In the last five seasons of college football, the Tulane Green Wave have faced off against the Ole Miss Rebels twice – and lost both contests.

As the Green Wave prepare for the third matchup since 2021 this Saturday in Oxford, Miss., they’ll enter the stadium with a lot more respect than previous contests.

When Tulane faced off against Ole Miss in Vaught Hemingway Stadium in 2021, they didn’t really have a fair shake with circumstances, and the team was in a different stratosphere than this year’s squad.

The 61-21 loss Sept. 18, 2021, came on the end of a multiweek evacuation for Hurricane Ida in which the Green Wave were in a hotel mid-renovation in Birmingham, Al., since the storm hit on Aug. 29.

The players were using weights from a local fitness center and their nutrition consisted mostly of Uber Eats as they headed to take on an SEC squad on their home turf (technically grass). It was already an uphill battle that became insurmountable and quickly snowballed into a 2-10 finish for that year’s team.

When Tulane got a rematch at home in Yulman Stadium two years and a Cotton Bowl win later, starting quarterback Michael Pratt was ruled out of the matchup. Kai Horton performed solidly in his place, but the what-ifs from a close game the 37-20 final score didn’t indicate still remain.

In the week of radio spots ahead of that 2023 matchup, it was clear that the Rebels’ media didn’t really fear the Green Wave. That changed by the end of regulation as Tulane put up a considerable fight, especially in the trenches.

The week of radio appearances heading up to this Saturday felt decidedly different – the Green Wave earned SEC respect.

Now, it’s time to put that to the test with a squad at full strength. Tulane won’t be heading to Oxford off the heels of a multi-week evacuation or sans starting quarterback.

This is a team that has a chance to put it all together on a national stage.

And it’s a fair chance; that’s all you can hope for.

As Sumrall pointed out on Tuesday in the media session with reporters, they’re up against the seventh winning program in the nation, the third winningest in the SEC behind Georgia and Alabama, and the current No. 13 team in college football.

It’s a tall hill to climb this Saturday. Not one matchup between these two teams in the last five years has featured the same quarterback under center for either the Green Wave or Ole Miss.

It’s not entirely clear which quarterback will debut for the Rebels. But Tulane is poised to march into their home stadium with a quarterback that can win in Jake Retzlaff, and a team that finally has a chance to hit Ole Miss with their best shot.