History will soon be made in Mississippi, as Ole Miss is set to be the first in the state to compete in a College Football Playoff game. On Saturday, the No. 6 Rebels will welcome a familiar foe in No. 11 seed Tulane to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, with both teams vying for a national title.
A matchup that is rife with pre-game storylines, both programs will be battle-tested both on and off the field by the time kickoff rolls around. For Ole Miss, the Rebels will be led by first-time head coach Pete Golding following Lane Kiffin’s unprecedented departure. Like Ole Miss, Tulane’s frontman took another job; however, Jon Sumrall, who signed a contract to be Florida’s next head coach, will be on the sidelines as long as the Green Wave are in the postseason.
It won’t be the first time these two teams have met up this season. In September, the Rebels bested the Green Wave 45-10 in Oxford, but the blowout was not emblematic of who Tulane is as a team. Sumrall’s group recalibrated after the loss and went on to win eight of its next nine games, including a victory in the American Conference Championship over North Texas.
While recognizing that Tulane is an improved version of the team Ole Miss faced off against three months ago, Golding is reminding his players that the formula that played into the Green Wave’s success has not changed. Yes, Tulane may present things a little differently on Saturday to try to throw their opponent off, but the defensive-minded Rebel head man is aware of what has catalyzed the Green Wave’s impressive season.
“This late in the year, people show you who they are. They’ve got a foundation of things that have worked, and the last thing that they want to do is reinvent the wheel at this point. It’s not comfortable for their players,” Golding said. “Now, are they going to dress it up and create it a different way? Absolutely. But at the core of it, they’re going to get back to what they believe in and who they are. Those are the bread and butter things we talk about that you have to take away.”
Ole Miss will be in a similar situation. Although a different man will lead the charge than the one who commanded the ship during the regular season, the overwhelming majority of the staff, including assistants who plan to follow Kiffin to LSU after the playoff run, have been involved in practices and will be involved during the game. Baton Rouge-bound Charlie Weis Jr. will call the offensive plays, as Golding mans the defense.
Golding’s goal for the playoffs, despite a coaching transition transpiring, is to keep things the same. From game day prep to practice to how the staff plans to tackle in-game operations, not much has changed — and that has been done intentionally to put the team in the best position to win.
Off the field, the playoff matchup is expected to bring a major economic boost to the city of Oxford. December is a month where economic activity typically slows down in the small college town, magnified by the departure of around 20,000 students who typically head home for the holidays. Nonetheless, the month’s first-ever football game in Oxford is anticipated to move the financial needle and deliver a gift of historic revenue.
“For Tulane, we played them in mid-September, and there were about 250,000 people in town for that game. The economic impact was $64 million,” Tannehill said. “Our largest economic impact this season was the LSU game at the end of September. We had about 340,000 people in town and an economic impact of $74 million. That’s the impact that [a College Football Playoff game] will have on our community — in a month that’s never seen a football game in Oxford.”
For a more detailed preview of the upcoming playoff game, follow along:
Players to watch
Conerly Trophy-winning Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who finished No. 8 in the final Heisman voting list, will be a name called throughout the game. The D2 Ferris State transfer has amassed 3,016 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just 3 interceptions in the air, while rushing for 470 yards and 6 scores. Speaking of rushing accolades, Rebel running back Kewan Lacy will also be one to look out for. The Doak Walker Award finalist has compiled a whopping 1,279 rushing yards and 20 scores this season.
On the defensive side of the ball, Will Echoles and Wydett Williams Jr. have been consistent playmakers for Ole Miss all year. Echoles has a career-high 4.5 sacks this season, good for second-most on the Ole Miss defense. The Houston native’s 8 tackles for loss are also the second-most on the team. Williams, a Louisiana-Monroe transfer, has been a force in the secondary, picking off 3 passes and deflecting 8. He also has 55 tackles on the season.
Tulane, offensively, will be anchored by dual-threat quarterback Jake Retzlaff. A BYU transfer, Retzlaff has showcased both his arm talent and mobility this season, logging 2,682 yards in the air, 610 on the ground, and 30 total touchdowns. The Green Wave’s defense is led by an active Jack Thcienchou. The safety has recorded 77 tackles, 2 interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble.
Injury report
Kickoff time
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.
How to listen to the College Football Playoff game
For those looking to listen to the iconic longtime Rebel radio broadcaster David Kellum, SuperTalk Mississippi’s 12 talk stations will be airing the historic matchup between Ole Miss and Tulane. To find a station in your signal range, click here. You can also listen on the SuperTalk app, available on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
How to watch the College Football Playoff game
For those who cannot be there in person but still plan to keep up with the action on TV, the contest will be broadcast by TNT/truTV and HBO Max.
Next up
The winner of the matchup will advance to the playoff quarterfinals and will take on No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.