Masoli too much for Tulane in Mississippi’s 27-13 victory

Mississippi tops Tulane 27-13

NEW ORLEANS — Jeremiah Masoli accounted for 308 yards and two touchdowns, and there was no late-game collapse this time for Mississippi in a 27-13 victory over Tulane on Saturday night.

Brandon Bolden rushed for a 16-yard score and Masoli’s 70-yard touchdown strike to Markeith Summers gave Ole Miss (1-1) a 24-3 lead at halftime.

Mississippi blew a 21-point halftime lead against Jacksonville State a week earlier, but withstood a spirited second half by Tulane (1-1).

Orleans Darkwa’s 1-yard touchdown run helped the Green Wave pull to 24-13 early in the fourth quarter.

Masoli responded with a 61-yard completion to Summers on a rollout, setting up a field goal for the final margin.

Masoli completed 14 of 20 passes for 281 yards and was intercepted once on a tipped pass. He also rushed for 27 yards and a score. Summers finished with five catches for 165 yards.

Linebacker Jonathan Cornell had three sacks for Mississippi, the last of them jarring the ball loose from Tulane quarterback Ryan Griffin on a fourth-down play in the final minutes.

That allowed Ole Miss to kneel on the ball and run out the clock, an ending far different from the frantic overtime finish a week earlier, when Jacksonville State scored on fourth-and-18, and followed that up with a 2-point conversion to complete a shocking double-overtime upset.

There were some similarities early on, however.

Mississippi took command right away by getting in the end zone on its first two possessions.

The first drive started at the Tulane 42 after Jesse Grandy returned the opening kickoff 51 yards. Ole Miss was stopped on third-and-goal from the 1, but Masoli stretched over the goal line on a fourth-down sneak.

Bolden’s 16-yard scoring run capped an 11-play, 78-yard drive on the Rebels’ second possession.

Tulane threatened to pull within a touchdown in the second quarter but settled for a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 2.

The Rebels responded with Bryson Rose’s 41-yard field goal, followed by Summers’ long score shortly before halftime.

Ole Miss had another sluggish second half, including a third quarter in which the Rebels had no net yards of offense.

It didn’t cost them this time, in part because Tulane squandered a drive inside the Ole Miss 10 by fumbling the ball away on an option pitch from Griffin to Payten Jason early in the third quarter.

Griffin finished 21 of 30 for 203 yards, hitting D.J. Banks six times for 85 yards. Darkwa’s touchdown was the fourth for the freshman in two games.

Tulane’s Cairo Santos hit field goals of 19 and 38 yards.