For the first time in the month of December, The Grove was open for business. A record 68,251 patrons funneled from the iconic tailgate scene to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, exchanging their red solo cups
and barbecue for Santa hats and pom-poms at the site of the first College Football Playoff game in Ole Miss history.
Oxford, MS served as the backdrop of a highly-anticipated rematch between two teams with much familiarity with one another, except this time with greater stakes. In the same venue exactly three months prior, Ole Miss seamlessly waltzed to a 45-10 victory over Tulane. However, a myriad of changes unraveled since that fateful September meeting. Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall worked double-duty the month of December, serving simultaneously as the frontman of the 2025 Green Wave and 2026 Florida Gators, while Ole Miss promoted Pete Golding into a full-time head coaching gig after the highly-publicized departure of his predecessor Lane Kiffin.
An Ole Miss team and fanbase still scorned by the departure of their former head coach rallied together on the CFP stage, welcoming a new “Golding era” of Rebel football. But even amidst the changes, the same result unfolded. Ole Miss once again throttled Tulane, exiting with a wire-to-wire 41-10 victory to secure its first playoff victory in program history.
“It looked very much the same to me. I didn’t notice anything different,” Sumrall said, comparing the September result to the December result. “The only thing different I may have noticed is on third or fourth downs, when you heard somebody whistle, you knew that was Lane and he might change a play. But other than that, the offense looked structurally similar. They’ve got really good football players… So I didn’t feel a whole lot of differences in regards to how they played the game offensively. It felt very similar.”
An energized Ole Miss squad made it clear it wouldn’t waste time establishing dominance in front of the record crowd. The Rebels required only seven plays to rattle off two touchdowns, establishing a 14-0 lead by the 7:26 mark of the first quarter — averaging 19.3 yards per play across that span. On the opening series, they zoomed down the field in three significant pickups, finishing with a 20-yard Kewan Lacy dash to paydirt. The following possession, Ole Miss reached the promise land in four snaps, as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss called his own number for a 4-yard rushing score. When the dust settled, it turned out those instantaneous 14 points were all the Rebels needed to walk away triumphant Saturday evening in Oxford.
“First drive was three plays, 75 yards. We looked a little slow on the perimeter, kind of similar to the first time we played this bunch,” Sumrall said. “They’re very talented. They made plays. We didn’t make plays. Some of that was because of them. Some of that was because we didn’t do a very good job. The first two drives, it’s like you blink and they’re up 14-0.”
Tulane’s offense responded to Ole Miss’ scalding hot start by consistently moving the ball downfield… just not far enough. Each of the first four Green Wave drives pierced inside the Ole Miss 45-yard line, with two landing within 25 yards of the end zone. Yet, the American Conference champions netted just three points from those four series (subject to an interception, turnover on downs, field goal, and punt). Tulane actually out-gained Ole Miss 184-156 after four possessions apiece, but Ole Miss’ bend-don’t-break defense repeatedly rose to the occasion anytime the Green Wave threatened to reach the end zone. In fact, Tulane only ran one play in the red zone despite 421 yards of offense.
“The first drive was indicative of our whole game really,” Tulane offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said. “We go right down the field, we stay on our opening script, and we converted a couple of third downs which was big for us. But in critical moments we just didn’t make the plays that presented itself. I didn’t call a great game either. It’s not all on the players. I’ve got to do a better job.”
Ole Miss looked unstoppable after the first two rapid fire possessions, but Tulane’s defense settled in and revved up the backfield pressure for the remainder of the first half. The adjustments worked as the Rebels were limited to two punts, a field goal, and a fumble on its next four opportunities, as Ole Miss struggled sustain its explosive playmaking. Thanks to a strip sack by sack leader Harvey Dyson right before halftime, the Green Wave remained somewhat within striking distance, down 17-3 at the break.
“The first two drives, we just had to settle down. Emotions were high and we just didn’t execute at a high level,” Tulane inside linebacker Sam Howard said. “Once we settled down, I think we found our game and started executing better and getting havoc plays. It’s a momentum game. Once we started making plays, I think our offense fed off it. We just have to find a way to be more consistent with that and start faster.”
If the first two drives of the game didn’t already seal things, Ole Miss planted the dagger in the third quarter. Tulane’s opening drive of the second half stalled in a punt from the Rebels’ 43-yard line, and Ole Miss’ offense finally reverted to its first quarter explosiveness. Chambliss, who exited the contest in the waning moments of the first half, triumphantly returned to spearhead an 80-yard drive, finishing with a 13-yard strike to De’Zhaun Stribling to expand the lead to 24-3. That touchdown relit the fire on both sides of the ball for the Rebels, which outscored Tulane 24-7 in the second half.
As the game progressed, Tulane’s desperation cranked up several levels and so did the turnovers. The Green Wave, which entered the contest as one of 12 FBS teams with a +10 or better in turnover margin in 2025, dropped the battle 3-1 in the hostile road environment. They also failed all four fourth down attempts, as Ole Miss’ defense came up clutch every single time it needed to Saturday.
“It was obviously a really good defense we played there tonight,” said Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who threw for 306 yards and a touchdown. “We moved it pretty well throughout the field. Kind of like déjà-vu ish for us because we kind of had those issues earlier in the year. Just a really good defense. We’ve got to execute better. It starts with me. I’ve got to be better.”
Visions of déjà vu from Sept. 20 were planted in players’ and spectactors’ minds alike. In both matchups, Tulane moved the ball at an acceptable rate but just couldn’t finish the job while the defense surrendered over 40. Three months ago, the Green Wave scored three first half points and notched their lone touchdown with 3:42 to go. In the redemption opportunity, Tulane also scored three first half points and scored its initial touchdown with 4:00 remaining.
“I felt like in game one, we got really exposed on the perimeter on both sides,” Sumrall said. “Tonight it felt kind of the same. I don’t think we were able to offset what happened in game one. Some of it was early, we weren’t playing as aggressive as we needed to. We were playing a bit passive, and we looked a little slow. That could be because they’re fast. The biggest thing that I saw in game one was still the issue in game two.”
Ole Miss (12-1, 7-1 SEC) shattered its program record for wins in a single season, as the fan-favorite Golding improves to 1-0 at the helm. The Rebels await another rematch in the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl against an SEC rival in Georgia, earning a chance at vengeance against their lone defeat of 2025.
Tulane (11-3, 7-1 American) watched its dream season screech to a sudden halt in a familiar environment, dropping a second lopsided matchup to Ole Miss. Still, the American Conference champions remain in the midst of their most successful era, posting a 43-13 record across four seasons with four-straight conference title game appearances. However, they’ll start anew as Sumrall officially leaves New Orleans for Gainesville, concluding an unforgettable two years leading the Green Wave.
“This team will walk together forever as champions because we won a conference championship,” Sumrall said. “While the outcome tonight sucks and I’m not happy about it, and there’s nothing about it I feel good about, I still feel good about this football team because we hoisted a conference championship trophy two weeks ago. In 30 or 40 years, they’ll bring them back for a celebration and I’ll probably need a cane to walk around and celebrate with them, but I’m gonna celebrate. And I told them for the rest of my life, if I can do anything for them, I’m a phone call away.”
