OXFORD — Amid a wildly festive, playoffs-worthy atmosphere that included a State of Mississippi record crowd, several dazzling light shows, fireworks and more than 60,000 Santa Claus hats, Ole Miss was still lots, lots better than Tulane here Saturday. Don’t know what the Rebels want for Chr istmas, but we know what they will get for New Year’s Day: the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl and the national championship quarterfinals. Rick Cleveland In Pete Golding’s debut as the Ole Miss head football coach on this breezy sun-splashed Saturday, his Rebels did not disappoint. They out-blocked, out-tackled, out-ran and thoroughly out-played Tulane, which came into the game with an 11-2 record and as champions of the American Athletic Conference. The final score was 41-10 with the visiting Green Wave scoring its only touchdown late. The outcome was never in doubt after the Rebels scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and made it look easy. Midway through the third quarter with the Rebels cruising, music blaring, thousands of red and blue lights flashing and many of the crowd of 68,251 dancing, this observer wondered to himself: “My heavens, what would Johnny Vaught think of all this?” They didn’t have light shows, especially some produced by drones, back in the 1950s and ‘60s when the legendary Vaught was coaching the Rebels to six SEC championships and Top 10 finishes on an almost yearly basis. Hell, they didn’t have stadium lights. But count on this: Vaught surely would approve of these Rebels’ speed, strength and precision – and of the first 12-victory season in Ole Miss history. (Vaught also surely would remind you his team never got to play 12 games.) Mississippi football coach Pete Golding calls a play against Tulane during the first round of an NCAA College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis On virtually every play that really mattered, the Rebels dominated. Tulane converted only five of 18 third and fourth down possession plays. For Ole Miss, the usual stars shone brightly. Trinidad Chambliss passed for 282 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more touchdown. Kewan Lacy ran for 87 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. A fleet of Ole Miss receivers – a dozen in all – made catches. Golding’s defense gave up some yards but stiffened when it had to. Tulane drove the ball into the end zone only once, but was quickly pushed back out. The Rebels were every bit as dominant as they had been back in September when they trounced Tulane 45-10 in this same stadium. Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss reacts after scoring on a four-yard touchdown run against Tulane during the first half in the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis Really, the only anxious moments for the Rebels came in the second quarter when first Lacy and then Chambliss were helped off the field after injuries. The good news: Both eventually returned and seemed no worse for wear. Many in the record crowd were surely eager to see what difference they would see in Golding’s coaching vs. that of the man he replaced, Lane Kiffin. Not much, turns out. The most obvious difference might have surfaced in the second quarter when, leading 14-3 and facing fourth down and four yards to go at the Tulane 25, Golding chose to kick a field goal. History tells us Kiffin far more times than not, would have gone for the first down. Lucas Carneiro booted the 42-yard field goal. Asked it about afterward, Golding said, “The book is going to say it’s still a two-possession game, right, but I coach defense and now the field goal makes it a two-touchdown lead. That’s different to me. … And we keep the momentum. That’s where I’m different than the book.” Stickers honoring Mississippi new head football coach Pete Golding and the team’s quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, by way of the flag of Trinidad and Tobago, are displayed during tailgating prior to the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis Translation: Golding figured they could have played until until Christmas and Tulane wouldn’t have scored two touchdowns against his No. 1 defense. Ole Miss fans, many wearing “Golding Era” buttons, cheered loudly when Golding was shown on the Jumbotrons walking onto the field. In the fourth quarter, with the outcome long since decided, those same fans chanted, “Golding! Golding! Golding!” Moments later, another chant began: “F- – – Lane Kiffin! “F- – – Lane Kiffin! F- – – Lane Kiffin!” In a post-game interview Ole Miss co-defensive coordinator Bryan Brown was asked what differences he sees in Golding now that he’s the head man. Said Brown, “Well, his room is bigger now.” Football fans stand before a caricature of former Mississippi football coach Lane Kiffin while tailgating in The Grove on the campus of the University of Mississippi prior to the start of the first round of the College Football Playoff, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis Translation: Golding hasn’t changed. “He still controls the room,” Brown said. “The guys believe in him. He’s a great coach and a great motivator.” Joe Judge, the quarterbacks coach and former New York Giants coach head coach, was asked a similar question. “He’s Pete,” Judge answered. That’s what makes him special. He’s not going to change. That’s why I wanted to stay here and work for him. That’s who he is.” And Golding, the former Delta State walk-on safety, is now 1-0 as a head coach that “one” was one of the biggest victories in Ole Miss history. His team played fast, physical and soundly – one five-yard penalty and just one turnover. Here’s the deal – and you better believe Golding knows it – they’ll need to play better still to beat Georgia, which very well might be the best team in the playoffs. ...read more read less