Trinidad Chambliss leads No. 13 Mississippi past previously unbeaten Tulane, 45-10

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Trinidad Chambliss threw for two touchdowns, Kewan Lacy added a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs, and No. 13 Mississippi handed Tulane its first loss with a 45-10 victory Saturday.

Ole Miss (4-0) dominated the Green Wave, building a 23-3 halftime lead, after earning consecutive close wins over SEC foes Kentucky and Arkansas.

Chambliss, confirmed as the starting quarterback on Thursday, provided a second consecutive strong performance with 17-of-27 passing for 307 yards while adding 112 yards on 14 rushes.

Deuce Alexander had four receptions for 94 yards, including a 33-yard TD reception. Dae’Quan Wright caught a 5-yard scoring pass as Chambliss connected with seven receivers.

Former starter Austin Simmons, recovering from a severe ankle injury, dressed but did not play after finishing a scoring series in a brief appearance in last week’s win over Arkansas.

Lacy finished with 68 yards on 18 rushes, while Logan Diggs added a 2-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth period. Lucas Carneiro added field goals of 22, 54 and 34 yards. The Rebels finished with 548 yards of total offense and scored on all six trips to the red zone.

Tulane (3-1) managed only 282 yards of total offense and turned the ball over on downs three times in the second half. Jake Retzlaff, after an 0-for-9 start, finished 5 of 17 for 56 yards.

The Green Wave avoided the shutout with a 34-yard field goal from Patrick Durkin and a fourth-quarter touchdown pass of 5 yards from backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan to Anthony Brown-Stephens.

The Takeaway

Tulane: The road loss to a ranked SEC team does not affect the quest for the College Football Playoff berth from the Group of Five teams. The American Athletic Conference section of the schedule begins next week and Tulane is expected to be a title challenger.

Ole Miss: The fast start by the Rebels eliminated any upset hopes. The brilliant relief work by Chambliss has allowed the luxury of extended healing time for Simmons, sidelined with the left ankle injury.

Poll Implications

No. 13 Ole Miss, ranked sixth of 11 SEC teams in the AP Top 25 poll, gained four spots in last week’s poll and hopes for a similar surge after the decisive win in a battle of unbeaten teams.

Up next

Tulane: The Green Wave open AAC play Saturday with a visit to Tulsa.

Ole Miss: The Rebels host No. 3 LSU on Saturday.