Ole Miss emerged victorious over Tulane, 41-10, in the opening round of the College Football Playoffs on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. The No. 6 Rebels breezed past the No. 11 Green Wave, arranging a quarterfinal clash with No. 3 Georgia on January 1, 2026.
The big win, however, did not come without a cost. Running back Kewan Lacy sustained a left shoulder injury during the sixth drive of the game. Although he returned in the third quarter, the injury appeared to have affected his play for the remainder of the game.
Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy’s CFP Performance Hampered by Bruised Left Shoulder
During a post-game interview, Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding confirmed Lacy’s injury was a bruised left shoulder and will be further evaluated over the weekend.
“Yeah, he banged his shoulder up. Obviously he came back in the game and fought through that. We’ll address it here going forward, but he went back in the game and it’s a bruised shoulder,” Golding said.
The sophomore running back looked like a man possessed in the opening minutes of the game, rushing for a 20-yard touchdown on his first touch to give the Rebels an early lead.
Building on this momentum, Lacy then picked up a 30-yard gain after an interception, setting up Ole Miss at Tulane’s 30-yard line and allowing the Rebels to extend their advantage to 14-0.
Lacy was injured following a seven-yard catch on Ole Miss’s sixth drive. After entering the medical tent, he was cleared and later reentered the game in the third quarter. However, the injury visibly hampered his play as he gained 20 more yards before returning to the locker room early in the fourth quarter.
MORE: Pete Golding Downplays Lane Kiffin Disruption as Ole Miss Dominates Tulane
Lacy, ranked seventh on PFSN’s College Football RBi, finished with 87 rushing yards on 15 carries and one touchdown. He also had a reception for seven yards against Tulane that could have been more had he not sustained the injury. This season, the 5’11” Â running back has recorded 1,279 yards on 258 carries with 20 touchdowns in 12 games, plus 25 receptions for 154 yards.
Lacy and Ole Miss advanced to the CFP quarterfinals, where they’ll take on No. 3 seed Georgia on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl. This is the first time either SEC power has faced the other in the postseason.
In 49 games, the Bulldogs hold a 34-14-1 all-time record against Ole Miss since 1940, including five neutral-site matches.
Lacy Earns First Team All-American Honors
The Football Writers Association of America recognized Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy’s standout performance this season, earning him the first-team All-American honors.
Lacy, who made history after becoming the first Doak Walker Award finalist from Ole Miss, also secured second-team awards from the Associated Press, AFCA, The Sporting News, Walter Camp, and Sports Info Solutions.
The running back also earned first-team All-SEC distinction from both the Associated Press and the league coaches.
His 20 rushing touchdowns broke the previous single-season record of 16 set by Quinshon Judkins in 2022. Lacy has a chance to extend that record on New Year’s Day against Georgia if he’s healthy.
Kickoff is set at 8 p.m. ET at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, with ESPN covering the game on live television.
