Three Observations From Ole Miss Rebels College Football Playoff Win Over Tulane

Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels are Sugar Bowl bound after capturing a historic win over the Tulane Green Wave in the first-round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday.

In Golding's first game as the shot-call of the Ole Miss program, the Rebels handled business in front of a sold out crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to capture the 41-10 win.

“Obviously exciting night for our program," Golding said. “For our fans, but more importantly, for our players. They’ve been through a lot over these last couple weeks. It was good just to get back on the grass at home and in front of their fans. Get out there and play football — the game they love.

“Didn’t play perfect by any means. Kind of started pretty slow on both sides of the ball. They responded, but we didn’t play clean, and our big thing is when guys have the opportunity at this point in the season, they got to take advantage of those. We had some guys late in the game that went in that we need to play a little better.”

Now, Ole Miss is heading to the Bayou State for the Sugar Bowl with an opportunity to make a statement against the Georgia Bulldogs, but what went right on Saturday against Tulane?

Three Observations: College Football Playoff Edition

No. 1: Chambliss Magic Does The Trick

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss overcame an upper-body injury on Saturday evening at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to lift the Rebels to a College Football Playoff win.

After going down awkwardly with under two minutes remaining in the first half, Austin Simmons closed out the second quarter, but Chambliss returned in the third quarter to assist Ole Miss in outscoring the Green Wave 24-7 in the second half alone.

The dual-threat phenom pieced together another strong night against the Green Wave after compiling over 300 yards of total offense with three touchdowns on the night.

Chambliss went 23-for-29 through the air with 282 passing yards with a score on top of 36 rushing yards and two more touchdowns on the ground.

Golding and Co. needed the program's fearless leader to take the keys, start the car, and go in this one amid a chaotic stretch in the Magnolia State where he did just that and then some.

Ole Miss Rebels Football: Trinidad Chambliss. — Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

No. 2: Complementary Football Sets Tone

Chambliss and Co. won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball with the Rebels then scoring on their opening possession in just three plays with Kewan Lacy racing it in from 20 yards out.

Following the score, the Ole Miss defense forced an interception on Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff and the Rebels offense scored just four plays later to go up 14-0 in the blink of an eye with Pete Golding's crew never looking back from there.

The first three possessions of the game set the tone for what was to come across all four quarters in a historic College Football Playoff matchup.

There was a desire for complementary football in this one with Golding's program showing up to answer the call after the defense kept the Green Wave in check from start to finish.

Ole Miss took a 17-3 lead into halftime with the Rebels outscoring Tulane 24-7 in the final two quarters in what quickly became utter domination at Vaught-Hemingway.

Ole Miss Football. — Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

No. 3: By The Numbers

Despite Golding moving to head coach, the defensive wizard still made the decision that he will be calling the plays for the Ole Miss defense across the College Football Playoff with Round 1 on Saturday.

The decision paid dividends with another masterclass game plan from Golding - limiting the Green Wave to 10 total points with the third down defense stealing the show.

Ole Miss had Tulane scurrying on multiple 3rd-and-long attempts - ultimately going 5-for-13 on the night when the defense getting the most of the Green Wave once again.

Tulane compiled 421 total yards with 306 of them coming through the air with an average of 5.1 yards per play.

Now, Ole Miss is back in the win column with the Rebels heading to New Orleans on New Year's Day for a clash against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT in the Caesars SuperDome.

More Ole Miss News:

Lane Kiffin Reacts to New Offensive Coordinator Being Hired By Ole Miss Football

Ole Miss Football QB Trinidad Chambliss Wins Major Award Amid Breakout Season

ESPN Predicts Outcome of Ole Miss Football vs. Tulane Green Wave in CFP Showdown

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