Georgia's Smart gambles on fourth down with mixed results in a CFP loss to Ole Miss

Audio By Carbonatix

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 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, Georgia lost 39-34 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’ 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.

“We had lost momentum at that point,” Smart said. “We 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.”

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 — 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’ 23.

“We screwed that up a little bit,” Smart said. “We 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).”

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’s 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.

“No chance I’m punting there,” Smart said. “We’re not going to get another possession possibly. We had three timeouts to stop them if we didn’t get it.”

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 — both times as a higher-seeded favorite coming off a bye.

“I’m sick that we lost, and there’s things I would love to go back and do differently, Smart said. “But I’m just so proud of the way our guys competed when down ten. We just didn’t finish it.”

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football