Georgia’s opponent for the upcoming Sugar Bowl will be the Ole Miss Rebels. The game will be played on January 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 8 p.m ET. It will serve as Georgia’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup. You can watch it on ABC or multiple ESPN options.
This will be the Bulldogs’ 13th Sugar Bowl. Georgia is 5-7 in this game and 3-3 this century. Kirby Smart has coached Georgia in three Sugar Bowls, with a 1-2 record in those games.
Georgia’s most famous win came in the 1981 Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame. The victory secured the Bulldogs’ second national championship. Herschel Walker led the way with 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The game also marked the debut of Georgia’s mascot, Hairy Dawg.
One interesting part of Georgia’s history in the Sugar Bowl is that they’ve never won two in a row. However, since 2003, they have also not lost two in a row.
After last year’s Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame, history suggests Georgia leaves New Orleans with a win. If it doesn’t, that will be the first time since 1982/83 that UGA has lost two consecutive Sugar Bowls.
Georgia Football’s Record When Playing in the Sugar Bowl
- 1947 – North Carolina – 20–10 (W)
- 1969 – Arkansas – 16-2 (L)
- 1977 – Pittsburgh – 27-3 (L)
- 1981 – Notre Dame – 17–10 (W)
- 1982 – Pittsburgh – 24-20 (L)
- 1983 – Penn State – 27–23 (L)
- 2003 – Florida State – 26–13 (W)
- 2006 – West Virginia – 38–35 (L)
- 2008 – Hawaii – 41–10 (W)
- 2019 – Texas – 28–21 (L)
- 2020 – Baylor – 26–14 (W)
- 2024 – Notre Dame – 23–10 (L)
That trend is an interesting one. Since 2003, UGA has not lost back-to-back games in this matchup.
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Georgia has averaged 21.4 points per game and 18.9 points allowed per game, gaining 281.4 yards per game and giving up 341.5 yards per game in the Sugar Bowl. Under Smart, Georgia has averaged 19.0 points per game and allowed 21.7 points per game. The Dawgs have averaged 320.0 yards per game while giving up 298 yards per game.
Here are the individual leaders for Georgia in the Sugar Bowls they have played in.
Georgia Passing Leaders in the Sugar Bowl:
SEC championship-winning quarterback DJ Shockley has the program’s best Sugar Bowl performance of all time.
- 2006 – D.J. Shockley – 20-of-33 (60.6%) – 277 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
- 2020 – Jake Fromm – 20-of-30 (66.7%) – 250 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
- 2024 – Gunner Stockton – 20-of-32 (62.5%) – 234 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
- 2019 – Jake Fromm – 20-of-34 (58.8%) – 212 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
- 2008 – Matthew Stafford – 14-of-23 (60.9%) – 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Georgia Rushing Leaders in the Sugar Bowl:
Legendary running back Herschel Walker finds himself on here three times. He went 1-2 in these games.
- 1981 – Herschel Walker – 36 carries, 150 yards (4.2 YPC), 2 TD
- 2003 – Musa Smith – 23 carries, 145 yards (6.3 YPC), 0 TD
- 1983 – Herschel Walker – 28 carries, 103 yards (3.7 YPC), 1 TD
- 2020 – Zamir White – 18 carries, 92 yards (5.1 YPC), 1 TD
- 1982 – Herschel Walker – 25 carries, 84 yards (3.4 YPC), 2 TD
Georgia Receiving Leaders in the Sugar Bowl:
It was George Pickens who had a monster Sugar Bowl in the 2019 season against Baylor.
- 2020 – George Pickens – 12 catches, 175 yards (14.6 YPR), 1 TD
- 2006 – Bryan McClendon – 3 catches, 72 yards (24.0 YPR), 1 TD
- 1947 – Dan Edwards – 1 catch, 67 yards (67.0 YPR), 1 TD
- 2024 – Arian Smith – 1 catch, 67 yards (67.0 YPR), 0 TD
- 1983 – Clarence Kay – 5 catches, 61 yards (12.2 YPR), 1 TD
Georgia Tackling Leaders in the Sugar Bowl:
- 1977 – Ben Zambiasi – 11 solo tackles
- 2006 – Jarvis Jackson – 11 solo tackles
- 1977 – Jim Griffith – 9 solo tackles
- 1982 – Nate Taylor – 9 solo tackles
- 1977 – Ronnie Swoopes – 9 solo tackles
Georgia Tackles For Loss Leaders in the Sugar Bowl:
- 1977 – Bill Krug – 3.0 TFL
- 2003 – Will Thompson – 3.0 TFL
- 2008 – Marcus Howard – 3.0 TFL
- 1977 – Ronnie Swoopes – 2.0 TFL
- 1982 – Jimmy Payne – 2.0 TFL
As Georgia prepares for another New Year’s Day appearance in New Orleans, the Sugar Bowl once again serves as a measuring stick for where the program stands on the national stage. The history is mixed, the trends are clear, and the stage is familiar. Against Ole Miss in 2026, the Bulldogs will have an opportunity to add another chapter to their Sugar Bowl legacy—one that reflects not just past results, but the standard Georgia expects to play to when the spotlight is brightest.
