For the second time this season, No. 6 Ole Miss overwhelmed No. 11 Tulane, this time on the biggest stage the program has ever played on. The Rebels rolled to a 41-10 win in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at Vaught‑Hemingway Stadium, delivering a dominant postseason debut and giving first‑year head coach Pete Golding his first career victory.
Golding became the 10th Ole Miss coach in the modern era to win his debut, but the timing made it historic. This was the Rebels’ first CFP appearance and the first postseason game ever hosted in Oxford. The result looked familiar: Ole Miss extended its winning streak over Tulane to 15 straight, dating back to 1989, and secured the first 12‑win season in school history.
Vaught‑Hemingway has become a fortress. With Saturday’s win, Ole Miss has now won 12 straight home games — the program’s longest run since a 14‑game streak from 2020-22 and the third‑longest active streak in the FBS.
Offense Sets the Tone Early
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss delivered another efficient, composed performance, completing 23 of 29 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown while adding two rushing scores. His third‑quarter strike to De’Zhaun Stribling marked the 50th touchdown pass of his career. With 318 total yards, Chambliss climbed to sixth on the program’s single‑season total offense list, passing Eli Manning, Jaxson Dart, and Bo Wallace.
Stribling and Deuce Alexander led the receiving corps with five and seven catches, respectively, each producing explosive plays. Running back Kewan Lacy extended his single‑season rushing touchdown record with his 21st score on the game’s opening drive and finished with 87 yards on 5.8 yards per carry.
Defense Dominates the Line of Scrimmage
Linebacker TJ Dottery and defensive tackle Will Echoles each recorded six tackles, with Dottery forcing a key fumble that Kapena Gushiken recovered. The junior linebacker duo of Suntarine Perkins and Princewill Umanmielen wreaked havoc throughout the night, combining for four tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. Umanmielen added 1.5 sacks, pushing his season total to eight, while Perkins forced and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter.
Cornerback Jaylon Braxton halted Tulane’s promising opening drive with his first interception as a Rebel, setting the tone for a defense that repeatedly shut down the Green Wave in critical moments.
How It Happened
Ole Miss wasted no time, marching 75 yards in three plays to take a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the game. Chambliss added a rushing touchdown later in the first quarter to make it 14-0.
Tulane briefly steadied itself with a second‑quarter field goal, but Ole Miss controlled the half, adding a 42‑yard Lucas Carneiro field goal to take a 17-3 lead into the break.
The Rebels opened the second half with a crisp 80‑yard touchdown drive capped by a 13‑yard pass to Stribling. Carneiro added another field goal, and Dottery’s forced fumble ended another Tulane push.
Logan Diggs’ direct‑snap touchdown early in the fourth quarter stretched the lead to 34-3, and Chambliss added a diving eight‑yard score on the Rebels’ final offensive possession. Tulane scored once against the reserves, but Ole Miss comfortably closed out the 41-10 win.
What’s Next
Ole Miss advances to face No. 3 Georgia in the CFP quarterfinals at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Kickoff from the Caesars Superdome is set for Thursday, Jan. 1, at 7 a.m. CT on ESPN
