NEW ORLEANS (AP) 鈥� Sensing the game might be getting away, Georgia coach Kirby Smart appeared to junk any semblance of conservatism in favor of straight-up gambling in the second half of a quarterfinal College Football Playoff clash against Mississippi at the Sugar Bowl.
A trio of fourth-down tries from Bulldogs territory did not pay off enough even though two of them produced drive-sustaining first downs. Ahead 21-12 at halftime on Thursday night, after Ole Miss kicked a tiebreaking field goal with six seconds left.
Smart called for a fake punt on fourth-and-6 from the Bulldogs鈥� 30 after the Rebels scored a touchdown to pull within 21-19 in the third quarter.
That play worked, with wide receiver Landon Roldan taking a handoff and completing a pass to tight end Lawson Luckie for 17 yards, prolonging a drive that ended in a 37-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring.
鈥淲e had lost momentum at that point,鈥� Smart said. 鈥淲e were leading, but we felt like we could get momentum back with that play. We felt like it was there, and the kids did a great job executing it.鈥�
Unfazed, Ole Miss scored a touchdown on its next possession and converted a 2-point play, going ahead 27-24. That prompted the Bulldogs to take another huge risk 鈥� and this time it failed.
Smart had the offense race on to the field on fourth-and-2 from the Georgia 33 early in the fourth quarter to catch the Rebels off guard, but quarterback Gunner Stockton was sacked for a 10-yard loss, handing the ball to Ole Miss at the Bulldogs鈥� 23.
鈥淲e screwed that up a little bit,鈥� Smart said. 鈥淲e had a misfire there. The ball was not supposed to be snapped in that situation, but that was on us and the coaches. The book said we needed to go for it, but we could have taken a delay (penalty).鈥�
The Rebels needed only two plays to capitalize, going ahead 34-24 on a touchdown pass from Trinidad Chambliss to Harrison Wallace III with 9:02 left.
Smart was not done.
After the Bulldogs closed the gap to 34-31 and forced a punt, Georgia鈥檚 offense remained on the field on fourth-and-9 from the Georgia 48 with 3:13 left, even though Smart had all three timeouts remaining, along with a standard stoppage with 2 minutes left.
Stockton found Zachariah Branch for 16 yards, leading to a tying 24-yard field goal with 56 seconds left.
鈥淣o chance I鈥檓 punting there,鈥� Smart said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to get another possession possibly. We had three timeouts to stop them if we didn鈥檛 get it.鈥�
Turns out what they really needed was a go-ahead touchdown to avoid losing in the same round and at the same venue as last season against Notre Dame 鈥� both times as a higher-seeded favorite coming off a bye.
鈥淚鈥檓 sick that we lost, and there鈥檚 things I would love to go back and do differently, Smart said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 just so proud of the way our guys competed when down ten. We just didn鈥檛 finish it.鈥�
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