Perfect opportunity? Tulane hoping to get to 4-0 at Ole Miss in matchup of unbeatens

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Potentially catching Ole Miss at the perfect time in between Southeastern Conference home games against Arkansas and LSU, Tulane has to make sure it is emotionally and physically ready to maximize that advantage.

Nearly a two-touchdown underdog to the No. 13 Rebels in a matchup of 3-0 teams, the Green Wave already has expended plenty of energy entering its final nonconference game, which is why coach Jon Sumrall shortened practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before moving Thursday's walk-through to the air conditioning of the Caesars Superdome.

While almost every other team in the country feasted on at least one cupcake, Tulane faced Northwestern of the Big Ten, went through the stress of defending a tying two-point conversion attempt in the final minute at South Alabama, and upended Duke and former Wave quarterback Darian Mensah in a charged atmosphere at sold-out Yulman Stadium.

"We've got some bumps and bruises that we have to be mindful of," Sumrall said. "While it takes what it takes to be prepared, the most important thing is making sure our guys are fast and fresh and in the most advantageous position from an availability, health and freshness standpoint. We haven't had a game like a lot of people have where your backups are playing at halftime."

The challenge is immense even though Ole Miss will go with backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss for the second week in a row in place of injured starter Austin Simmons, according to a report by Chris Low of ON3. Chambliss, a transfer who arrived after spring practice from Division II national champion Ferris State, completed 21 of 29 passes for 353 yards and ran 15 times for 62 yards and two scores in the Rebels' 41-35 win against Arkansas.

Ole Miss is 17-0 in nonconference regular-season games under coach Lane Kiffin. All but one of the victories were by double digits, and the Rebels scored at least 40 points 11 times.

Tulane has lost 13 in a row to SEC opponents since winning at Mississippi State 32-29 in 2006 and has not beaten a ranked SEC team since No. 19 Vanderbilt in 1984. Its last venture to Vaught Hemingway Stadium turned into a thunderstorm-delayed, 61-21 debacle at the end of its Hurricane Ida-forced evacuation to Memphis in 2021.

"Ole Miss has talent all over the field," Sumrall said. "We've got to play the best we've played all year to have a chance to win. It's daunting when you look at the tape and see the athletes and all the things they do that stress you."

It should not be a stress-free day for Ole Miss, either. Wave quarterback Jake Retzlaff has run for more than 100 yards in two of the first three games, and the Rebels allowed 115 yards rushing to Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green last Saturday. Retzlaff also had his most efficient passing day against Duke, completing 15 of 23 for 245 yards. After two quiet games to start the year, wideout Shazz Preston caught three passes for 95 yards, including a season-long 63-yarder.

Preston, a primo recruit who signed with Alabama but did not catch a pass there in two years, is looking forward to getting his first real crack at an SEC team.

"It's a little motivation for me because I came from the SEC and didn't get the opportunity I wanted," he said. "I guess I'll put the fuel to the fire. It's a great statement game for us just to put our name out there and play to our best ability."

Retzlaff, who faced four ranked teams while helping BYU finish 11-2 last season, will not be intimidated by the environment. Center Jack Hollifield feels the same way after spending three years at Virginia Tech from 2021-23.

"I love big games and big atmospheres," he said. "We (Virginia Tech) weren't good all the time, but the atmosphere is awesome. You want to shut up that big crowd noise and make big plays and score touchdowns. When the away team came and did that at Tech, they totally took away our crowd."

Sumrall prepared the Wave for what it will experience by piping in crowd noise for Tuesday's practice at an incredibly high decibel -- likely enough to irritate the easily disturbed neighbors around Yulman Stadium.

"I was telling somebody today, there's no way it's going to be that loud (in Oxford)," Hollifield said. "I've had a lot of practices with crowd noise going before away games, but I've never had anything that loud. It's only going to help us. If it is that loud there, we've worked on it."

The Wave also is working on finishing stronger. South Alabama and Duke scored two late touchdowns to make the final score much closer than it needed to be in the past two weeks. Tulane managed only three points in the second half of its 23-3 win against Northwestern.

A three-quarter effort will not be good enough against Ole Miss, a point Sumrall drove home early during the Tuesday practice.

"I let them know if this is how we are going to roll, we are going to get our (butt) beat," he said. "We have to be dialed in. The thing I fear is complacency and everybody telling our players how good we are. We beat a team last week by seven points and the week before that we beat a team by two points and the week before that we scored a field goal in the second half. Wow. So good. We better wake up."

He liked what he saw the rest of the week. Now it is a matter of translating that performance to the field.

"It's a real big opportunity against a ranked team from one of the biggest conferences in college football," nickelback TJ Smith said. "We need to step forward and put a good image out there for Tulane."