Ole Miss blows out Tulane to set up rematch vs. Georgia in Sugar Bowl, CFP quarterfinal
By David Wasson
Published:
The Ole Miss Rebels passed their first College Football Playoff test in flying colors Saturday night, thumping the Tulane Green Wave 41-10 to set up a rematch with SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day (8 pm ET, ESPN).
No. 6 seed Ole Miss (12-1) cruised to a lopsided victory over American Conference champion and No. 11 seed Tulane (11-3) in front of a record Vaught-Hemingway Stadium crowd in Oxford. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss went 23-of-29 for 282 yards in the air with a touchdown and added 36 yards on 6 carries with 2 more rushing TDs.
Ole Miss racked up 497 yards against Tulane, which managed 421 yards – including 306 in the air from quarterback Jake Retzlaff. The Green Wave turned the ball over 3 times to Ole Miss, which resulted in 14 Rebels points.
Georgia upended Ole Miss 43-35 in an instant classic on Oct. 18 in Athens. The Bulldogs scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come from behind, and Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton passed for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs downed Alabama 28-7 to win the SEC Championship Game and earned the No. 3 seed in the 12-team CFP field. Ole Miss will be playing Georgia in New Orleans — the new backyard of former coach Lane Kiffin, who bolted Oxford on Nov. 30 to take the vacant LSU job.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
