Ole Miss picked up arguably its biggest win in program history on Thursday night, when Pete Golding and the Rebels beat Georgia 39-34 in an instant classic that will be replayed and revisited in Oxford forever. But the ending of the Sugar Bowl wasn’t without its drama down the final stretch — and we’re not just talking about Ole Miss’ furious rally and the 30 points scored in the fourth quarter between the two teams.

More specifically: what the heck happened in those last six seconds?

After Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro — who had the game of his life with 55 and 56-yard field goals in addition to the game-winning kick — booted a 47-yard field goal to put Ole Miss up 37-34, the Rebels then kicked off to Georgia with six seconds to play. Georgia receiver Landon Roldan fielded the kick at the back of the end zone, ran up just past the 5-yard line and tried to throw a backwards pass across the field. An Ole Miss defender was there to stop two Georgia players from catching the ball. The football sailed past them, landed near the hash and slowly bounced out of bounds. The ball hit the pylon with (what we learned was) one second left and officials ruled it an Ole Miss safety. The Rebels went up 39-34.

With the game seemingly over, Sugar Bowl officials began to roll both the trophy and the stage out onto the field while Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Golding met at midfield for the traditional coaches’ handshake. Celebratory confetti fell to the turf. But in the middle of the chaos, referees also began to blow their whistle.

They determined that there was still one second left on the clock. Both teams retreated back to their sidelines.

Because of the safety, Georgia had to line up and kick off from its own 20-yard line. Bulldogs kicker Peyton Woodring attempted a slow-rolling, onside free kick that running back Cash Jones eventually fell on. In another confusing turn of events, no time ran off the clock. ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin explained it this way:

“If the ball is recovered legally after it goes 10 yards by a grounded player, then the clock does not run.”

And here's the *official* ending after a bit of chaos.

Sean McDonough: "Matt, this is feeling like an excruciating ending to a classic game. Does common sense need to prevail here?"

Matt Austin: "Well, yes, but we do have rules we have to follow." 🏈🦓🎙️ #CFP https://t.co/UZIoeWwxK8 pic.twitter.com/Puh9ym6fsT

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 2, 2026

Ole Miss, again believing the game was over, showered Golding in two blue Gatorade baths as he headed to midfield again to meet Smart. The stage came back out. But officials then blew their whistles and determined there was still a second on the clock.

Georgia finally ran a failed lateral play that ended with Ole Miss (finally) officially winning.

Count it as one of the more bizarre endings in College Football Playoff history in one of the sport’s all-time great games.

Ole Miss now advances to the Fiesta Bowl semifinal and will play Miami next week as the Rebels continue to press on without former head coach Lane Kiffin.

“It felt awesome for our players. What they’ve been through in the last month … (I’m) just really excited in this moment for them,” Golding told ESPN’s Molly McGrath postgame. “They’re resilient. They’re tough, they’re competitive, they love football and they love Rebel nation.”