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12/20 18:20 CST Chambliss and No. 6 Ole Miss ace their test without Kiffin and
beat No. 17 Tulane 41-10 in the CFP
Chambliss and No. 6 Ole Miss ace their test without Kiffin and beat No. 17
Tulane 41-10 in the CFP
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) --- Trinidad Chambliss ran for two touchdowns and passed for
another, and No. 6 Mississippi looked unfazed by the defection of coach Lane
Kiffin, beating No. 17 Tulane 41-10 on Saturday in the first round of the
College Football Playoff.
Scoring runs of 20 yards by Kewan Lacy and 4 yards by Chambliss gave Ole Miss
(12-1) a 14-0 lead before eight minutes had elapsed in the coaching debut of
Pete Golding, who was promoted from defensive coordinator after Kiffin left for
LSU on Nov. 30.
Next up for Golding and Ole Miss: a CFP quarterfinal against No. 2 Georgia in
the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1
Tulane (11-3) and quarterback Jake Retzlaff moved the ball effectively at
times, but the Rebels --- who beat the Green Wave 45-10 on Sept. 20 ---
remained comfortably ahead throughout. Cornerback Jaylon Braxton had an early
interception, and the Rebels' defense had multiple fumble recoveries and
fourth-down stops.
While Kiffin had asked to keep coaching Ole Miss through the playoff even while
working for its Southeastern Conference rival, athletic director Keith Carter
would not allow it. So the Rebels entered arguably the most significant game
ever played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a new coach --- not to mention an
unprecedented level of looming staff and roster uncertainty for a team
contending for a national title.
In Mississippi's famed Grove, artwork around tailgate tents depicted Kiffin in
a negative light, including one showing him on a Christmas "naughty" list, with
Golding in the "nice" column.
When Golding walked onto the field during warm-ups, the crowd roared. Fans
continued cheering as Eli Manning, a former Ole Miss QB and two-time Super Bowl
winner with the New York Giants, greeted the new Rebels coach on the sideline.
On the opposite sideline was Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, who was permitted to
keep coaching the Green Wave after being hired by Florida. His hopes of
returning to Tulane's home city of New Orleans to prepare for the Sugar Bowl
were dashed, and he'll be packing up for Gainesville, Florida, to join the
Gators.
Chambliss, who briefly left the game late in the first half after a big hit
during an 11-yard scramble, finished with 282 yards passing. Lacy rushed for 87
yards before heading to the locker room in the fourth quarter with an apparent
left shoulder injury. De'Zhaun Stribling caught five passes for 79 yards,
including a 13-yard TD.
LSU transfer Logan Diggs added a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Retzlaff finished with 306 yards passing and a TD for Tulane, whose loss
dropped non-power conference teams to 0-3 in CFP games (with James Madison
playing at Oregon later Saturday night). Jamauri McClure gained 84 yards on 15
carries.
The takeaway Tulane: The Green Wave could not afford a poor start on defense and got exactly that as the Rebels scored two TDs on their first seven offensive plays. As in the teams' first meeting, Tulane moved the ball in spurts, finishing with 421 yards, but could sustain drives long enough to score. Ole Miss: Kiffin's absence didn't inhibit the Rebels' explosiveness on offense --- at least not against a team from a non-power conference. The Rebels finished 497 yards of total offense, including four plays that went for 25 yards or more. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football |
