No. 6 Ole Miss begins Pete Golding era with CFP rout of No. 11 Tulane

Trinidad Chambliss threw for 282 yards and accounted for three touchdowns that combined with No. 6 Ole Miss' strong defensive performance for a 41-10 victory over No. 11 Tulane under new coach Pete Golding in a College Football Playoff first-round game Saturday at Oxford, Miss.

Golding's first game as head coach coincided with the Rebels' first CFP game, and it was mostly a smooth day as the Southeastern Conference team rolled to its second victory this 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 this season - by a 43-35 score on Oct. 18 on the Bulldogs' home field.

Tulane (11-3) played under coach Jon Sumrall in his final game before he takes over at Florida. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff 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 on Nov. 30, 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 burst up the middle as the Rebels went 75 yards in three plays to score 59 seconds into the game.

Following Jaylon Braxton's interception in the red zone, Ole Miss was quickly in the end zone again. The Rebels covered 60 yards in four plays as Chambliss ran 4 yards to make it 14-0 at the 7:26 mark of the first quarter.

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, then 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 final score wasn't much different than the teams' first meeting this season. The Rebels topped Tulane in a 45-10 romp on Sept. 20 in the same stadium.

--Field Level Media