Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin turned his attention to the Rebels' upcoming opponent, Tulane, in his Monday press conference. The Rebels will take on the Green Wave at 2:30 CT inside of Vaught Hemingway stadium this Saturday. Kiffin had words of praise for the Tulane team and their head coach Jon Sumrall.
Kiffin agrees that the Tulane is a good football and will pose a test for his group of Rebels. He had this to say on Monday, "They play really hard defense…. play really physical….really really really good team." It is clear that the Ole Miss coach is not take the lower conference opponent lightly. He also commented on Sumrall, "One of the better coached teams in the whole country."
Tulane is currently 3-0 and are receiving votes in the AP poll. They already dispatched two other Power-4 opponents this season. They dismantled the Big Ten's Northwestern to start the season and beat Duke out of the ACC last week. The Green Wave now sets their sights on the SEC, and they should present a strong challenge for Ole Miss.
The Green Wave has been one of the better and more consistent group of five programs in recent years. That started under now Houston head coach Willie Fritz but has continued since Jon Sumrall got to New Orleans.
Tulane made headlines late in the summer when former BYU QB Jake Retzlaff announced his transfer to Tulane following his suspension from the BYU program. Retzlaff threw nearly 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last year and added 400 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground.
So far this season, he has thrown for more than 500 yards and is yet to throw an interception. He has also rushed for 6 touchdowns in his first 3 games for the Green Wave. Kiffin talked about the impact that addition has had on their team, "things have changed a lot with them…he’s one of the best players in America.”