Ole Miss football, Pete Golding did just fine without Lane Kiffin in CFP debut

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OXFORD − Ole Miss football has advanced to the quarterfinals in its first College Football Playoff appearance.

The Rebels beat Tulane 41-10 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Dec. 20. With the win, Ole Miss (12-1) will face Georgia (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 (7 p.m., ESPN).

Like the first game in Oxford on Sept. 20, Tulane (11-3) struggled to move the ball against the Ole Miss defense.

Here’s what to know about the game, and how it translates to what’s next for coach Pete Golding and the Rebels.

Golding won his debut as coach after replacing Lane Kiffin, who left for LSU.

Ole Miss doesn’t need Lane Kiffin to be explosive on offense

The Rebels came out red-hot on offense.

The first five plays Ole Miss ran went for a minimum of 20 yards. The Rebels got up 14-0 with 7:29 remaining in the first half. It was an opening salvo that Tulane never quite recovered from.

Ole Miss managed six plays over 20 yards. Much of it came from run-after-catch opportunities and yards after contact because of poor Tulane tackling.

Ole Miss needs Trinidad Chambliss, Kewan Lacy at full strength vs Georgia

Concern set in for the Rebels when quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy both exited the game in the final moments of the first half.

The star players both entered the medical tent but returned after the halftime break. It was reported on the TV broadcast that Chambliss was checked for a concussion and Lacy was offered a shoulder harness but declined.

The Rebels need those two players healthy for what will be a much tougher matchup against Georgia. They have been offensive stars all season.

Chambliss was 23-for-29 for 282 yards and one touchdowns against the Green Wave. He also rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns. Lacy added 87 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries but exited the game again in the third quarter and didn’t return.

Ole Miss defense played at a CFP-worthy level

The Rebels proved their dominant defensive performance against Tulane on Sept. 20 wasn’t a fluke.

Ole Miss followed up its 45-10 regular season win against the Green Wave by allowing one field goal and a garbage time touchdown. Only The Citadel scored less against Ole Miss in a shutout loss.

Princewill Umanmielen was responsible for 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries.

Tulane was held to 0-for-2 on fourth down, lost two fumbles and was intercepted.

Pete Golding was conservative with big decisions, and it paid off

Golding did not need to be daring in his debut as Ole Miss’ coach. It was exactly what was needed in a blowout win.

Golding turned down sending the offense out on a fourth-and-4 situation from the Tulane 25-yard line. He elected to trot kicker Lucas Carneiro out. Carneiro made a 42-yard kick to make it 17-3.

The Rebels tried only one first down, on fourth-and-3 from the Tulane 48. Cayden Lee caught a 4-yard out route to move the chains.

Ole Miss home CFP atmosphere was a big advantage

Although the 2026 CFP is moving to neutral site locations for the remainder of the season, the Rebels would do well to land another home CFP game in the future.

The announced attendance was 68,251, breaking the program’s record at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The record was 68,138, which was set this season against Florida on Nov. 15.

There were plenty of novelties that made the game fun as well. The game featured a helicopter flyover, country music artist Trace Adkins singing the national anthem, a drone show, a Santa hat giveaway and an LED wristband giveaway.

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss win big without Lane Kiffin in CFP

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