Saturday was a day of celebration for Ole Miss football as they not only won the school’s first playoff game, but also finally took a seat at the grown-up table of college football by hosting a first-round College Football Playoff game. There was something in the air inside Vaught Hemingway Stadium on Saturday as the Rebels welcomed Tulane to Vaught Hemingway Stadium for the first round of the College Football. A combination of celebration, a new era, and the long-awaited arrival on the biggest stage in college football. 

Not only was Saturday a celebration of the milestone, but it was also the start of the Coach Pete Golding era in Oxford as Head Coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. However, unlike others, Coach Golding opted for the spotlight to shine on the team rather than himself by sending a resounding message: he chose to opt out of the Walk of Champions, ensuring the focus remained on the student-athletes rather than himself. In recent memory, there has never been a coach in Ole Miss history to opt himself out of the Walk of Champions, shifting the sole focus on the guys on the roster, a loud message to all who had to put up with the previous coach. 

So, let’s talk about a few takeaways and thoughts from the 41-10 thumping of Tulane in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

First, you have to give credit to the environment inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night, which was legendary. From world records being set with the Santa hats to the noise levels and fans arriving well over thirty minutes before kick, Saturday night was special on many fronts. The marketing team at Ole Miss did a remarkable job with all the in-game stuff, including the drones, fireworks, graphics, light shows, etc, combined with the fever pitch of emotions from the fans, and you had this environment that will go down as the greatest in program history. 

Second, on the field of play, you had Coach Golding with the perfect game plan on both sides of the ball, and the Rebels dominated Tulane in all aspects of the game on Saturday. Starting with the offense. Ole Miss put up 41 points, 497 yards, 346 of which came through the air, and put the Green Wave into a place of submission before the end of the first quarter. Trinidad Chambliss put up his usual numbers with 282 yards through the air with three combined touchdowns. Kewan Lacy and Logan Diggs were the other two Ole Miss touchdown scorers on Saturday. Doing so in dominating fashion on Saturday night proved the Ole Miss offensive unit did not need the former Coach to be successful; they have the weapons to continue turning the scoreboard into a real-life highlight reel. 

Third, the defense, although not perfect on Saturday, did what they had to carry the mometum from the offense by allowing only ten points. There were plenty of scoring chances for Tulane, but none ever materialized until late in the game when the game was already in the books. Ole Miss put pressure on the Tulane backfield, forcing two sacks and three Tulane turnovers. The only negative from the defensive side of the ball came in the form of the 421 yards given up, but with only ten points scored by Tulane, the defense did some bending but never broke on Saturday, giving the offense some room to be creative as the Rebels cruised to the quarterfinals against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. 

Overall, Saturday night was a special night for Ole Miss Rebels and Coach Pete Golding. The real test begins as they head south on New Year’s Day to take on mighty Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Quarterfinals round in the 2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Ole Miss lost to Georgia earlier in the year, 43-35 in Athens. 

Photo Credits- Ole Miss Football on X