Ole Miss was able to beat Tulane, 37-20, proving that this offense might be able to match the production of the best SEC offenses.
How were they able to beat one of the best non-power-five teams in college football and what can they carry over towards their later in-conference matchups?
No. 3 reason Ole Miss beat Tulane: Dayton Wade
Dayton Wade was able to have an amazing game which included this amazing catch in the fourth quarter. Not only was this an amazing catch but it came at a very critical time in the game as Ole Miss was only up by three.
Even though Tulane offense didn't rise to the occasion in the fourth quarter, Ole Miss still needed someone to set up with amazing play. Wade was able to do it.
He also ended up going for 107 yards on six catches. On a day when the passing offense was able to succeed, a lot of credit should go to the leading receiver. This was really important due to the fact that the rushing attack was not good during this game for the Rebels. With that in mind, the third spot on this list goes to Dayton Wade.
No. 2 reason Ole Miss beat Tulane: Lack of Michael Pratt
It's quite clear that Tulane would have won this game if Pratt had been healthy. The passing offense for Tulane just didn't seem right at times during this game. This was evident in the second half of this game where Tulane was struggling to keep up with Ole Miss.
Kai Horton was a suitable backup but it really seemed like if Pratt was healthy if only for the fourth quarter that the Green Wave would have won this game. An example of this is when Horton fell short of the first down marker on a fourth and two after rushing for one yard.
While it is unclear how Pratt would have done in that specific situation, it felt like through that entire drive that Tulane was scrapping for yards. With their star QB the offense is most likely having major successes rather than just scrapping for yards. It really is a shame due to the fact Tulane had a chance to possibly go undefeated if they were able to win this game.
Yes, upsets happen but the Green Wave should be favorites for the rest of their games going forward.
No. 1 reason Ole Miss beat Tulane: Fourth quarter offense
The Ole Miss Rebels were able to score 20 points in the fourth quarter of this game. Jaxson Dart was on fire late in the fourth quarter of this game carrying the offense to 13 points.
As mentioned before, the running game for Ole Miss wasn't really existent in this game. Still, Ole Miss was able to light up the scoreboard and chug ahead when Tulane couldn't really get their act together.
Ole Miss didn't really finish in the fourth quarter of this game but they were able to produce. The same cannot be said for Tulane's offense which was unable to convert fourth downs and overall were not able to move the chains. This was the difference and the reason that Ole Miss was able to win the game.
