Column | Block out the noise; the win over Tulane is the kind that brings teams together and can lay the foundation for bigger things to come
NEW ORLEANS — Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin told us earlier this fall that he felt this year’s team is better suited to handle adversity than last year’s was. He was proven right Saturday at Yulman Stadium against Tulane.
Ole Miss earned a hard-fought, 37-20, road win over the Green Wave. The atmosphere was electric and the Green Wave players and fans wanted this one badly. But the visitors from Oxford dug deep and overcame a deficit to outscore Tulane, 30-3, to take the win.
The stadium was filled to capacity with 30,000 screaming fans, the third-most in school history, with many of them wearing red and cheering wildly for their Rebs. The “Are You Ready?!” cheers were loud and frequent — making it “almost” feel like home.
Hotty Toddy! Rebs win! pic.twitter.com/8qAAfVE7CZ
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) September 10, 2023
The point of telling you all this is, make no mistake, this was a huge game for Tulane — and for Ole Miss. Head coach Willie Fritz and every single one of his players worked their tails off to try and get a win. They gave it everything they had, this team that is the reigning Cotton Bowl champion after coming from behind to defeat USC back in January.
They don’t quit and they weren’t about to acquiesce to their Power 5, SEC guests.
But these Rebels never quit, either, and they showed heart and grit and fight on a hot day that saw folks in the stands drop left and right due to the heat.
While there are many who will bemoan the fact that Ole Miss was behind at halftime in the game — against a team without its starting all-everything quarterback and its leading-tackler linebacker — I don’t look at it that way at all. This game told me a lot about this year’s Rebels.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart went so far as to say in postgame that last year’s Ole Miss team might have experienced a different outcome in a game such as the one Saturday.
“Our team in this game last year would’ve lost. It just says a lot about the culture we have here and the work we put in.“
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
A win like this can do a lot for a team in ways that aren’t just fine tuning the “x’s and o’s” of the game. Regardless of all the “pro mindset” the team works to achieve, it is still comprised of 18-to-22 year old young men who have emotions and are so invested in giving it all they can to win. A victory like this one, where they had to work together to overcome adversity in a hostile environment, can lay the foundation for success for the remainder of the season.
“We expected to win. It’s not like it was a shock, but the morale moving forward is high because we know that if we have a bad quarter, or a bad drive, we are able to rebound on the next.“
Jaxson Dart
That’s important. That’s called “buy-in” and it means this team is gaining confidence and trust in one another.
A team effort
This win was a complete team effort, with different players rising to the occasion at pivotal points. The defense bowed its neck when it needed to. Deantre Prince intercepted a pass at a critical time and ran it back 44 yards to set up a field goal. Cedric Johnson, Isaac Ukwu and JJ Pegues pressured Tulane’s Horton. Khari Coleman caused a fumble that Jared Ivey scooped and scored to ensure the victory.
The offense, too, kept plugging away, even missing what many believe are its top two receivers in Zakhari Franklin (who has yet to play a down due to a knee injury )and last week’s record-breaking touchdown scorer in Tre Harris. Oh, and they’re also without tight end Caden Prieskorn who many believe will add a dimension to this team that could dramatically affect the production of the offense.
Players made plays.
Dart willed himself to convert a crucial third-and-long.
Not sure I've ever seen #OleMiss QB Jaxson Dart show this much emotion. This was on a third and long that extended a key drive. pic.twitter.com/ubmvXQk5hS
— Jon Sokoloff (@JonSokoloff) September 10, 2023
Receiver Dayton Wade had a day against the Green Wave, hauling in seven receptions for a career-high 106 yards. When Harris went down early with an injury, it had the team a little out of sorts, offensively. But Wade helped calm the waters with catches like this one.
What. A. Big. Play. D-Wade! https://t.co/XUebKwoTOK pic.twitter.com/f2zCkFfc8n
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) September 9, 2023
And let’s not forget Michael Trigg, the Rebels’ tight end who has had his share of ups and downs. But he, too, came through when his team needed him, hauling in Dart’s pass for a touchdown with 4:45 to go.
Game Winner 🥶@JaxsonDart ➡️ @mtrigg_ pic.twitter.com/x1PIDVrjtA
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 10, 2023
And while the offense and defense were making big plays when needed, let’s not forget special teams. A&M transfer Caden Davis was called upon to put the game away, with the Rebels only holding a slim 27-20 lead at the time with 1:57 left to go in the game.
If Davis had missed the 56-yard…yes, 56-yard attempt, Tulane would have had great field position and an opportunity for its own late-game heroics.
But Davis was clutch. He drilled what would be the fourth-longest field goal in school history.
FROM FIFTY SIX TO CLINCH IT
💣 @_cadendavis pic.twitter.com/ouqm3ulzux
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 9, 2023
Block out the noise
Some folks will tell you the win isn’t a good one because of the aforementioned Green Wave players who were out due to injury, or because Ole Miss was behind at halftime, or because the offensive line struggled and the ground game wasn’t the potent attack we’ve been used to seeing.
But block out that noise.
The Rebels are 2-0 going into next Saturday’s game against an improved Georgia Tech squad. And if they take care of business against the Yellow Jackets, they’ll be 3-0 headed to Tuscaloosa.
Let’s gooooooo! Big time road win! Proud of the grit and fight we shower today!
A lot to improve and that’s exciting part!
What’s the best thing about being 2-0? The chance to go 3-0!!!!
— Randall Joyner (@LetsGo_Bo5) September 10, 2023
And you just never know, the seeds that were sown Saturday in the Big Easy could end up producing a banner crop.
Perhaps defensive lineman Isaac Ukwu best explained the importance of this comeback win.
“It brings people together. Comeback games really–you’re going to see later on in the season, you’re going to see us do this again, handle adversity, and you’re going to look back at what happened in the Tulane game and how we were able to fight back. Because a lot of teams can just bend over and just give up. That’ll be the culture that carries along with them throughout the entire season, but I feel like the way that we were able to step up and do our thing is really going to be a testament to what we’re able to do for the rest of the season.”
Isaac Ukwu on his Ole Miss team’s comeback win
Coach Kiffin told us a few weeks ago he felt this team is equipped to deal with difficult times.
“It’s easy to be a certain way in life or as a team until adversity hits, then it’s tougher when things aren’t going your way. I feel better about this team for when those situations happen.“
He was right.
Next Up
Ole Miss now returns home to play host to Georgia Tech next Saturday, Sept. 16, with kickoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Athletics)
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
