The Preview: LSU Football Hosts the Vanderbilt Commodores in Week 13

Brian Kelly and Co. look to snap a three-game losing skid, take on Diego Pavia and the Commodores on Saturday night.

Nov 16, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly walks onto the field before a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

LSU and Vanderbilt will meet in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 2009 on Saturday Night in Death Valley.

Kickoff is set for 6:55 p.m. CT on the SEC Network and the LSU Sports Radio Network.

The Tigers will be donning alternative uniforms, featuring a white helmet, gold jersey and white pants, with an updated look to the combination LSU wore against the Commodores in 1997, where they escaped with a 7-6 victory.

“I’m well acquainted with Clark (Lea),” said head coach Brian Kelly. “He’s done a great job building this program. 6-4 with great wins over Alabama, Kentucky and Auburn. It’s a tough and physical defense. The offensive structure has changed. Diego Pavia is a tough, hard-nosed player and he is the guy that makes it happen for them.” 

Lea, Vanderbilt’s head coach, previously served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Notre Dame from 2018 to 2020 under Coach Kelly. 

The Tigers have dropped three straight games for the first time since 2021, but the belief remains for a squad looking to get back on solid footing at home on Saturday night. In each loss, LSU has been in the game entering the fourth quarter. The focus will be on finishing games in their final two contests.

“This football team is far from not believing that they can do the job and get the job done,” Kelly said on Monday. “When we talk about tweaking the process, it’s about what’s important right now and shifting their focus on some of the things that will help us close out games.”

The Commodores are led by senior quarterback Diego Pavia, who enters Saturday’s game with 1,843 yards passing and 15 touchdowns this season. He also leads the team in rushing with 628 yards on the ground and five scores. Pavia’s 15 passing touchdowns ranks sixth in the SEC and has been responsible for 124 points this fall.

Eli Stowers has been the main target with 42 receptions for 557 yards receiving and four touchdowns. Junior Sherrill is second in receiving yards with 331 to go along with three touchdowns. On defense, linebacker Bryan Longwell leads the unit with 63 tackles, an interception, and 1.5 sacks. Randon Fontenette has tallied 53 stops with an interception and 3.5 sacks.

“We haven’t played very well the last three weeks,” Kelly said. “(The players) know that. Everybody knows that. Everybody that watches LSU Football knows that. They want to play better football. We want to coach better and we want to play better. They responded (in practice) the way that I thought they would.”

LSU leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt 24-7-1 with the last victory coming in 2020 when Myles Brennan threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns en route to 41-7 win. The last Commodore victory in Baton Rouge came in 1951.

“Our football team is still working to be the best version of themselves,” Kelly said on Thursday. “What we needed to do is win some close games this year. We’ve won a couple, and we’ve lost three. We need to finish these last two.”

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