential). The Rebels were without head coach Lane Kiffin, who accepted the open head coach position at LSU, so the Rebels were expected to be a nice story that conveniently bows out to the championship contending Bulldogs.

Instead, Georgia bent until they broke completely, suffering a heartbreaking 39-34 defeat to the Rebels. The Georgia defense, which had been playing really well in November, allowed Trinidad Chambliss to have a career-high 362 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. The constant blitzes and rushes didn't generate a single sack, resulting in several one-on-one matchups with Ole Miss receivers that Chambliss found with ease.

Despite this, the game was still winnable the entire way for Georgia. They had a 21-12 lead by the end of the half, but some questionable play decisions by Kirby Smart, such as a decision not to punt from fourth and two at the Bulldogs' 33 or a decision to pass on a third and goal while Ole Miss had no timeouts caused victory to slip away.

The Bulldogs end their season early, blowing their chance at a wide open national championship. The Rebels play the Miami Hurricanes, who have former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 for a spot in the national championship.

Four takeaways from Georgia's 39-34 defeat against the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sugar Bowl

The pass rush was a mirage

Georgia's pass rush shows that not everything transitions to the playoff. Maybe it was to be expected. Losing guys like Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker to the draft, along with Damon Wilson II to the transfer portal, isn't easy to walk off.

In the beginning, it looked like the losses were getting to Georgia. The front seven had just eight sacks in their first eight games. At one point, Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II had more sacks by himself than the entire unit.

Then a flip switched in November. In the last five games of the season, Georgia had 12 sacks in five games. Linebackers CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson were getting home, but Chris Cole, Zayden Walker, and Quintavius Johnson were getting to the quarterback too.

The Sugar Bowl proved that to be a facse. The Bulldogs got no sacks on Trinidad Chambliss, despite the defensive playcalling trying extra hard with blitzes. With Gabe Harris missing all of the game with injuries, the Bulldogs lost their bite defensively.

The unreliable pass rush goes against the past for Georgia football, where a dominant pass rush paved the way for Georgia to win back-to-back national championships. They'll have to retool it through development or the transfer portal, or else Georgia's dominant form could be history as well.

The coaching staff was a major letdown

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks toward the field during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals

It feels like sacrilege to criticize Kirby Smart and his coaching staff, but unlike in most games, the coaching staff was not up to the task.

There were several situations where it felt like Smart, Mike Bobo, or Glenn Schumann saved the Bulldogs from missing the playoffs, such as Gunner Stockton's 28-yard touchdown bomb to London Humphreys to tie it late against Tennessee, CJ Allen's goal-line forced fumble against Auburn, and Chauncey Bowen's 33-yard game-winning touchdown against Florida.

However, each member of the coaching staff let down the Bulldogs today. On offense, Mike Bobo didn't do enough to balance the running and passing game early on, with several screen passes going nowhere early on and Gunner Stockton not getting reliable reads.

Defensively, Schumann went too blitz-happy. The Bulldogs often times blitzed five, even six men, and that resulted in several open throws in soft zone, one-on-one matchups between receivers, or sometimes wizardry out of the pocket by Chambliss.

However, the most egregious calls were by Kirby Smart himself. On a fourth and two at Georgia's 33, when the Bulldogs were down 27-24 within 10 minutes, Smart decided to go for it. The Bulldogs offensive linemen weren't even ready to run a play, but Malachi Tolliver snapped the ball to Stockton, who was sacked immediately on the play. That gave Ole Miss a short field, which they used to score a touchdown to make it 34-24.

Georgia had a chance to take the lead with less than a minute left down 34-31. Ole Miss had no timeouts, and Georgia had a critical third down a the six yard line. Running the ball should've been the move: at best, Georgia scores and takes the lead, and at worst, Georgia gets to drain clock, preventing Ole miss from taking the lead.

Instead, Kirby Smart calls a passing play, and it's incomplete, nearly turning into a game-losing interception in the end zone. It stops the clock at 56 seconds left, and while Georgia ties it 34-34 with a field goal, the Rebels had plenty of time to get in position for the game winning field goal. They did, heading into field goal range on a 40-yard bomb from Chambliss to Harrison Wallace III, and Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carniero nails the game-winner from 47 yards out.

The era of dynasties is over

The Miami Hurricanes celebrate following the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Dec. 31, 2025. Ohio State lost 24-14.

The day before Georgia lost to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes lost to the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl. That ensured that Georgia would still be the last team to win back-to-back national championships.

With the way college football is shifting, it could be a while before a team wins back-to-back national championships. There is a lot more parody in college football than in the past, potentially due to the expansion of the transfer portal and NIL.

Looking at the four teams left, only Miami has won a championship in this century. They're the only ones who won a game to be considered the national championships. Ole Miss has never been an outright champion. Indiana and Oregon have never won a championship.

It probably doesn't make Georgia fans feel any better, but Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was a former assistant for Kirby Smart at Georgia. Lanning leading Oregon to their first national title in school history would be a historic moment for a team that has gotten so close to the title for so many years, kind of like the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2000s. Lanning could follow in his former head coach's footsteps.

Georgia is locked and loaded for 2026

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) passes the ball against the Mississippi Rebels

The Bulldogs loss in the Sugar Bowl stings, but Georgia should be locked and ready to go in 2026. They will lose some key pieces in the secondary, with Daylen Everette and JaCorey Thomas out of eligibility. The defense will more than likely lose CJ Allen and Christen Miller to the 2026 NFL draft. Pass catchers Dillon Bell, Oscar Delp, and Noah Thomas are also out of eligibility, along with guard Micah Morris. Right tackle Earnest Greene III could join the draft too, and Zachariah Branch, with his record breaking season, could declare.

However, Georgia still has Gunner Stockton. He played good enough to win the Ole Miss game, and when Georgia looked down and out down 34-24, he blossomed again, throwing a late touchdown to Branch. Stockton could develop next year and become a Heisman finalist.

Georgia also has the two-headed monster of Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens in the backfield. If it weren't for Frazier's injury, the Bulldogs would've more than likely scored at the six yard line on their final drive, since Frazier led all skill positions in yards that day. Chauncey Bowens also showed flashes of a stud running back.

If Branch doesn't declare, Georgia gets their leading receiver back. Chris Cole and Raylen Wilson are back in the linebacker core, and Ellis Robinson IV is rapidly turning into a lockdown corner, despite a rough game against Ole Miss. Georgia still has some key pieces returning in 2026, so with some transfer portal magic and development from a few players, Georgia should be back in the playoff race next year.

This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Takeaways from Georgia's 39-34 loss vs. Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl

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