Ole Miss vs. Tulane live updates: Rebels, Green Wave meet again in College Football Playoff first round

Halftime: Ole Miss 17, Tulane 3

Ole Miss got off to a hot start in the first half of the new Pete Golding era, taking a 17-3 lead into the half. Ole Miss' first five offensive plays all went for 20 or more yards, setting up an early 14-0 first-quarter lead for the Rebels. 

Both Ole Miss touchdowns came on the ground. First, Kewan Lacy scampered 20 yards untouched into the end zone. Later, Trinidad Chambliss scored on a 4-yard keeper.

The big questions in the second half center on the status of Lacy and Chambliss after both were injured on Ole Miss' final drive of the half. The star tandem both appeared to injure their shoulders, with Lacy requiring help off the field and Chambliss down for multiple minutes. Neither returned before the end of the half. Austin Simmons came in to relieve Chambliss under center. 

Before his injury, Chambliss was 13 of 16 for 167 yards plus the rushing touchdown. 

Despite falling behind 14-0 early, Tulane hung around and moved the ball well on offense. The Green Wave wasn't too far behind Ole Miss in yards -- 206 to Ole Miss' 264 yards -- but could only score off one field goal. Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff went 9 of 14 for 125 yards and one interception. 

Ole Miss star QB Trinidad Chambliss appeared to injure his shoulder and left the game. Austin Simmons, who started the season as Ole Miss' starter, came in to replace Chambliss for the final drive of the half. Ole Miss was in prime scoring position before Simmons fumbled the ball. 

Chambliss and Lacy's status for the second half is still unknown. 

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy had to be helped off the field and went straight into the medical tent after appearing to injure his shoulder following a a 7-yard catch. 

This is one worth monitoring closely, given Lacy's importance to the offense. 

Second quarter: Ole Miss 17, Tulane 3

In an 11-play, 64-yard drive, Ole Miss added to its lead with a Lucas Carneiro 42-yard field goal. Ole Miss' offense hasn't been as explosive or efficient since those first two drives -- a credit to Tulane's defense standing tall after falling down 14-0 -- but still important for Ole Miss to keep the momentum going with three more points. 

Second quarter: Ole Miss 14, Tulane 3

Tulane is actually moving the ball pretty well -- the Green Wave are only one passing yard shy of their entire output in the first game -- but points are hard to come by. Tulane does finally get on the board with a 39-yard Patrick Durkin field goal, though field goals aren't going to cut it against this high-powered Ole Miss offense. 

Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff is 6 of 9 for 107 yards and one interception. 

First quarter: Ole Miss 14, Tulane 0

Ole Miss has made it look easy against Tulane so far. The Rebels' first five offensive plays all went for 20+ yards leading to a Trinidad Chambliss 4-yard touchdown run. 

If you had any concerns about what Ole Miss would look like without Lane Kiffin, Pete Golding is doing a terrific job of quelling them. 

First quarter: Ole Miss 7, Tulane 0

Tulane was moving the ball fairly well and was just outside the redzone when calamity struck. Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff, who had a rough go against Ole Miss the first time around, threw an interception to Ole Miss' Jaylon Braxton. Adding to the dismay was a horse collar penalty at the end which sets the Rebels up at the 40-yard line.

Tulane can't afford many more mistakes like that if it has any hope of keeping up with Ole Miss. 

First quarter: Ole Miss 7, Tulane 0

So far, so good in the Pete Golding era. Offense hasn't missed a beat without Lane Kiffin so far. As easy and efficient drive as you'll see. Ole Miss up 7-0 early after Kewan Lacy scored from 20 yards out. 

The Grove was rocking, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was packed and Ole Miss fans were more than ready for Saturday's first-round playoff game against Tulane to kick off.

I've covered a number of big games at Ole Miss over the years, including two years as a writer in Mississippi, and this is as crowded The Grove I've seen it. We are a few minutes away from this one starting. 

Jon Sumrall needs a pick-me-up. 

It's break time after Tulane's first practice in preparation for the College Football Playoff, and in between phone calls, the head coach is receiving a cocktail of fluids and vitamins via an intravenous drip.

That's life for Sumrall, who might be the busiest, most sleep-deprived man in college football. While preparing to lead Tulane into its first-ever playoff appearance this week, he's also busy assembling a staff and handling the duties of his new job at Florida, one of the biggest programs in the sport.

"There's no official end of the day," Sumrall says over the phone. "You work as long as you can until you pass out."

Two jobs, two phones, one goal: Jon Sumrall's College Football Playoff balancing act -- Tulane and Florida

Brandon Marcello

Tulane is better than the 35-point whupping it received back in September. And with all the change and drama Ole Miss has experienced in the last month, it is easy to see how this result will be closer. But even with all that said, I don't see how Tulane pulls off the upset in Oxford. The team is fired up to play for new head coach Pete Golding. Ole Miss fans have been waiting for a moment like this their whole lives and the Rebels are simply too talented for Tulane to keep up. Take the Rebels. Pick: Ole Miss -17.5

Kewan Lacy was not a Heisman Trophy finalist like Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love. He didn't make first-team All-America at CBS Sports, the Associated Press or Sporting News. But it's long past time more people know about Ole Miss' star running back. Lacy finished with the nation's second-most rushing touchdowns at 20 and totaled 1,279 rushing yards. In his last two games alone, against Florida and Mississippi State, he rushed for 367 yards and four touchdowns while serving as the engine of the Rebels' offense. Trinidad Chambliss understandably draws most of the attention, but Lacy presents another major challenge Tulane must solve Saturday.

Almost nothing went right for the Green Wave in the first meeting. While Kiffin's departure creates opportunity, Tulane is dealing with its own challenges. Sumrall and offensive coordinator Will Hall are both pulling double duty as Sumrall prepares to leave for Florida and Hall gets ready to take over as head coach. Tulane used two quarterbacks in the first matchup, Jake Retzlaff and Brendan Sullivan, and neither found success. The pair combined for just 104 passing yards on 29 attempts. Since then, Retzlaff has settled in and helped Tulane close the season on a five-game winning streak. Even if Ole Miss is less explosive offensively, Tulane will still need to keep pace, and that will require an efficient night from Retzlaff. Running back Jamauri McClure, who had only three carries in the first meeting, enters hot after rushing 22 times for 121 yards and a touchdown in the American Championship Game win over North Texas.

In the aftermath of Kiffin's messy departure, it's the biggest question heading into this game. Kiffin, long regarded as one of the sport's top offensive minds, is gone, and it's fair to wonder how that affects the Rebels' offense even with coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. staying on for the playoff run. In his first game as head coach, does Golding take a more conservative approach than Kiffin? Does Ole Miss lean more heavily on the run and embrace a defense-wins-championships mindset? This will be our first real look at what Golding's version of Ole Miss looks like, and it will be fascinating to see how closely he sticks to what worked under Kiffin.

There are two College Football Playoff first-round rematches on deck this weekend, and the second of the two goes down on Saturday when No. 6 Ole Miss hosts No. 11 Tulane. These two met in September when Ole Miss rolled to a 45-10 win on its way to an 11-1 regular-season record. That game helped cement Trinidad Chambliss as the Rebels' quarterback of the future. Starting in place of an injured Austin Simmons, Chambliss threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns while adding 112 yards on the ground.

Much has changed since that Sept. 20 meeting in Oxford.

Ole Miss vs. Tulane prediction, pick, spread: Rebels look for second win over Green Wave, this time in CFP

John Talty