Game Primer: Football Set for Ranked Showdown at Tulane

			Ole Miss (1-0) at Tulane (1-0) Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023 • 2:30 p.m. CT New Orleans, La. • Yulman Stadium Rebel Rankings: AP: #20 \| Coaches: #20 Green Wave Rankings: AP: #24 \| Coaches: #22
Watch • Listen • Live Stats Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Tulane Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Game Notes (PDF)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This marks the 73rd all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Tulane, a series that dates back to 1893.
• This will be Ole Miss' first trip to New Orleans to take on Tulane since 2012.
• Ole Miss leads the all-time series 42-28 after vacated wins ... The record on the field is 44-28 to the Rebels.
• Ole Miss is 61-17 (.782) vs. non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994.
• Ole Miss is currently on a 12-game winning streak against the Green Wave dating back to 1989.
• Ole Miss is 162-92-7 (.634) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss and Tulane last met while both were ranked on Oct. 20, 1956 and have done so only twice in 72 games.
• WR Tre Harris broke the Ole Miss record with four receiving TD against Mercer, becoming just the 22nd player in SEC history to catch at least four in a game.
• Last week Jaxson Dart became just the sixth QB in Ole Miss history to string together 11 consecutive completions.
• Ole Miss broke its single-game team passing record against Mercer with 524 yards from three different QBs.
• The 73 Rebel points against Mercer were the most of the Kiffin era and tied for No. 7 in school history.
• Ole Miss is averaging 18.3 seconds per play ... The Rebels' opening scoring drive of 2023 took just 51 seconds.
• WR Jordan Watkins returned a punt 70 yards for a TD against Mercer, the first for Ole Miss since 2013.
• Sophomore RB Quinshon Judkins returns following historic 2022 campaign ... Judkins led SEC, ranked No. 7 in FBS at his school record 1,567 rushing yards.
• Of the 126 total players on the roster, 58 (46%) are brand-new for 2023 ... 31 (24.6%) are transfers.
• DE Cedric Johnson was awarded the Chucky Mullins Courage Award and will wear a No. 38 patch this season.

OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin is in his fourth season at Ole Miss, where he has led the Rebels to three consecutive bowl berths to start off his time in Oxford. In 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has posted an all-time record of 85-47, including a 24-13 mark at Ole Miss. The Rebels ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing offense (256.6) and No. 8 in total offense (496.4) last season. Kiffin helped mentor and recruit talented true freshman running back Quinshon Judkins, who set the Ole Miss single-season records in both rushing yards (1,567) and rushing touchdowns (16). Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, its highest final ranking since 2016. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in his first season in 2020. 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.

TULANE HEAD COACH WILLIE FRITZ
Willie Fritz is his eighth season as head coach at Tulane and 31st overall. Fritz holds a overall record of 237-119-1 including a 43-39 mark with the Green Wave. The Shawnee Mission, Kansas, native had a banner seventh year in charge of the program in 2022, guiding the Green Wave to a 12-2 mark and capped the season with a thrilling 46-45 victory over USC in the Cotton Bowl. For his efforts he was named the AAC Coach of the Year after leading Tulane to its first AP national ranking in 24 years, guiding the Green Wave to its most conference wins since 1934. 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.

GREEN WAVE SCOUTING REPORT
Coming off a historic 2022 campaign, Tulane entered the season ranked No. 23 in the coaches poll and No. 24 in the AP rankings. Tulane was picked to win the AAC in the annual preseason media poll. The Green Wave opened the season with a 37-17 home win over South Alabama. Tulane tallied 436 total yards of offense, including 294 through the air. Tulane limited South Alabama to 265 yards of offense and forced five Jaguar turnovers. Offensively, preseason All-American quarterback Michael Pratt captains the Tulane offense. Pratt, a three-year starter, was nearly perfect vs. South Alabama, completing 14-of-15 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns. Pratt has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 35 of his 36 career games. Senior wideouts Jha'Quan Jackson and Lawrence Keys III both played a key role in the season opener, combining for 202 receiving yards and three TDs. Linebacker Corey Platt Jr. tallied a career-best 15 total tackles in Tulane's season opener. Defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins and Kameron Hamilton both registered two sacks against the Jaguars.

TULANE SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 73rd all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Tulane ... The Green Wave was a charter member of the SEC, competing in the conference until 1966.
• Ole Miss leads the all-time series 42-28 after vacated wins ... The record on the field is 44-28 including two vacated road wins at Tulane in 2010 and 2012.
• Ole Miss leads the series in New Orleans on the field, 27-25, but now stands tied 25-25 after NCAA vacated wins.
• The Rebels lead in Oxford, 13-2, including the most recent matchup with Tulane in 2021 ... Ole Miss scored the most points in the series to-date with a 61-21 victory.
• The series has also had five games in Jackson, Mississippi, with the Rebels leading 4-1 at the state capitol.
• The Rebels are currently on a 12-game winning streak against the Green Wave dating back to 1989.

OLE MISS IN SEPTEMBER
• Ole Miss is 162-92-7 (.634) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss is 104-35-3 (.743) in September home games (including contests played in Memphis and Jackson).
• The Rebels are 79-22-2 (.777) in September games played in Oxford after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss is 115-41-6 (.729) all-time versus non-conference opponents during September.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
• Ole Miss is 61-17 (.782) versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994.
• Under head coach Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss is 10-2 against non-conference opponents.
• Ole Miss has only lost three non-conference road games since its last trip to Tulane in 2012.
• The Rebels have only lost one home non-conference game since 2012 (Sept. 23, 2019 vs. #23 Cal, 28-20).

REBS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss ranks No. 20 in both the Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Preseason Polls.
• Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top-25 in 31 of the last 33 poll releases ... That includes a streak of 29 across 2021 and 2022, the longest streak since being ranked for 41 straight weeks from 2014-16.
• The SEC boasts six teams in the top 25, including three teams ranked inside the top 10.
• Ole Miss and Tulane last met while both were ranked on Oct. 20, 1956 and have done so only twice in 72 games.

LOUISIANA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features seven players who hail from Louisiana: LB Khari Coleman (New Orleans), K Caden Costa (Mandeville), OL Cam East (Marrero), OL Ethan Fields (Geismar), WR Tre Harris (Lafayette), QB Walker Howard (Lafayette) and DT DeSanto Rollins (Baton Rouge).

QUADRUPLE THREAT
Louisiana native Tre Harris will return to his home state coming off the game of his life against Mercer on Sept. 2. Against the Bears, Harris wowed the Vaught-Hemingway faithful by finding the endzone on each of his first three catches as a Rebel, which tied the school record and helped the lightning-quick Ole Miss offense get up early in its eventualy 73-7 blowout win. Harris tacked on a fourth touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, in the process breaking the school record and becoming just the 22nd player in SEC history to haul in at least four touchdown receptions in a single game. Harris ended the day as Ole Miss' top receiver, nabbing six catches for 133 yards and his record-breaking four trips to the endzone. Harris is no stranger to the multi-TD effort, having caught three touchdown passes against Rice last October while a member of the Louisiana Tech football team. Harris -- a preseason Biletnikoff Award Watch List member -- owns a career line of 112 receptions, 1,650 yards and 18 touchdowns -- 14 of which have come within the last calendar year after a 10 TD season with the Bulldogs in 2022. In 2023, Harris is currently the only receiver in the FBS with four touchdown receptions in a single game.

HISTORIC BLOWOUT
Ole Miss kicked off 2023 with a bombastic offensive onslaught against Mercer on Sept. 2, winning by a final margin of 73-7. Below are notes detailing the offensive fireworks from the Rebels:

• 73 points: tied for No. 7 in school history, No. 18 in SEC history.
• 73 points: leads the SEC, ranks No. 2 in the FBS this season.
• 73 points: most of the Kiffin era, most for Ole Miss since 2018 (76, Southern Illinois).
• 667 yards of total offense: No. 6 in school history
• 667 yards of total offense: leads the SEC, ranks No. 6 in the FBS this season.
• 21st game of Kiffin era with at least 600 yards of total offense (only 16 ever at Ole Miss prior to 2020)
• 10 touchdowns: No. 3 in school history, tied for No. 14 in SEC history
• 10 touchdowns: leads SEC, tied for No. 2 in the FBS this season.
• 524 passing yards: school record, leads the FBS this season.
• 13 Rebels caught a pass, six different Rebels scored a touchdown, two scored multiple TDs (Harris, Judkins)
• WR Jordan Watkins' 70-yard punt return TD was the first score on a punt return for the Rebels since 2013 (Jeff Scott, 73 yards, vs. Texas)

THROWIN' DARTS
Junior QB Jaxson Dart wasted no time putting on a show for the Rebel faithful, as he started 2023 by going 11-for-11 as he led the Ole Miss offense to a historic quick start. Dart is just the seventh quarterback in Ole Miss history to ever throw 11 consecutive completions, the best such streak by a Rebel signal caller since Matt Corral set the school record at 19 in a row at Vanderbilt in 2020. Dart ended the day 18-of-23 for 334 yards and four touchdowns through the air, a new high during his Ole Miss career that also ties his previous record as a freshman at USC against Washington State in 2021. Of those 334 yards and four scores, Dart collected 296 and three touchdowns in the first half alone -- a new first-half career high for the junior.

GUNSLINGERS
Ole Miss broke its all-time single-game team passing record against Mercer, taking an early FBS lead at 524 yards through the air. Starting QB Jaxson Dart had 334 of those, but received help for the remaining 190 yards from Spencer Sanders (134) and Walker Howard (56). The Rebel trio broke the previous record of 517 set against ULM in 2018.

WE WANNA GO FAST!
The Rebels ended the 2022 regular season tied for the FBS lead at 20.7 seconds per play, and Ole Miss showed no signs of slowing down in the opening stages of 2023. Ole Miss is currently clipping off a play every 18.3 seconds, and it was no more on display than the opening drive of the game. The Rebels marched down the field in just 51 seconds, taking an early lead after the first of three touchdown passes from Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris in the first quarter alone. The 51-second scoring drive was the fastest to open a season for Ole Miss since 2018, and the 28 first quarter points ranks as the most in available records since at least 1967. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is 20-5 when scoring first.

HIGH-FLYING OFFENSE
On the field, the Rebel offense ranks among the most prolific in the nation, ranking second in yards per game since 2020 (515.5 ypg/37 games) and third in total yards since 2020 (19,075 yards). The Rebels have done it with a balanced attack over the last three years as well, as Ole Miss ranks alongside only Ohio State as the only two Power-5 teams with both a top-10 passing season (2020; No. 7) and a top-10 rushing season (2022; No. 3) since 2020.

RACKING UP THE YARDS
Kiffin's dynamic Ole Miss offenses have single-handedly dismantled the Rebel record books, recording three of the top-five offensive seasons in school history since 2020. Leading the way is the 2020 squad that ended the season ranked No. 3 in total offense nationally at an Ole Miss record 555.5 yards per game (5,555 yards). His 2021 team ranks fifth at 492.5 yards per game (6,402 yards), and last year the Rebels broke into the top-five again, this time notching the fourth-best season ever at 496.4 yards per game (6,453 yards). Impressively, Kiffin's Ole Miss teams have done so with a balanced offensive attack, ranking seventh in the FBS in passing in 2020 (344.9 ypg) before shifting toward the running game in 2021 with the No. 12 ground game (217.6 ypg) before 2022's single-season school record rushing attack of 3,336 yards (256.6) led the SEC and ranked No. 3 in the FBS behind only the service academies.

With those big single-season numbers come monster single-game numbers as well. Kiffin owns 21 games during his Ole Miss tenure with at least 600 yards of total offense, as opposed to just 16 times total from the beginning of the Ole Miss football program in 1893 until Kiffin's arrival in 2020. At the 700-yard plateau, Kiffin's Rebels own three of the five total 700-yard games in Ole Miss history, as well as four of the top-six performances all-time.

NO FRESHMAN JITTERS
Freshman LB Suntarine Perkins was a highly-touted recruit nationally as the No. 1 overall player in Mississippi and the No. 2 linebacker in the country, and he relished his first opportunity to wear a Rebel uniform in his home state against Mercer on Sept. 2. Perkins led all Rebels with nine tackles coming off the bench, including four solo, in Ole Miss' 73-7 rout of the Bears. At Raleigh High School, Perkins was a one-man wrecking crew, leading RHS to its first state title in 2022 as both its star running back and linebacker. In the state title game, Perkins ran 32 times for 331 yards and four touchdowns while also contributing six tackles and an interception on the other side of the ball. In his high school career, Perkins totaled more than 5,000 all-purpose yards, including 2,078 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground as a senior. As a linebacker, he tallied 267 total tackles and 10 sacks in his high school career.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
The Rebel offense wasn't the only one to shine against Mercer on Sept. 2, as the Ole Miss defense stifled the Bears to just seven points.

• DE Cedric Johnson recorded career sack No. 14.5, his first of the season, for a loss of 10 yards … Johnson is Ole Miss' active career sacks leader.
• DE Reginald Hughes recovered his first career fumble ... Hughes has played in 13 games with the Rebels.
• S Daijahn Anthony snagged his sixth career interception, his first in an Ole Miss uniform.
• DT Zxavian Harris recorded his first career sack for a loss of seven yards and his first solo TFL … He wrapped up his day with a total of 2.5 TFL ... Harris also tied for the team lead with four solo tackles and had a career-high six total stops.
• As a team, two fumble recoveries matched a single game-high for the Rebels from the last three seasons.

CEDRIC JOHNSON RECEIVES CHUCKY MULLINS COURAGE AWARD
Ole Miss DE Cedric Johnson was recently named the winner of the 2023 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 Mobile, Alabama, Johnson is the 33rd recipient in the 34-year history of the award. He will wear a No. 38 patch throughout the 2023 season. Johnson – a Bednarik Award and Senior Bowl watch list member who has also been named to preseason All-SEC teams by Phil Steele (first team), Athlon (third team) and Lindy's (third team) – entered 2023 as Ole Miss' active career leader in sacks with 13.5. Last season, Johnson played in 11 games for the Rebels, starting in eight at defensive end. He finished the season with 32 total tackles, 4.0 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He also blocked a punt against Georgia Tech, becoming the first Rebel since 2012 to block a punt and record a sack in the same game.

BACK TO WORK
The praise and accolades has come hard and heavy for sophomore RB Quinshon Judkins following his spectacular freshman campaign in 2022, but Judkins set back to the grindstone with a solid outing to open the 2023 season. Judkins ended his season debut with 60 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, his seventh career game with multiple rushing touchdowns after breaking the single-season Ole Miss record with six such games as a freshman last season. Judkins is already climbing up the career rushing touchdown list, as he already sits just outside the top-10 at No. 12 with his 18 rushing scores. Combined with his one receiving touchdown from last season, he's also starting to knock on the door of Ole Miss' all-purpose touchdown list with 19 total.

HISTORI-Q
Sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins, who entered his freshman year third on the depth chart at Ole Miss, put together not only the best rushing season ever by a Rebel in 2022, but one of the most sensational years by a freshman running back in recent memory. Judkins captivated the Oxford community and the college football world en route to his record-breaking 2022 campaign that saw him shatter the Ole Miss single-season rushing record and put together the best freshman rushing season in the SEC since Herschel Walker at Georgia in 1980.

Superlatives • Judkins in 2022
• Set Ole Miss single-season records in rushing yards (1,567), rushing touchdowns (16), most rushing attempts (274), 100-yard rushing games (8), multi-rushing touchdown games (6).
• Tied Ole Miss single-season record in total touchdowns with 17 alongside Brandon Bolden (2010) and Deuce McAllister (2000).
• Second-best rushing season by a freshman in SEC history, trailing only Herschel Walker's 1,616 yards at Georgia in 1980.
• At nine games, became fastest true freshman in the SEC to rush for 1,000 yards since Emmit Smith in 1987 (seven games).
• Ranked as the 11th-best rushing season by a Power-5 freshman all-time, the best since 2017.
• Second Rebel to ever win SEC Freshman of the Year (Laquon Treadwell, 2013).
• One of nine Rebels to ever rush for 1,000 yards, tied for the fastest to 1,000 with Kayo Dottley.
• Eight games with 100 rushing yards, four with 130 or more and two with 200 or more.
• Helped lead Ole Miss to new school records in rushing yards (3,336) and total rushing attempts (614).
• Second Rebel to ever record multiple 200-yard games in a career alongside Kayo Dottley (3).
• Part of only single-game duo in SEC history to both rush for 200 yards (Zach Evans, at Arkansas).
• His 1,699 all-purpose yards the best-ever by an Ole Miss freshman.
• His 102 points scored are the third-best ever at Ole Miss by a non-kicker, best ever by a freshman.
• 5x SEC Freshman of the Week.

Q IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins has been a popular guy this preseason, appearing on every major All-America team and on the watch lists for some of the top awards in college football. Judkins was a hot commodity as a freshman in 2022 as well, earning several national, conference and statewide accolades.

Judkins' 2023 Preseason Honors
• 2023 Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List
• 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Preseason Watch List
• 2023 Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List
• 2023 Preseason All-America First Team (AP, TSN, CBS Sports/247Sports, Walter Camp, Athlon, Lindy's, Phil Steele)
• 2023 ESPN Preseason All-America
• 2023 Preseason ESPN Top-100 College Football Players (No. 22)
• 2023 Preseason All-SEC First Team (Athlon, Lindy's, Phil Steele, SEC Coaches, SEC Media)

NEW FACES
Roster turnover is the name of the game in modern college athletics, which means Ole Miss is no stranger to new faces. This season, out of 126 total student-athletes on the roster, 58 (46.0%) are brand-new to the Rebel squad. Of those, 31 (24.6%) are new transfers this past spring and summer, and 27 (21.4%) are freshmen signees. Combined with transfers from previous seasons, a total of 51 Rebels (40.5%) have transferred to Ole Miss on the current 2023 roster.

PORTAL COMBAT
For the second straight year, Ole Miss ended up within the top-six of the 247Sports transfer rankings, sitting at No. 3 in the 2023 cycle. A total of 14 Rebel transfers helped contribute to the ranking, including four within 247's top-100 transfers: QB Walker Howard (No. 42), TE Caden Prieskorn (No. 47), CB John Saunders Jr. (No. 86) and LB Monty Montgomery (No. 94). Other notable Rebel transfers contributing to the No. 3 ranking are: OL Victor Curne, WR Zakhari Franklin, CB DeShawn Gaddie Jr., DT Joshua Harris, WR Tre Harris, LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, QB Spencer Sanders, DE Isaac Ukwu, CB Zamari Walton and S Teja Young.

RETURNING STRENGTH
However, Ole Miss does have a strong supply of returning talent foe 2023. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rebels return 66.1 percent of all their total snaps from 2022, in addition to 70.3 percent of their rushing attack and 95.8 percent of their passing game. On the offensive line, Ole Miss returns a formidable veteran group that was on the field of 77.8 percent of all offensive line snaps last season. Where the percentages dip below 60 percent are where Ole Miss has gone out and found reinforcements. Ole Miss returns only 35.9 percent of its receiving output from last year following the departure of key receivers Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath to the NFL, who combined for 111 catches for 1,832 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. But Ole Miss brought in five new receivers, highlighted by Biletnikoff Award watch list members Zakhari Franklin and Tre Harris, as well as freshmen Ayden Williams and Cayden Lee. Ole Miss returns some solid production in the pass rush game on the defensive side of the ball, but went looking hard for replacements across the board. Of the 58 total newcomers on Ole Miss' roster this fall, 32 are on the defensive side of the ball -- including 15 new defensive backs. Ole Miss came away with five veteran senior DBs with previous FBS experience in cornerbacks DeShawn Gaddie Jr. (North Texas) and Zamari Walton (Georgia Tech), and safeties Daijahn Anthony (Liberty), John Saunders Jr. (Miami [OH]) and Teja Young (FAU). Combined among the five of them, they own an impressive total career line at the FBS level of 197 games played, 135 games started, 551 total tackles, 18 interceptions, 85 passes defended and eight forced fumbles.

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 Learfield Sports Network. Ole Miss Football head coach Lane Kiffin and select players will join the broadcast each Thursday throughout the season.

Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Daijahn Anthony

Khari Coleman

Caden Costa

Victor Curne

Jaxson Dart

Cam East

Zach Evans

Ethan Fields

Zakhari Franklin

DeShawn Gaddie Jr.

Joshua Harris

Tre Harris

Zxavian Harris

Malik Heath

Walker Howard

Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste

Cedric Johnson

Quinshon Judkins

Cayden Lee

Jonathan Mingo

Monty Montgomery

Suntarine Perkins

Caden Prieskorn

DeSanto Rollins

Spencer Sanders

John Saunders Jr.

Isaac Ukwu

Zamari Walton

Jordan Watkins

Ayden Williams

Teja Young

The University of Mississippi Athletics