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No. 16 Ole Miss football floats by Tulane, 61-21

Bye week ahead. Then, the whale.

NCAA Football: Tulane at Mississippi Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Well, it took a while, but No. 16 Ole Miss (3-0) finally got things going despite a thunderstorm and ran all over the Tulane Green Wave en route to a 61-21 win.

Matt Corral was special, completing 23-of-31 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 68 yards and four more scores on the ground. Corral is the first player to do so in a game in conference history.

The early Heisman frontrunner answered the bell on Saturday night, completing passes to eight different receivers, pacing an Ole Miss offense that scored 61 points and put up 707(!!) total yards.

Tulane was a bit cheeky early on, capitalizing on a few short fields, but the Rebels were able to run 90+ plays and inevitably run circles around the Green Wave on the way to an easy victory.

Dontario Drummond continued his streak of eight-straight games with a touchdown reception, the longest in the country. He ended the night with five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. Jonathan Mingo turned in another solid performance, hauling in six receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown.

The run game, ho hum, continued its dominance, running for 372 yards. Snoop Conner, Jerrion Ealy, and Henry Parrish were the three-headed monster once again, toting it for 211 yards.

Lane Kiffin and Jeff Lebby’s offense set a new Ole Miss record on Saturday, logging 41(!) first downs, good enough for a school record. Not to be out done, Corral scored seven total touchdowns on Saturday, tying Showboat Boykin’s record that was set in 1951.

Seven.

The Rebels were the heavy favorite going into this one and most expected them to handle Tulane. But, this was a whole different level of surgical dissection. Through the first three games, Ole Miss is first in the country in scoring and total offense, sixth in rushing yards, and 12th in passing yards, helping them start 3-0 for the first time since 2015.

This offense is as complete as any that’s been in Oxford. It’s a T-1000 shapeshifting assassin that has not even come close to reaching its peak yet. They still lack a presence at tight end and the playbook is just now getting cracked open.


Now, the attention turns to No. 1 Alabama (3-0) who squeaked by No. 11 Florida on Saturday, 31-29. Ole Miss will have a bye week before heading to Tuscaloosa and head coach Lane Kiffin will be looking to be the first Nick Saban assistant to upend him in a head-to-head contest.

And Lane Kiffin has two weeks to prepare.

Hoo boy. Buckle up.