By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
At this point, an Ole Miss win is sort of like an LSU win, especially for new LSU coach Lane Kiffin.
And No. 6 Ole Miss won big time on Saturday in the Rebels’ first College Football Playoff game, 41-10, over No. 11 Tulane in a rocking Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford before a stadium record crowd of 68,251.
And much of the story was the Ole Miss offense – coached by five newly hired LSU coaches formerly of Ole Miss who returned to Ole Miss two weeks ago to prepare the Rebels for the playoffs. They will continue to coach them throughout the postseason while also recruiting for LSU.
Kiffin, who was Ole Miss’ coach from 2020 through the regular season finale of 2025 and dramatically rebuilt the program to new heights, wanted to continue coaching the team he built through the playoffs as well after taking the LSU job on Nov. 30. But he was not allowed to do so
No. 6 Ole Miss (12-1), which set a school record for wins in a season, and five of LSU’s offensive coaches next play No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in the second round of the playoffs at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
Moonlighting LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. coordinating Ole Miss’ offense and calling plays in playoff vs. Tulane. Rebels lead 17-3 late in 2nd quarter. pic.twitter.com/GudJJ5Lle3
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) December 20, 2025
And new LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who has been Kiffin’s right hand man at Ole Miss and previously at Florida Atlantic, will be at the Sugar Bowl coaching the offense and calling the plays as he did Saturday. Weis’ offense put up a whopping 497 yards and 30 first downs along with 151 yards rushing against No. 11 Tulane (11-3).
The Green Wave was coached by Jon Sumrall, who can now focus on just one job. He was named Florida’s new coach also on Nov. 30, but Tulane allowed him to continue coaching. Of course, Florida and Tulane have not been bitter rivals as LSU and Ole Miss have been for decades.
Ole Miss senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who could also end up at LSU via the transfer portal if he is granted an NCAA waiver for another season, completed 23 of 29 passes for 282 yards with a touchdown.
And sophomore running back Kewan Lacy, who may also transfer to LSU, gained 87 yards on 15 carries with a 20-yard touchdown run.
When Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss and RB Kewan Lacy score and win against Tulane Saturday in the playoffs, LSU wins:https://t.co/CHei7TaCDA
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) December 16, 2025
Lacy and Chambliss each shook off injuries late in the second quarter and returned to the game to start the second half. Lacy injured his shoulder, and Chambliss’ head hit the ground hard on a tackle.
“This is amazing,” Chambliss said after the game on TNT. “I’m happy that Ole Miss got its first playoff win. We just wanted to play football.”
The other former Ole Miss coaches employed now by LSU who coached the Rebels’ offense Saturday were co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Joe Cox, passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach George McDonald, assistant quarterbacks coach Dane Stevens and inside receivers coach Sawyer Jordan,
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, the Rebels’ defensive coordinator who replaced Kiffin shortly after becoming LSU’s coach, went to 1-0 in his career as a head coach.
“It’s good when you’ve got good players,” Golding said over “Pete … Pete … Pete” chants. “We’ll see what they’re chanting next time. The players were just excited to put everything behind them and get back on the grass and do what they love to do.”
Kiffin hired Golding away from the defensive coordinator job at Alabama to Ole Miss after the 2022 season.
Kiffin did not get credit for the playoff win, though other absentee coaches have been credited with wins in the past, but that was due to illness, such as with former Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and former LSU women’s basketball coach Sue Gunter.
But Kiffin will receive bonus money for the win from his previous contract with Ole Miss that LSU has agreed to pay – $250,000 for reaching the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl against Georgia and $150,000 for previously reaching the CFP.
Kiffin congratulated the Rebels and Golding on Twitter after the game.
Congrats to all the coaches and players @OleMissFB and especially @CoachGolding and seeing his 2 boys on the sidelines 💙❤️ Great win today. #1-0. #BeatGeorgiaInTheBoot 🇹🇹
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 21, 2025
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