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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Tulane
Game Primer: Ole Miss vs. Tulane
9/14/2021 | Football
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#16 OLE MISS (2-0) vs. TULANE (1-1) Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 • 7 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium  |
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| Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Tulane Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Notes (PDF) | ||||||||
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the Ole Miss' 72nd meeting with Tulane, a former member of the Southeastern Conference.
• The Rebels lead the series 70-15-2 all-time (after vacated wins) and have won 11 straight meetings on the field dating back to 1989 ... Ole Miss is 12-2 against Tulane in games played in Oxford.
• Ole Miss is 156-92-7 (.626 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• The Rebels have only lost one home non-conference game since 2012 (Sept. 23, 2019 vs. #23 Cal, 28-20).
• Ole Miss is 54-15 versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994.
• The Rebels rank top 10 in the country in five separate categories: total offense (599.5 ypg), scoring offense (48.5) first downs offense (8), defensive touchdowns (1) and turnovers lost (1).
• Ole Miss is one of only three teams in the FBS to have four players average more than 40 yards rushing per game.
• Dating back to 2019, the Ole Miss defense has forced at least one turnover in 16 of its last 18 games.
• Matt Corral has thrown a touchdown pass in 14 straight games, the third-longest streak in school history ... He trails only Chad Kelly (22) and Eli Manning (16).
• Corral leads the SEC and currently ranks No. 4 in the FBS in total offense (376.0 ypg).
• Dating back to last season, Dontario Drummond has tallied seven straight games in which he's recorded a touchdown reception ... Drummond ranks No. 3 in the FBS with three TD catches this season.
• Ole Miss leads the nation through two games with seven fourth-down conversions ... No other SEC team has converted more than three fourth downs.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin (Fresno State, 1998) is in his second season at Ole Miss and helped lead the Rebels to four win in their final five games in 2020, including a 26-20 victory over No. 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl. Kiffin quickly turned the Rebels into an offensive machine last season. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories, including having the No. 3 team in the country in total offense, shattering the school record with 555.5 yards per game. Kiffin is in his 10th year at the NCAA level and has posted an all-time record of 67-39. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998. He moved on to Colorado State in 1999 as a graduate assistant.
TULANE HEAD COACH WILLIE FRITZ
Willie Fritz enters his sixth season as head coach at Tulane with a record of 30-34. The Shawnee Mission, Kansas, native was named the Green Wave's 40th head coach by director of athletics Troy Dannen on Dec. 15, 2015. Last season, Fritz led Tulane to its third straight bowl appearance and its first win over a top 25 team in over 30 years, as they defeated 25th-ranked Army at home. In his career, Fritz was twice named the national coach of the year, including the American Football Coaches Association FCS Coach of the Year in 2011 and the Liberty Mutual FCS Coach of the Year in 2012. He came to New Orleans from Georgia Southern, where he spent two seasons and led the Eagles to a combined record of 17-7, a 2014 Sun Belt Conference title. Prior to Georgia Southern, Fritz served as head coach at Sam Houston State from 2010-13, where he led the Bearkats to back-to-back Southland Conference titles, NCAA Division I Championship game appearances in 2011 and 2012 and a third straight NCAA playoff berth in 2013. As a player, Fritz played on two conference title teams and was a four-year starter at defensive back for Randleman at Pittsburg State and remained at his alma mater as a student assistant coach in 1982. Fritz and his wife Susan have three children, a son and two daughters.
TULANE SCOUTING REPORT
The Green Wave boasts a 1-1 record on the year. They'll make their way to Oxford after a close loss to No. 2 Oklahoma in Norman and a 69-20 victory over Morgan State. The 69 points scored last weekend are the most Tulane has scored in a single game during the Willie Fritz era. Freshman quarterback Michael Pratt has looked sharp this season, throwing for 420 yards and five touchdowns through his first two games. He spearheads the Tulane offense that ranks fourth in the nation, averaging 52.0 points per game. Under Coach Fritz, the Green Wave have scored over 35 points in 23 games. Tulane is 20-3 in those games. Out wide, Pratt's favorite targets this season have been Tyrick James and Jaetavia Toles, who have each found the end zone with 142 and 106 yards on the season, respectively. Tulane's ground game led the American last year, averaging 217.1 yards per game, and the Green Wave has rushed for over 100 yards or more as a team in 65 of its last 66 games. Iver Celestine and Camero Carroll lead the rushing attack, but Tulane has plenty of depth at the position. Sophomore Dorian Williams has stepped up on the defensive side of the ball for the Green Wave. Last season, Williams led the Green Wave with 98 total tackles and 16.5 tackles for loss. He's made nine total stops this year. Tulane has also picked off four passes this season, ranking fifth nationally.
REBELS VERSUS AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
• Ole Miss has a 106-50-3 record against current members of the American Athletic Conference.
• The Rebels' last game against a AAC team was a 15-10 loss to Memphis in 2019.
OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
• Ole Miss is 156-92-7 (.625 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss is 99-35-3 (.734 winning pct.) in September home games (including home contests played in Memphis and Jackson), including a 74-22-2 (.765 winning percentage) mark in September games played in Oxford after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss is 109-41-6 (.718 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month.
LOUISIANA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features four players who hail from Louisiana: LB Zikerrion Baker (Mooringsport), K Caden Costa (Mandeville), OL Peyton Cox (Metairie), DL DeSanto Rollins (Baton Rouge).
10 YARDS AND A CLOUD OF DUST
The Rebels were one of the best teams in the country last season in explosive plays, and they picked right back up where they left off. Ole Miss has tallied 49 total plays of 10 or more yards over the first two games of the 2021 season. Only Fresno State (55) and UCF (50) have had more such plays to open this year, with Fresno State's total coming over the course of three games. Last year, the Rebels went for greater than 10 yards 202 times and were the only team in the FBS with 200-plus such plays in 10 or less games.
TRYING TO REPEAT HISTORY WITH A FAMILIAR FACE
WR Dontario Drummond leads all Power 5 players in receiving yards per game (142.0), a category Elijah Moore led the FBS in a year ago. The last team to have two players pull off that feat in successive years was Baylor in 2011-12 (Kendall Wright, 127.9 & Terrance Williams, 140.9). Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was on that coaching staff.
JUST FOR KICKS
Kicker Caden Costa, a true freshman from Mandeville, Louisiana, has only played in two collegiate games, but you'd never know it. Costa is a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, including a 47-yard field goal on his first attempt as a Rebel. The 47-yard field goal marked the longest by a Rebel kicker since 2017. Costa is the first Rebel to make his first four collegiate field goal attempts since Bryson Rose accomplished that feat in 2010.
MAKING THE SWITCH
After primarily playing quarterback for his first two years on campus, junior John Rhys Plumlee officially made the switch to wide receiver at the start of fall camp. On the season, Plumlee has rushed four times for 64 yards and hauled in two catches for 16 yards. Plumlee earned freshman All-America honors in 2019 after starting eight games at QB and setting the Ole Miss freshman rushing record with 1,023 yards, as well as total touchdowns (16 TDs). The Hattiesburg, Mississippi, native did see playing time at wide receiver in Ole Miss' 26-20 win over No. 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl. Plumlee hauled in five catches for 73 yards, including a key catch late in the game that helped set up the game-winning TD.
CORRAL EARNS WALTER CAMP PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
QB Matt Corral took home FBS National Offensive Player of the Week accolades after putting up monster numbers in the Rebels' first two games of the season In two games over a five-day span, Corral completed 43-of-65 passes for 662 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. Corral passed for 381 yards against Louisville on Monday and had five touchdown passes in the win over Austin Peay on Saturday. It is the second time Corral has earned Walter Camp Offensive Player of Week honors (Nov. 1, 2020). He also becomes the third Ole Miss player to earn Walter Camp Player of Week honors since 2004.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Matt Corral has thrown for 5,600 career yards and moved into a tie for No. 6 in Ole Miss' career record books with Jordan Ta'amu following the performance vs. Austin Peay. Corral also sits at 43 career touchdown passes, which is tied at No. 5 on the all-time list. Corral is the only Power 5 quarterback who is averaging more than 10 yards per pass attempt (min. 25 passes per game) and has yet to throw an interception.
O CANADA
Ole Miss has an SEC-most three Canadian players on its roster (Jaden Dicks, Deane Leonard, and Tavius Robinson ). Leonard has started both games this season at cornerback and has tallied five total tackles on the season. Robinson, who has missed the start of the 2021 season due to injury, appeared in all 10 games last year for the Rebels with five starts. Dicks, a redshirt freshman, transferred from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, and arrived on campus right before the start of fall camp.
LATE BLOOMER
It took WR Dontario Drummond 22 career games to register his first 100-yard receiving game, but the Laurel, Mississippi, native has since decided it was a feat worth repeating. Dating back to last season's bowl game, Drummond has gone over the 100-yard receiving plateau in three consecutive games. The senior wideout has registered seven straight games in which he's recorded a touchdown reception. In the season opener vs. Louisville, Drummond earned a receiving grade of 92.8 from Pro Football Focus, the highest Week 1 grade by a Power 5 wide receiver since 2014.
NEW MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Even when Lane Kiffin isn't fishing, he's still landing big fish. One of Kiffin's biggest catches came when the Rebels snagged Utah transfer Orlando Umana. Umana, joined the Rebels after spending four years at Utah where he appeared in 40 career games, including 26 starts. Twenty-two of those starts came at center for the Utes. Battling injury, Umana appeared in just one game for Utah during a shortened 2020 season. As a junior, he earned Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention honors in 2019 after starting 12 games at center. Umana played in all 14 games on the offensive line as a sophomore in 2018, starting four at left guard and the last nine at center for Utah. The Sacramento, California, native allowed just one sack in 472 pass blocks in 2018.
KEIDRON SMITH TO WEAR CHUCKY MULLINS PATCH
Ole Miss senior defensive back Keidron Smith was recently named the winner of the 2021 Chucky Mullins Courage Award. The award, sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Ole Miss career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away May 6, 1991. A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Smith is the 31st recipient in the 32-year history of the award, which is presented annually to an Ole Miss upperclassman defensive player that embodies the spirit of Mullins - courage, leadership, perseverance and determination. A change from recent seasons, Smith will wear a 38 patch on his No. 20 jersey rather than switch numbers. A patch was also worn by the award winner from 2006 through 2010.
MAC BROWN RAISES OVER 125K FOR ALS RESEARCH
When he was in seventh grade, Ole Miss punter Mac Brown had a modest goal of raising $500 for a childhood friend's dad who had been diagnosed with ALS. Along with a group of neighborhood friends, Brown started a lemonade stand, Awesome Lemonade Stand, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to help his friend's family. Eight years later, that $500 goal has ballooned to over $125,000 raised by Brown and his friends for ALS research. The Awesome Lemonade Stand is held on a late day in June, and this year's fundraiser raised nearly $25,000 alone.
DEPTH A KEY STRENGTH IN DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD
The Rebels return numerous key starters and loads of additional depth in the defensive secondary. Starters Keidron Smith, AJ Finley, Jakorey Hawkins and Jalen Jordan are back after all starting a majority of games last season. Smith led all returning DBs in 2020 with 64 tackles, while Finley led the Rebels with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. Otis Reese, a transfer from Georgia, became eligible for the final three games of the 2020 season and averaged eight tackles per game.
RED ZONE EFFICIENCY
Ever since Lane Kiffin took over the helm at the start of the 2020 season, the Ole Miss offense became known for putting up lots of points and yards. The real secret to the Rebels' success has come in red zone efficiency. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is 59-of-77 (.771) in the red zone. Ole Miss has scored on 22 of its last 26 trips to the red zone dating back to last season.
REBELS IN THE RANKINGS
After a 2-0 start, Ole Miss checks in at No. 16 in the Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the AP Top 25. It is the best ranking for a Rebel squad since week seven of the 2016 season when Ole Miss was ranked No. 12 prior to falling to Arkansas 34-30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
KIFFIN'S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON THURSDAYS
RebTalk, the official weekly radio show of Ole Miss Athletics, will broadcast each Thursday this fall at Bouré in downtown Oxford from 6-7 p.m. The show, which is hosted by the "Voice of the Rebels" David Kellum and includes special guests, will air live on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network. Ole Miss Football head coach Lane Kiffin and select players will join the broadcast each Thursday throughout the season.
