NEW ORLEANS — You can say a lot of things about this Georgia team.
Its season came to an end too soon. It was young. It didn’t go on the run it should’ve after a 39-34 loss to Ole Miss.
But one walk through the Georgia locker room would also let even the most casual observer know that this team truly cared.
Which makes the way Thursday’s game ended all the more crushing.
“I just reflect on how much we, you know, how long we came,” linebacker CJ Allen said. “A lot of people doubted us and said we wouldn’t make it this far, you know. But we had big goals, we came out short, man. So proud of this team and the growth, you know. Proud of the seniors, the way they lead the team, man.”
You could see the agony on the faces of seniors like Oscar Delp, Micah Morris and Brett Thorson. They’ve all played their last games in a Georgia uniform.
But the young players on the team were just as gutted as Georgia blew a nine-point halftime lead. Freshman guard Dontrell Glover and sophomore linebacker Justin Williams were leaning on veterans for support.
Georgia took a lead into halftime and lost for the first time since a 2020 game against Alabama. That unfamiliar feeling permeated after the final buzzer sounded three separate times.
The Bulldogs end their season with a 12-2 record. Georgia won the SEC championship for the second season in a row. It also beat every team on its schedule this season.
It won a rematch against Alabama earlier this season. But in a second game against Ole Miss, Georgia couldn’t make as many plays as the Rebels. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 362 yards and 3 touchdowns, shredding the Georgia defense in the second half.
“They made more plays than we did; and I’ve got to be honest, that’s part of football,” Smart said. “They made more, and out-executed us, outcoached us, outplayed us. But I enjoyed that game and that atmosphere. I am proud of our team. I’m sick that we lost, and there’s things I would love to go back and do differently. But I’m just so proud of the way our guys competed when down 10, and just didn’t finish it.”
For some, Thursday will be the last time members of this program put on the Georgia uniform. A handful are out of eligibility, some will head to the NFL draft while others will leave via the transfer portal.
Allen, seen as a first-round pick, said he hadn’t come to a decision just yet. Junior Raylen Wilson said the same.
Still, many members of this team will be back. The benefit of having such a young team is that it can continue to grow together if it does in fact stick together.
“Anytime you lose it, it’s going to motivate you for sure,” safety KJ Bolden said. “Hopefully in the offseason, we go out there and attack it like we did this year. We just got to keep getting better and keep finding little ways to improve and learn how to finish.”
Bolden will be a key piece of next season’s team, as he is just a sophomore. Quarterback Gunner Stockton is also likely to be back for the Bulldogs as well, though he has previously said he hasn’t thought much about his future.
Stockton isn’t alone in pondering the future, as Monroe Freeling, Allen, Earnest Greene, and Zachariah Branch all have significant NFL draft decisions on the horizon.
The Bulldogs will bring in another top recruiting class, with some members of the class getting to witness what happened from the sidelines. Five-star offensive tackle Ekene Ogboko was among them.
Georgia can add players via the transfer portal, even if it has leaned on that aspect of roster building less than their contemporaries.
But seeing the tears and frustration in the eyes of Delp, Williams and others shows that it’s difficult to focus on the future and what all comes next for this program.
This loss will sting and linger. Not just in the coming weeks as players decide what comes next. But in the cold of the winter workouts and the heat of those in the summer.
It was a season that Georgia should be proud of. It won the SEC again and beat all of its chief rivals. But it’s also fair to ponder what could’ve been for this team.
“We never thought it would be like this,” wide receiver Colbie Young said. “Shout out to Ole Miss. They played great. They played amazing. Came out firing. We thought we did well. We prepared well. Just one moment short. We just have to live with that.”
