Final grades as Georgia falls to Ole Miss to end 2025 season

Gunner Stockton (Getty) NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 01: Gunner Stockton #14 of the Georgia Bulldogs is tackled to end the game against the Ole Miss Rebels during the fourth quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 01, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

January 2, 2026 at 4:56 p.m. UTC

By Connor Riley, DawgNation

NEW ORLEANS — Georgia fought all the way to the end. It lived up to the hard-to-kill mantra, which Kirby Smart first coined against Ole Miss back in October.

But Ole Miss found a way to take down the Bulldogs, ending their season for good in a 39-34 thriller.

“They made more plays than we did; and I’ve got to be honest, that’s part of football. They made more, and out-executed us, outcoached us, outplayed us,” Smart said.