The No. 11 Rebels hosted the Tulane Green Wave Saturday, Sept. 20 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the battle of the unbeatens.
First half
Trinidad Chambliss started the game for the Rebels. He picked up where he left off last week, leading the Rebels on an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
Head coach Lane Kiffin’s classic fast-paced offense kept the Rebel drives short and sweet. Both Rebel touchdown drives were less than three minutes long, and Ole Miss finished every possession with points.
Chambliss’s first deep pass attempt was swatted by a defender but then hauled in by wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who turned up the sideline and lowered his shoulder for a 54-yard gain. Five plays later, running back Kewan Lacy put the drive away with a two-yard touchdown run.
The highlight of the drive came when Chambliss broke away for a 41-yard run to put the Rebels deep in Tulane territory. He finished the drive with four completions for 26 yards, including a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dae’Quan Wright.
Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff came into Oxford averaging 7.2 yards per rush and 6.7 yards per completion. However, the Rebel defense contained Retzlaff throughout the game. The Rebel defensive line dominated the trenches from the first snap. The pass rush tallied 11 quarterback pressures in the first half – a statistic which accentuates the improvement in the defense since last week.
“We’re a very good defense,” linebacker Jade Yates said in a postgame press conference. “First and foremost, (4th down stops) was a big emphasis for us this week in practice. It was a key point in practice, and being able to get reps in practice is a big thing.”
Kiffin echoed that the defense’s performance against Arkansas the previous Saturday was an anomaly.
“We did not have a defense like that against Arkansas since, really, the Georgia game two years ago,” Kiffin said in a postgame press conference.
Tulane only averaged 5.2 yards per rush in the half. The Green Wave were forced to punt three times and only entered the red zone once.
The biggest defensive highlight came when safety Sage Ryan laid a big hit on Tulane wide receiver Zycarl Lewis Jr., forcing a fumble. Upon review, the referees changed the ruling to an incomplete pass, but the Green Wave were still forced to punt.
On the last Ole Miss drive of the half, Chambliss launched a 40-yard bomb to Harrison Wallace III. The pass hit the wide-open Wallace in both hands, but it bounced off his fingertips and fell incomplete.
This one stung. But a few plays later, wide receiver Cayden Lee made up for the Wallace drop by contorting his body to bring in a 47-yard strike. The Rebels capped off the half with a 33-yard field goal from kicker Lucas Carneiro, his third field goal of the half.
With strong play on both sides of the ball, the Rebels went into the locker room up 23-3.
Second half
The Tulane offense mounted a strong drive after halftime. The Green Wave traveled 71 yards in 10 plays, marching down to the Rebel four yard line.
From there, the Rebel defense woke up. Defensive end Kam Franklin plugged up a running back dive, stopping Javin Gordon for no gain. Tulane tried Gordon one more time on the ground, but defensive tackle Zxavian Harris brought him down behind the line of scrimmage.
On third down, Retzlaff dropped back to pass, but pressure by edge Princewell Umanmielen forced a quick incompletion. Tulane rolled the dice on fourth down, but Retzlaff’s pass fell incomplete again thanks to tight coverage in the Rebel secondary.
The rest of the quarter was a defensive struggle. Ole Miss gained one first down but was forced to punt, and the Tulane offense turned the ball over on downs on its next possession.
The play of the game was the following drive, when Chambliss fired a 35-yard shot to wide receiver Deuce Alexander. Alexander made a diving catch, his toes grazing the grass. Chambliss then rushed up the middle for another chunk play. On the day, Chambliss averaged eight yards per carry.
After three straight carries, Lacy found the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the game.
The Rebels had found their rhythm and stayed in control for the rest of the game. On the next drive, the Ole Miss defense forced yet another Tulane turnover on downs. Chambliss then threw a 53-yard completion to tight end Dae’Quan Wright, and running back Logan Diggs scored on the next play.
This game saw highlight after highlight for Alexander. After his diving catch earlier, he made another sprawling grab for a 33-yard touchdown. Alexander is confident that these plays are an indication of his big-play ability.
“I’m one of those guys where if you get the ball in my hands, I can score,” Alexander said in a postgame press conference.
The Rebels won the game 45-10. Chambliss once again proved himself capable of a starting role, completing 17 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 112 yards, only the fourth Ole Miss player in history to achieve this feat.
In a postgame press conference, Chambliss credited his receivers.
“Our receiver room is unbelievable,” Chambliss said. “All of our receivers have been making those plays throughout camp and the summer.”
What’s next?
The Rebels will host No. 3 LSU on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2:30 p.m. ABC will air the game.
