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OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — New Mississippi coach Pete Golding spent the last minutes of his high-stakes debut taking in the smiling faces of his players on the sideline.
“To know what they’ve been through, and know the direction that they could have gone,” Golding said, alluding to coach Lane Kiffin’s departure for LSU. “They came here for some guys that looked like they left them, and they were able to battle through that. And for them to get the outcome that they deserve was awesome.”
Trinidad Chambliss ran for two touchdowns and passed for another, and No. 6 Mississippi looked unfazed by Kiffin’s absence, beating No. 17 Tulane 41-10 on Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
“The juice was there for sure,” Chambliss said. “We executed really well.”
Scoring runs of 20 yards by Kewan Lacy and 4 yards by Chambliss gave sixth-seeded Ole Miss (12-1) a 14-0 lead before eight minutes had elapsed, and 11th-seeded Tulane never got closer than 11 points after that.
Lacy’s score capped a drive that covered 75 yards in just three plays and took a mere 59 seconds..
“Super excited for our program, more importantly for our players, to go play again,” said Golding, who was promoted from defensive coordinator after Kiffin left on Nov. 30. “That was the message to them throughout: You’re playing to play again and not let the season end.”
Next up for Golding and sixth-seeded Ole Miss: a CFP quarterfinal against No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
“We are excited and thrilled for PG,” Chambliss said. “He deserved it.”
Tulane (11-3) and quarterback Jake Retzlaff moved the ball effectively at times, but the Rebels — who beat the Green Wave 45-10 on Sept. 20 — remained comfortably ahead throughout. Cornerback Jaylon Braxton had an early interception, and the Rebels’ defense had multiple fumble recoveries and fourth-down stops.
“We just could not situationally capitalize on opportunities to maybe get some momentum going to where we could have a fighting chance,” said Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, who already has been named Florida’s coach, but unlike Kiffin was permitted to lead the Green Wave through the postseason.
Kiffin had asked to keep coaching Ole Miss through the playoff even while working for its Southeastern Conference rival, but athletic director Keith Carter would not allow it. So, the Rebels entered arguably the most significant game ever played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with Golding in charge — not to mention an unprecedented level of looming staff and roster uncertainty for a team contending for a national title.
In Mississippi’s famed Grove, artwork around tailgate tents depicted Kiffin in a negative light, including one showing him on a Christmas “naughty” list, with Golding in the “nice” column.
When Golding walked onto the field during warm-ups, the crowd roared. Fans continued cheering as Eli Manning, a former Ole Miss QB and two-time Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants, greeted the new Rebels coach on the sideline.
As the fourth quarter wound down, the crowd chanted: “Pete! Pete! Pete!”
On the opposite sideline, Sumrall’s hopes of returning to Tulane’s home city of New Orleans to prepare for the Sugar Bowl were dashed, and he’ll be packing up for Gainesville, Florida.
“While the outcome tonight sucks — I’m not happy with it and there’s nothing about it I feel good about — I still feel good about this football team because we hoisted (an American Conference) championship trophy two weeks ago,” Sumrall said.
Charlie’s offense
Unlike Kiffin, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. was permitted to keep coaching the Rebels before joining Kiffin in Baton Rouge.
“I expected Charlie to call a great offensive game. All he has heard is: Lane Kiffin’s offense, Lane Kiffin’s offense, Lane Kiffin’s offense,” Golding said. “So, the last thing he wanted to do was lay an egg.”
Chambliss, who briefly left the game late in the first half after a big hit during an 11-yard scramble, finished with 282 yards passing. Lacy rushed for 87 yards before heading to the locker room in the fourth quarter with an apparent left shoulder injury. De’Zhaun Stribling caught five passes for 79 yards, including a 13-yard TD.
LSU transfer Logan Diggs added a 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The takeaway
Tulane: Retzlaff finished with 306 yards passing and a TD for Tulane, whose loss dropped non-power conference teams to 0-3 in CFP games (with James Madison playing at Oregon later Saturday night). Jamauri McClure gained 84 yards on 15 carries. As in the teams’ first meeting, Tulane moved the ball in spurts, finishing with 421 yards, but could sustain drives long enough to score.
“It was obviously a really good defense we played there tonight,” Retzlaff said. “We’ve got to execute better. It starts with me.”
Ole Miss: Kiffin’s absence didn’t inhibit the Rebels’ explosiveness on offense — at least not against a team from a non-power conference. After scoring two TDs in their first seven offensive plays, the Rebels finished 497 yards of total offense, including four plays that went for 25 yards or more.
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