When Jon Sumrall walked into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for his last game as Tulane’s head coach, he carried a heavy heart. The 43-year-old had lost his father just 48 hours earlier, and the emotional weight showed. Any hope of a fitting farewell faded as the Green Wave fell 41–10 to Ole Miss. Overwhelmed by grief and disappointment, Sumrall laid bare his emotions after the game.

“It’s been hard. I’m not going to deny it,” Sumrall said post-game. “I called my mom Friday morning at about, I don’t know, 6 a.m. or whatever time to go to, while I was driving to the office. She picked up, and she said, ‘Jon, I was going to call you in about an hour, but Dad passed last night.’

My dad had been facing some struggles for a while. And my mom’s tough as nails, and I said, ‘Mom, you don’t have to come to the game, but I’d love to have you there. If you want to be there, you make the call.’ She said, ‘I’m not missing the game.’ So, Mom’s here tonight. I’m a lot of who I am because of how he raised me. And I can smile knowing that I’m gonna live a life that’s gonna honor my dad.”

Sumrall explained that his father, George, had some health problems, which got severe in March this year. Despite this, George was front and center and attended Tulane’s 34-21 win over North Texas in the American Athletic Conference championship two weeks ago. Sumrall’s father was even present in Gainesville, Florida, where Jon was formally announced as Florida’s coach.

That’s why for his final appearance as Tulane HC, Jon’s brother, mother, and wife were there in support. Just two days ago, Jon shared the unfortunate news of his father’s passing via X.

“God gave us more time with my Dad than we thought we would get. He left this Earth last night with my Mom by his side in the house my brother Joe and I grew up in,” Jon shared with a couple of pictures.

George Sumrall spent much of his career working for the U.S. Department of Defense, but his most important role was always being there for his son. He never missed one of Jon’s games until this past season, when health issues finally kept him away. Jon described his father as a “fighter” and said the family is deeply grateful for the extra time they were given. Those moments meant everything.

George Sumrall did get to see what has been the biggest season so far of his son’s career. Jon led the Green Waves to a combined 19-7 record over the past two seasons. His expertise has now landed him a top-tier job as the Florida Gators head coach. But now, when Sumrall starts this new SEC chapter of his life, he won’t have his dad, George, by his side. But his father’s teachings will always be by his side.

Sumrall said his father taught him everything that mattered: “faith, grit, hard work, attitude, and service.”

The second meeting had the same mistakes

This CFP first-round matchup felt like the same story as back in September. On September 20th in Oxford, Ole Miss steamrolled the Green Wave 45–10. This time, the story wasn’t much different, as the Rebels once again dropped 41 points and took control early. Just like the first time, Ole Miss set the tone from the very beginning. The Rebels ripped off quick, chunk-yardage drives right out of the gate.

Running back Kewan Lacy opened the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown run to make it 7–0. Tulane didn’t help itself, especially with ball security. In the CFP game alone, quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw a costly interception and lost two fumbles. All of which directly led to Ole Miss points. After one of those turnovers, the Rebels needed just four plays to go 60 yards, with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss finishing the drive on a 4-yard touchdown run.

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Less than eight minutes in, Ole Miss was already up 14–0. Retzlaff finished the day 20-of-35 for 306 yards, but the numbers didn’t tell the full story. Tulane’s defense tried a lot, yet containing Ole Miss’ offense was a constant struggle. Chambliss was especially tough to deal with, repeatedly escaping the pockets and extending plays. Even after some midgame adjustments, the Green Wave couldn’t find a steady answer for a Rebels scheme that Jon Sumrall said looked “structurally similar” to the first matchup.

Offensively, Tulane moved the ball. The team racked up 421 total yards, but stalled when it mattered most. Red-zone issues and failed fourth-down attempts kept points off the board, leaving the Green Wave with just 10 points despite decent production between the 20s.