University of Georgia Athletics
Luckie Comes Up Huge For Resilient Bulldogs
October 18, 2025 | Football
Adam Greene
UGA Sports Communications
Resilience. That's the name of the game for the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs. They pulled off a 43–35 victory over the previously undefeated No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday afternoon. With a lot of help from tight end Lawson Luckie, who recorded three touchdown receptions, the Bulldogs battled back throughout the entire game. Georgia had almost no answer for the relentless Ole Miss offense through three quarters, but back-to-back late stops clinched the victory.
"That's just our DNA," Luckie said of Georgia's resilient nature. "No matter what happens, our team is going to keep fighting and keep fighting. That's just what we did."
Interrupted during postgame interviews by multiple teammates — most notably defensive lineman Jordan Hall, who yelled, "Awesome game, Lawson!"— Luckie was overcome with emotion after the game. "This is everything. This game is so special to me," Luckie said. His family was in attendance for the matchup, and he ran over to them following his second touchdown.
Luckie, who had four career touchdowns coming into the game, is the first Georgia player with three touchdown receptions in a game since former wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi did it against Georgia Tech in 2008. As the first to accomplish the feat in 17 years, Luckie made quite a name for himself in front of a national audience. ESPN's "College GameDay" was on site in Athens for the matchup between the top-10 teams, and although Luckie only had five receptions for 43 yards, he made them count.
"I mean, it was just a matter of time. We were frustrated for a little bit," Luckie said, referring to his and fellow tight end Oscar Delp's minimal usage in recent weeks. For as steady as the tandem has been, they hadn't been as involved as they would've liked. However, "we never complained, and we knew it was going to open up real big in one game. It just happened to be today." Delp also had a solid game, catching four passes for 42 yards.
Even though defensive mishaps against the Rebels' potent offense put the Bulldogs in a deficit multiple times, the offense scored on every drive of the game until they lined up in victory formation. "Just don't be the first ones to screw up," Luckie said, revealing their mentality throughout the game. "We knew we had them on the ropes. Our offense was clicking on all cylinders, and Gunner [Stockton] was playing his tail off."
Luckie had nothing but praise for his quarterback after the game. Stockton, who threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns, played with poise even while trailing late. "Amazing. The kid's a warrior," Luckie said about Stockton. "When everything is covered and there's no good look, you see him squirm out of the pocket and go get a first. He's tough as nails. I love seeing him play. He embodies our team."
The Bulldogs' offensive line constantly stepped up, allowing just one sack (none on Stockton). With the help of returning lineman Earnest Greene III from injury, coach Kirby Smart said, "We can be really good if this offensive line is healthy, because they can lean on people — wear people out like an anaconda, just keep squeezing and squeezing."
Kicker Peyton Woodring connected on a 42-yard field goal to put Georgia up eight points heading into the two-minute warning. Despite a bobbled snap, it capped off a three-for-three day on field goal attempts for Woodring. "We're a young team. We're kind of finding our way right now," he said after the game. "To have a big win like this at this time in the season — it's awesome, and we're all coming together."
The main takeaway from the hard-fought win? "It just shows that we can score with anyone," Luckie said. "We can play with the best. Our offense — it hasn't been struggling — but it feels really good to hit our stride going into the bye week."
As Luckie mentioned, the Bulldogs are off next weekend but will be back at it in two weeks for a rivalry game against Florida. Luckie ends Saturday having earned his own small part in Georgia history.
"That's how you play," he said. "Play to make your family proud, to score a touchdown and blow a kiss to your mom and little brother. That's what dreams are made of. That's what I wanted to do since I was a little kid."
UGA Sports Communications
Resilience. That's the name of the game for the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs. They pulled off a 43–35 victory over the previously undefeated No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday afternoon. With a lot of help from tight end Lawson Luckie, who recorded three touchdown receptions, the Bulldogs battled back throughout the entire game. Georgia had almost no answer for the relentless Ole Miss offense through three quarters, but back-to-back late stops clinched the victory.
"That's just our DNA," Luckie said of Georgia's resilient nature. "No matter what happens, our team is going to keep fighting and keep fighting. That's just what we did."
Interrupted during postgame interviews by multiple teammates — most notably defensive lineman Jordan Hall, who yelled, "Awesome game, Lawson!"— Luckie was overcome with emotion after the game. "This is everything. This game is so special to me," Luckie said. His family was in attendance for the matchup, and he ran over to them following his second touchdown.
Luckie, who had four career touchdowns coming into the game, is the first Georgia player with three touchdown receptions in a game since former wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi did it against Georgia Tech in 2008. As the first to accomplish the feat in 17 years, Luckie made quite a name for himself in front of a national audience. ESPN's "College GameDay" was on site in Athens for the matchup between the top-10 teams, and although Luckie only had five receptions for 43 yards, he made them count.
"I mean, it was just a matter of time. We were frustrated for a little bit," Luckie said, referring to his and fellow tight end Oscar Delp's minimal usage in recent weeks. For as steady as the tandem has been, they hadn't been as involved as they would've liked. However, "we never complained, and we knew it was going to open up real big in one game. It just happened to be today." Delp also had a solid game, catching four passes for 42 yards.
Even though defensive mishaps against the Rebels' potent offense put the Bulldogs in a deficit multiple times, the offense scored on every drive of the game until they lined up in victory formation. "Just don't be the first ones to screw up," Luckie said, revealing their mentality throughout the game. "We knew we had them on the ropes. Our offense was clicking on all cylinders, and Gunner [Stockton] was playing his tail off."
Luckie had nothing but praise for his quarterback after the game. Stockton, who threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns, played with poise even while trailing late. "Amazing. The kid's a warrior," Luckie said about Stockton. "When everything is covered and there's no good look, you see him squirm out of the pocket and go get a first. He's tough as nails. I love seeing him play. He embodies our team."
The Bulldogs' offensive line constantly stepped up, allowing just one sack (none on Stockton). With the help of returning lineman Earnest Greene III from injury, coach Kirby Smart said, "We can be really good if this offensive line is healthy, because they can lean on people — wear people out like an anaconda, just keep squeezing and squeezing."
Kicker Peyton Woodring connected on a 42-yard field goal to put Georgia up eight points heading into the two-minute warning. Despite a bobbled snap, it capped off a three-for-three day on field goal attempts for Woodring. "We're a young team. We're kind of finding our way right now," he said after the game. "To have a big win like this at this time in the season — it's awesome, and we're all coming together."
The main takeaway from the hard-fought win? "It just shows that we can score with anyone," Luckie said. "We can play with the best. Our offense — it hasn't been struggling — but it feels really good to hit our stride going into the bye week."
As Luckie mentioned, the Bulldogs are off next weekend but will be back at it in two weeks for a rivalry game against Florida. Luckie ends Saturday having earned his own small part in Georgia history.
"That's how you play," he said. "Play to make your family proud, to score a touchdown and blow a kiss to your mom and little brother. That's what dreams are made of. That's what I wanted to do since I was a little kid."
Players Mentioned
TE
/ Football
DL
/ Football
TE
/ Football
PK
/ FootballGeorgia Football - Monroe Freeling Bye Week Press Conference
Tuesday, October 21
Georgia Football - Demello Jones Bye Week Press Conference
Tuesday, October 21
Georgia Football - Coach Smart Bye Week Press Conference
Tuesday, October 21
Georgia Football Week 7 vs Ole Miss - Postgame Player Interviews
Saturday, October 18