On a day of celebration for the arrival of Ole Miss football to the big stage of the College Football Playoff, Ole Miss would welcome the Green Wave of Tulane to Vaught Hemingway Stadium for the first round of the College Football Playoff. In what many consider the biggest sporting event to ever take place in the state of Mississippi, Ole Miss, led by Coach Pete Golding, would look to take that mometum and run with it as they played for a chance to move on to face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

With a rematch with Georgia on the horizon, all Ole Miss had to do on Saturday was to take care of business and bury Tulane early on. 

Ole Miss won the coin toss and elected to receive, taking it down the field in three plays, capped off by a Kewan Lacy touchdown to an early 7-0 lead over Tulane. An interception by Jaylon Braxton would give the Rebels the ball back. Ole Miss would work the Tulane defense over following the interception, taking it right down the field in four plays with Trinidad Chambliss taking it in on a quarterback keeper to make it 14-0 Rebels with 7:26 in the first. A stalled out turnover on downs drive for Tulane would give Ole Miss the ball back with a chance to extend the lead even more. For the first time, Tulane would force an Ole Miss punt with 1:05 in the first. At the end of the first, it was Ole Miss leading Tulane 14-0. 

Tulane would add a 38-yard field goal to start the third to cut the Ole Miss lead to 14-3 with 14:06 in the second. Ole Miss would respond after another Tulane punt with a 42-yard field goal after an 11-play drive to extend the lead over the Green Wave to 17-3 with 3:38 remaining in the half. Ole Miss would take the 17-3 lead over Tulane at halftime. 

Tulane would open the second half with the ball. 

Tulane would stall out another drive to open the half as the Rebels’ defense forced another Green Wave punt. Ole Miss would capitalize on the stalled drive with a quick seven-play, eighty-yard touchdown drive to extend the lead over the Green Wave to 24-3 with 10:13 remaining in the third. Ole Miss would add a 48-yard field goal with 4:57 in the third to extend the lead over Tulane to 27-3. Ole Miss extended the lead to the final of 41-10. 

Ole Miss will now head south to face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. 

Photo Credits- Ole Miss Football on X