The Early Predictions: LSU Football vs. Vanderbilt Commodores in Week 13 Matchup

Brian Kelly and Co. enter Saturday night as heavy favorites in Death Valley. Can the Tigers snap the losing skid?

Courtesy of LSU Football.

The LSU Tigers will return to Death Valley on Saturday night with an opportunity to get back in the win column against the Vanderbilt Commodores with kickoff set for 6:45 p.m. CT.

Brian Kelly and Co. have dropped three consecutive Southeastern Conference matchups to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida, and with postseason goals out the window, how will the program respond in Week 13?

“We have to finish games, and that's something that we haven't done," LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell said on Tuesday. "And it's not a coaching problem. It's not a scheme. It's none of that. It's us. We have to be able to do the little things right, and when you don't, you don't deserve to win, quite frankly."

Now, all focus has shifted towards Saturday night in Tiger Stadium with Campbell and Co. looking to end the season on a high note.

Here's a look into Campbell's thoughts on the 2024 season and an early prediction for the Week 13 contest against Vanderbilt:

The Game Information: LSU Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

• Time: 6:45 PM CT
• Date: Saturday, Nov. 23
• Venue: Tiger Stadium
• TV Channel: SEC Network

The Current Betting Lines: LSU Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

*(All odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook)*

Spread:
- LSU: (-7.5)
- Vanderbilt: (+7.5)

Moneyline:
- LSU: (-298)
- Vanderbilt: (+240)

Over/Under: 53.5

The LSU Tigers are currently a 7.5-point favorite heading into the Week 13 clash. A line that hovered around the nine-point mark a week ago, Vegas is still leaning towards the Tigers as the favorites on Saturday night.

Will Campbell's Thoughts on LSU's 2024 Season:

Campbell's Message: Finish Strong

"If you don’t win a championship here, it’s a failure. And I agree with that. But we still have a lot to play for. I mean, 6-6 is a lot worse than 8-4, so we have to go win two more games. Everybody else can doubt us. But we know what we have to do to finish this year the right way and get into a good bowl game. That’s the bottom line."

LSU held a players-only meeting led by Garrett Nussmeier, Josh Williams, Greg Penn + Will Campbell.

The message was clear: Lock in, keep your chin up and finish strong.

Will Campbell: “If we want to win, we have to do the little things right for four straight quarters.” pic.twitter.com/JWtWJ4keMO

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) November 20, 2024

Campbell's Perspective on Run-Game Woes:

"Lack of communication upfront between the five guys. We’re given the looks. It’s just something that we have to handle in the game. The coaches have put us in the right positions. It’s up to us now."

Locker Room Morale:

"This isn't just me. You work from January to win. We lost to A&M and had a bye week, so we're going on our fifth week and it feels like we've got a cloud over our head that we have to remove ourselves. It's nothing that anybody on Twitter can say that's going to make it any better or whatever everybody's narrative wants to be."

The Early Prediction: Vanderbilt: +7.5

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the Tigers have struggled offensively down the stretch this season with the playcalling becoming one-dimensional.

There's been a lack of success in the rushing attack, which has made LSU fall back on Nussmeier's arm to carry significant weight in the passing game.

The Bayou Bengals averaged a whopping 36.5 points per game during their winning streak earlier this year, 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. It's been a flat out brutal stretch offensively.

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.

The average air yards per completion: 3.3 (100th) - which has crushed the explosive play ability of the LSU offense.

Pair LSU's offensive struggles with Vanderbilt dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia coming to town, and it's a recipe for disaster on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

Pavia leads the Commodores in passing yards and rushing yards (628) on the season on his way to becoming one of the more effective mobile signal-callers in the Southeastern Conference.

Despite offensive woes and Pavia's legs looking to do damage, LSU's personnel is that much better than Vanderbilt. LSU is a 7.5-point favorite and will likely get the victory, but LSU Tigers On SI believes Vanderbilt can cover.

Look for LSU to escape in a close one with the Tigers getting back on track in a 31-27 victoy in Death Valley.

LSU will return to action on Nov. 23 against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Tiger Stadium with kickoff set for 6:45 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.