LSU is back in Death Valley on Saturday night, hosting Vanderbilt in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 2009.
The Tigers are coming off three straight losses and need this one to get back on track. In the summer, when we looked at the schedule, this one didn’t draw much attention. LSU usually has its way with Vanderbilt — a team usually at the bottom of the SEC.
But this Vandy team is different. The Commodores have turned a corner in year four under head coach Clark Lea. QB Diego Pavia provided an offensive spark and Vanderbilt notched wins over Alabama, Virginia Tech, and Auburn.
LSU last met Vanderbilt in 2020 during the COVID season. LSU cruised to a victory behind a strong performance from RB John Emery. LSU took a trip to Nashville in 2019 too. Joe Burrow and company did what you would expect that team to do against Vanderbilt — put up 63 points.
It’s been a few years since the programs have faced, so today, we’ll look at five things LSU fans should know about Vanderbilt before the game on Saturday night.
Offense uses option attack
Vanderbilt remodeled its offense in 2024. Adding Pavia helped, but the scheme works to make the most of Vandy’s limited talent.
“You’ve got to defend the running game,” Kelly said, “It’s really triple-option in a lot of ways.”
“I think you have to have a different mindset when you go against this offense. This is truly assignment-oriented football, and you have to be disciplined,” Kelly said.
Not counting sacks, Pavia has 718 rushing yards on the year. That leads all SEC quarterbacks and so does his average of 3.56 yards after contact. Explosive runs are rare, but few QBs are better at getting a few yards when it’s needed.
This isn’t an exclusive option attack. Vanderbilt can spread it out and throw it too, but the offense works best when it’s centered around the run game. Even if the Commodores aren’t doing it on the ground, it helps set up the aerial attack.
LSU has struggled to play disciplined defense in recent weeks and Vandy will look to take advantage of that.
Defense must stop the run — because it can’t stop the pass
According to GameOnPaper.com, Vanderbilt’s defense ranks 55th in rushing success rate allowed. That puts Vandy above average, especially given some of the offenses it’s faced. They allow the occasional explosive run, but the Dores stuff opponents 20% of the time.
Clark Lea’s team held Texas to just 104 rushing yards on 34 carries. A strong Auburn rushing attack averaged only 3.0 yards per carry. It’s not a good matchup for an LSU team that’s inconsistent on the ground, but LSU will count on a decided talent advantage win up front.
Vanderbilt must stop the run to win because this is a defense that can’t stop the pass. Opponents complete over 67% of against the Commodores and the unit ranks 105th in yards per pass allowed. That gives LSU’s passing attack a chance to get back on track, but the same thing was said heading into the Florida game.
Head coach Clark Lea worked for Brian Kelly
Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea is a former assistant of Brian Kelly’s, having worked on Kelly’s staff at Notre Dame.
Lea served as the linebackers coach in 2017 and was promoted the defensive coordinator in 2018, replacing Mike Elko. Lea coordinated three top 15 units at Notre Dame. In 2019 and 2020, the Fighting Irish ranked top 10 nationally in scoring defense.
Kelly already faced Elko earlier this year, coming up short in College Station. He’ll look to make it 1-1 over former assistants in 2024 with a win over Vanderbilt.
The offense is not explosive
While Vanderbilt presents a challenging option attack, it rarely leads to explosive plays. The Commodores rank in the sixth percentile nationally when it comes to 20-yard play rate. Their 10-yard rushing rate is in the 8th percentile and the 20-yard passing rate sits 31st percentile.
Vanderbilt typically doesn’t threaten with the big play. That’s good news for an LSU defense that struggles to prevent chunk yardage plays.
Vandy makes up for it by playing good situational football. Vanderbilt ranks 19th nationally in third down conversion rate and 12th in red zone scoring rate. Without the explosive play, Vanderbilt can still force defenses to bend. LSU needs to make sure it doesn’t break by getting off the field on third down and creating negative plays in the red zone.
Players to know
TE Eli Stowers
According to PFF, the only SEC pass catcher with a better receiving grade than Stowers is Ole Miss‘ Tre Harris. Stowers is the best tight end in the SEC and he’s Vandy’s go-to go in big moments. Vanderbilt is creative in getting Stowers involved and LSU will have to keep an eye on No. 9 at all times.
S Randon Fontenette
With 20 stops on the year, Fontenette ranks third among SEC safeties. Fontenette was a four-star recruit who began his career at TCU. Vandy doesn’t have many blue-chips, making him one of the most talented players on the roster.
DL 53 Glenn Seabrooks III
I talked about Vanderbilt needing to stop the run and it starts up front. Defensive tackle Glenn Seabrooks is one of the best run defenders on this defense and he’ll look to take advantage of an interior LSU offensive line that is struggling.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Five things LSU fans should know about Vanderbilt
