Trinidad Chambliss threw for 282 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and No. 6 Ole Miss had a strong defensive performance to beat No. 11 Tulane 41-10 under a new coach in a College Football Playoff first-round game Saturday at Oxford, Miss.
Pete Golding was in his first game in charge of the Rebels, who were in their first CFP game, and it was mostly a smooth day for the Southeastern Conference team in its second victory of the season against Tulane.
Chambliss threw for one touchdown and had rushing scores from 4 and 8 yards.
Ole Miss (12-1) heads to the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 in New Orleans to face No. 3 Georgia in the quarterfinals. It will be a rematch of the Rebels’ only loss – by a 43-35 score on Oct. 18 – this season.
Tulane (11-3) played under coach Jon Sumrall in his final game before he takes over at Florida. Quarterback Jake Rezlaff was 20-for-35 passing for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Shazz Preston caught five passes for 125 yards.
Golding, who rose from defensive coordinator to head coach when Lane Kiffin bolted for LSU following the regular season, watched his defense keep Tulane out of the end zone until four minutes remained in the game.
Chambliss was 23-for-29 without an interception. Kewan Lacy rushed for 87 yards with a touchdown on 15 carries.
Lacy scored the game’s first touchdown on a 20-yard run as the Rebels went 75 yards in three plays to score less than a minute into the game.
Following Jaylon Braxton’s interception, Ole Miss was quickly in the end zone again, covering 60 yards in four plays. Chambliss ran 4 yards for the points.
Tulane opened the second-quarter scoring on Patrick Durkin’s 39-yard field goal. Ole Miss regained the 14-point edge on Lucas Carneiro’s 42-yard field goal, and a red-zone fumble in the final minute of the first half prevented the Rebels from further adding to the lead.
Ole Miss made it comfortable by scoring on its first two possessions of the second half. Chambliss threw 13 yards to De’Zhaun Stribling and Carneiro kicked a 48-yard field goal.
The Rebels topped Tulane in a 45-10 romp on Sept. 20 in the same stadium.
