Ole Miss didn’t need Lane Kiffin to make easy work of Tulane for the second time in 2025.
The No. 6 Rebels easily beat No. 11 Tulane 41-10 to advance to the second round of the College Football Playoff and set up another rematch in the Sugar Bowl. Ole Miss will face No. 3 Georgia in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
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Ole Miss beat Tulane 45-10 in Week 4 of the 2025 season and, well, Saturday was another blowout. Ole Miss scored touchdowns on its first two drives to go up 14-0. Tulane never got the lead within 11 points after that.
The Green Wave hung around on the periphery for much of the first half, but Ole Miss ended any chances of a comeback at the start of the third quarter. After Tulane punted to open the half, Ole Miss went 80 yards in seven plays on a drive that was capped by a 13-yard TD pass from Trinidad Chambliss to De’Zhaun Stribling for a 24-3 lead.
Any chance Tulane had of a comeback was over from there. Especially after the Green Wave had squandered any and all chances they had at making the game closer in the first half.
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Tulane’s first four drives all ended in Ole Miss territory. But they only had three points to show from those trips thanks to an interception, a turnover on downs and a punt from the Ole Miss 48-yard line.
Overall, the Green Wave reached Ole Miss’ side of the field six different times. Yet they didn’t sniff the end zone until late in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, can argue that the game could have been over before halftime. Chambliss was forced to leave the game on the Rebels’ last drive after his head hit the turf. He was replaced by Austin Simmons, who quickly completed two passes and got the Rebels near the end zone.
However, Simmons fumbled when he was sacked with 15 seconds to go as Tulane was able to keep the score at 17-3 before the break.
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Georgia gave Ole Miss its only loss
The Bulldogs are the only team to beat Ole Miss all season.
On Oct. 18, Georgia beat the Rebels 43-35 after neither team punted over the first three quarters of the game. The Bulldogs took the lead with 7:29 to go and held on as Georgia got stops on the Rebels’ final three drives of the game.
These teams are a bit different now. Kiffin was calling the shots on the sideline two months ago. Now he’s in Baton Rouge preparing for his first season as LSU’s coach. Pete Golding, Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator in that game, is now the Rebels’ head coach.
That game was also a wakeup call for the Bulldogs’ defense. After allowing 35 points to Ole Miss and 41 points to Tennessee in Week 3, Georgia didn’t allow more than 21 points over the final six games of the season.
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And over the last four games, no team has scored more than 10 points against the Bulldogs. Georgia beat Texas 35-10, Charlotte 35-3, Georgia Tech 16-9, and Alabama 28-7 over its last four games.
Though Chambliss was cleared to return for the second half after his injury scare at the end of the second quarter, there could be greater concern about RB Kewan Lacy. The Rebels’ star running back appeared to suffer a left shoulder injury in the first half and aggravated it in the second half. Lacy didn’t return to the game — it was out of reach at that point in the second half — but Ole Miss will need him at full strength to have a chance of beating Georgia.
Jon Sumrall officially leaves Tulane for Florida
Saturday’s game was the final one for Tulane coach Jon Sumrall before he heads to Gainesville to coach the Gators.
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Sumrall, a former linebacker at Kentucky, was hired as the Gators’ coach at the end of the regular season but stayed with Tulane through the end of the Green Wave’s season.
Passing game coordinator Will Hall has already been named Sumrall’s successor. Hall, who was Tulane’s offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020, was the head coach at Southern Miss for over three seasons before returning to the Tulane staff in 2025.
Live coverage is over40 updatesSat, December 20, 2025 at 4:05 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Ole Miss blows out Tulane (for the second time this season) and doesn’t miss a beat without Lane Kiffin. The Rebels advance to face No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 4:15 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Not bad for his first game in charge.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 4:12 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Ole Miss will face No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl (CFP quarterfinals) on Jan. 1.
Georgia beat Ole Miss 43-35 in Athens on Oct. 18. Can The Rebels get revenge?
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:55 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Justyn Reid rumbles for a 29-yard catch and run for Tulane’s first TD of the game with 4 minutes left.
Ole Miss 41, Tulane 10
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:51 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Ole Miss fans are chanting the name of their new head coach, Pete Golding, who took over after the chaotic departure of Lane Kiffin at the end of the regular season. This is a pretty ideal start for the new coach.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:48 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Once again, Tulane drives inside the Ole Miss 30 but can’t get any points out of it. Ole Miss has the ball with the backup offense on the field. It’s just a matter of running out the clock now.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:33 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Trinidad Chambliss breaks a tackles and dives to the end zone for an 8-yard score. Now the Rebels are just adding style points to this one.
Ole Miss 41, Tulane 3 | 10:45 to play
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:28 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Another 4th-and-1, another QB sneak stopped short by Ole Miss. This time, QB Jake Retzlaff fumbled it away as Suntarine Perkins jumped on the ball to ensure another big stop for the Rebels defense.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:20 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Logan Diggs punches in the 3-yard TD with starting RB Kewan Lacy out of the game and seen in some pain on the sideline. But the bottom line is the Rebels are running away with this one.
Ole Miss 34, Tulane 3
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:16 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Mississippi has a first and goal at the 3 to start the 4th quarter with a chance to run up the lead even more. It appears the rout is on in Oxford.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Jake Retzlaff loses the ball on a run, and it pops right into the hands of Ole Miss’ Kapena Gushiken. Things are starting to spiral for the Green Wave.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 3:01 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Lucas Carneiro boots a 48-yard field goal to add to the lead.
Ole Miss 27, Tulane 3
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 2:55 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Ole Miss front line stonewalls Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff on two straight QB sneaks on 3rd and 4th down. Rebs take over at midfield.
Nick Bromberg
The Green Wave do not look like a team capable of overcoming a 21-point deficit after wasting so many opportunities so far. Tulane is fortunate to only be down 21 in some respects. But it can also rue its inability to turn drives that have gone into Ole Miss territory into more than three points.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 2:44 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Trinidad Chambliss fires a short pass to De’Zhaun Stribling, who turns up field and gets into the end zone for a 13-yard score. Perfect start to the half for the Rebels.
Ole Miss 24, Tulane 3
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 2:42 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Good news for Ole Miss as both of their star payers who left injured late in the first half are back in the game.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 2:38 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Tulane drove it into Ole Miss territory but couldn’t get into scoring range. That’s been a theme today for the Green Wave, who have moved the ball well but haven’t been able to finish drives.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 2:33 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Tulane gets the ball to start the 2nd half. Can the Green Wave make it a game?
Nick Bromberg
Yes, Austin Simmons fumbled at the end of the first half, but he was 2-of-2 passing. Combine that with Trinidad Chambliss’ 13-of-16 performance, and the two QBs have thrown for 192 yards.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 2:19 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Ole Miss has the edge in total yardage, but not by a ton:
Stats