Georgia football wears emotions on sleeve following another Sugar Bowl loss

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

NEW ORLEANS — If there was one word to describe Georgia football after the 39-34 Sugar Bowl loss to Ole Miss on Jan. 1, it would be melancholic. A sort of haunting and pensive sadness, as the Bulldogs’ season came to the same, earlier-than-hoped-for end as last year.

“It’s kind of unreal,” sophomore linebacker Chris Cole said about the outcome of the game. “We didn’t expect that at all, so for that to happen, that’s just life and we’ve just got to keep moving on and getting better. … I definitely remember last year, and it definitely hurt, but to be able to contribute more and see it come down to us losing, (this year) hurt more.”

Things started out slow for Georgia, which found themselves in an early 6-0 deficit after Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro broke — and then rebroke — the Sugar Bowl record for longest field goal with 55- and 56-yarders.

Redshirt junior quarterback Gunner Stockton helped Georgia grab a brief lead a minute and a half into the second quarter when he rushed up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was able to find tight end Luke Hasz for a short touchdown pass to go up 12-7 with 10:33 remaining in the second quarter, but the Rebels failed their two-point conversion and Stockton didn’t let the momentum they were working up last.

The Rabun County native again turned on the jets for a sneak into the end zone and Georgia took a 14-12 lead, scoring again two minutes later when freshman defensive lineman Elijah Griffin forced Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy to fumble and Daylen Everette scooped and scored to make it a comfortable 21-12 lead at the half.

Lacy tried to close the gap to 21-19 with a touchdown in the final five minutes of the third quarter, but Georgia junior kicker Peyton Woodring extended it on a 37-yard field goal to 24-19.

Georgia started slipping after this, coach Kirby Smart said. Despite the shiny trick play that Woodring, freshman wide receiver Landon Roldan and junior tight end Lawson Luckie busted out to get the first down, the Bulldogs’ engine had begun smoking.

Lacy scored again three minutes into the fourth quarter to make it 27-24, and senior wide receiver Harrison Wallace III followed suit two minutes after that to make it a 10-point lead for the Rebels.

Georgia tried their hardest to close the gap, and did for a moment, but the game tying 24-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining in regulation wasn’t enough as sophomore running back Nate Frazier was injured and pesky third downs were not converting.

“We’re definitely a little upset, because we didn’t come out with the victory,” said junior wide receiver Zachariah Branch, who broke the program’s single-season reception record in the loss. “But, you know, sometimes that’s life, man. Sometimes you don’t get what you want. But just trust in God, continue to trust God and trust the plan He has for us. We love each other, man. It’s a brotherhood in that locker room. Win, lose or draw, we all still behind each other. We always showing support.”

Players were melancholic while sitting in the postgame press conference and cleaning up at their lockers to catch a late-night flight back to Athens. The air was thick with tension, something unspoken lingered as eyes were downcast to the floor.

“It’s our last time with this team together,” junior linebacker Raylen Wilson said with a slight shake of his head, pushing a hand through his dreads.

Georgia’s season ends in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The Bulldogs went 12-2.

“It definitely hurts,” Cole said. “We put so much into this, … but it’s football. You win some, you lose some. It definitely hurts a lot, especially for the seniors and for the guys who it’s their last game. We did everything right. We practiced fast and physical every single day, so to come up short definitely hurts.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football players emotional after second straight Sugar Bowl loss

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos