LSU Football vs. Vanderbilt Commodores: Start Time, TV Channel and Game Information
The LSU Tigers will lace up their cleats in Death Valley on Saturday night in another prime time Southeastern Conference showdown with the Vanderbilt Commodores heading to town.
The Bayou Bengals will look to get back on track after consecutive losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida.
Now, it's about continuing to fight in order to finish the 2024 season on a high note.
“Do you want to fight or not? Do you want to fight and take responsibility as coaches and players that we’re not playing well. We’re struggling right now. It’s life," Brian Kelly said on Saturday. "It’s a myriad of things but it’s a reflection of what life’s about. There’s a rough spot here that we have to fight through. We got to do it together.
"So, if you’re not a thumb pointer, if you’re not someone who continues to work to be better, then we don’t have a place for you in the last couple of weeks. But if you want to fight and keep working to get better, then we’re going to be alongside you. At the end of the day, it’s about overcoming adversity and fighting through these last two games that are at home that we desperately want to win.”
A look into the Week 13 game information and how LSU's offense can shift gears for immediate improvement heading into a clash against Vanderbilt:
The Game Information: LSU Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
- Time: 6:30 PM CT
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 23
- Venue: Tiger Stadium
- TV Channel: SEC Network
Struggles on Offense Plaguing the Tigers:
The LSU Tigers' offense came into the 2024 season clicking on all cylinders, and despite a hiccup in Week 1, the program bounced back with Garrett Nussmeier at the helm.
Nussmeier and Co. rode a six-game winning streak after the season opening loss to Southern Cal with the Tigers flourishing through the air.
The Bayou Bengals averaged a whopping 36.5 points per game during the winning streak, but over the course of the last three games, the script has been flipped.
LSU has managed only 17.3 points per game over the last three contests against Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida.
The run game has been a struggle all year, but Nussmeier and the receiving corps picked up the slack in with the passing attack. Now, with the weight on the passing game's shoulders, the lack of rushing attack has been felt drastically.
Over the past three games, the Tigers rank 92nd in sacks per dropback (7.1%), 113th in turnover rate (3.0%), 120th in success rate (35.5%) and 122nd in percentage of plays gaining zero or negative yards (39.0%). All statistics according to ESPN.
Nussmeier, who has been well-known for his ability to push the ball down the field with impressive deep shots, is almost exclusively throwing short passes.
The average air yards per completion: 3.3 (100th) - which has crushed the explosive play ability of the LSU offense.
Against the Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon, the Bayou Bengals' success rate was as low as it was against Ole Miss (34.8%), but unlike against the Rebels, the explosive plays couldn't bail them out down the stretch. LSU averaged just 4.3 yards per play, easily their lowest mark of the season.
"Everybody is working and putting in the time and the head coach has to be part of that as well. Whether it’s a business or football coaching, you can’t sit there and say it’s the coordinators. The head coach is ultimately responsible for the success of his football team and we’re not successful these last three weeks. You got to get involved.
"Obviously, I wasn’t good enough [in Week 12]. We’re going to go back to work and look at the things we need to get better at. We’re going to keep swinging. We’re going to have 22 guys out there that are going to fight for LSU and play hard these last two weeks at home.”
LSU came out the gate firing on all cylinders through the first seven weeks of the season, but over the last three games, it's been an entirely different team.
LSU has been outscored 100-35 over the last 10 quarters with the program scoring only three touchdowns on their last 27 drives.
LSU will return to action on Nov. 23 against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Tiger Stadium with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
More LSU News:
Paul Finebaum: LSU, Brian Kelly in a "Really Bad Spot" Moving Forward
LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America
Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season
Join the Community:
Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.