LSU vs Vanderbilt Week 13 Preview

Erik Trosclair • November 22, 2024

Let's get into it!

Date and Time: Saturday, November 23rd, 2024 6:45 PM


Location: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA


Spread: LSU -7.5


O/U: 53.5


TV: SEC Network


LSU and Vanderbilt will be playing for the 33rd time Saturday night. LSU leads the all time series 24-7-1. The 1st meeting between these schools took place in 1902, and Vanderbilt walked away with a 27-5 victory.


Vanderbilt, 6-4, 3-3, will be playing a 7th SEC game this season. The Commodore offense is 15th in the SEC in total yards per game (331.3), 14th in the SEC in passing yards per game (187.2), and 13th in the SEC in rushing yards per game (144.1). Vanderbilt is led by quarterback Diego Pavia. The former New Mexico State Aggie currently ranks 6th in the SEC in QBR, 9th in the SEC in passing yards (1843), and 6th in the SEC in passing TDs (15). Diego has the most rushing yards by a quarterback in the SEC this season (628) and 5 rushing TDs. The leader in the running back room is Sedrick Alexander. Alexander has 125 carries, 470 rushing yards, and 5 rushing TDs. The leading passing catchers for Vanderbilt are tight end Eli Stowers and wide receiver Junior Sherrill. Stowers has 42 receptions, 557 receiving yards, and 4 receiving TDs, and Sherrill has 21 receptions, 331 receiving yards, and 3 receiving TDs. The Vanderbilt defense ranks 12th in the SEC in total yards given up per game (349.1), 12th in the SEC in passing yards given up per game (227.1), and 8th in rushing yards given up per game (122.0). Linebackers Bryan Longwell and Randon Fontenette are the leaders on this defense. Longwell has 63 tackles on the season, and Fontenette has 53 tackles and 6 PBUs this season. The leader on the defensive line is Khordae Sydnor. Sydnor has 4 sacks on the season. The leader in the defensive back room is Martel Hight. Hight has 4 PBUs and 1 INT this season.


LSU, 6-4, 3-3, is heading into a 7th SEC contest. The Tiger offense comes into this game ranked 6th in the SEC in total yards per game (431.9), 2nd in the SEC in passing yards per game (316.3), and 16th (LAST) in the SEC in rushing yards per game (115.6). This offense goes as quarterback Garrett Nussmeier goes. Nuss ranks 5th in the SEC in QBR, 2nd in the SEC in passing yards (3126), 1st in the SEC in completions (262), and tied for 1st in the SEC in passing TDs (22). The Tigers continue to have a two running back approach with Caden Durham and Josh Williams. Durham has 101 carries, 551 rushing yards, 6 rushing TDs, 21 receptions, 219 receiving yards, and 2 receiving TDs on the season. Williams has 81 carries, 319 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, 20 receptions, and 172 receiving yards on the season. Both have made big plays this season for the Tigers. The leading pass catchers for LSU are wide receivers Kyren Lacy, Aaron Anderson, and tight end Mason Taylor. Lacy has 49 receptions, 740 receiving yards, and 7 receiving TDs this season. Anderson has 46 receptions, 713 receiving yards, and 5 receiving TDs this season. Taylor has 49 receptions, 478 receiving yards, and 2 receiving TDs. Lacy, Anderson, and Taylor all rank in the top 8 in the SEC in receptions this season. Lacy and Anderson rank in the top 7 in the SEC in receiving yards and in the top 8 in the SEC in receiving TDs. The Tiger defense comes into this game ranking 13th in the SEC in total yards given up per game (364.5), 10th in the SEC in passing yards given up per game (217.5), and 14th in the SEC in rushing yards given up per game (147.0). The leaders on this defense are linebackers Whit Weeks and Greg Penn III. Weeks is tied for the 3rd most tackles in the SEC this season (93), and GP3 has the 10th most tackles in the SEC this season (70). The leaders on the defensive line are Sai'vion Jones and Bradyn Swinson. Jones has 4.5 sacks this season. Swinson has the 4th most sacks in the SEC this season (8). The leaders in the defensive back room are Ashton Stamps and Zy Alexander. Alexander has 2 INTs this season. Stamps is tied for the 3rd most PBUs in the SEC (9).


KEYS TO THE GAME


- SELF PRIDE - If you are LSU, all you have left to play for is self pride, and nothing is wrong with that. Can you come out Saturday and play LSU football?

- GO DIEGO GO - LSU struggles with a mobile QB. Can they contain Diego Pavia in this one?

- DEATH VALLEY - Tiger Stadium will probably not be packed, but can this team and coaching staff give these fans a worthy performance? Give these fans something to cheer about Saturday night.


This game features 2 exciting returners: Zaivon Thomas leads the SEC in kickoff return yards (443), and Martel Hight leads the SEC in punt return yards (260).


Fun Fact: LSU Co-OC Cortez Hankton was the WR coach at Vanderbilt from 2015-2017. LSU QB AJ Swann played at Vanderbilt the past 2 seasons.


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Tight End Room Outlook: Revamped and Ready To Roll

By Kaden Arkeder • July 4, 2026
The tight end room has some fresh blood and they look poised to be more impactful heading into next season. With the new arrivals of Noah Fant and third round draft pick Oscar Delp the offense will have the ability to play more in multiple tight end sets to create mismatches for the defense. Multiple tight end sets should allow the Saints to improve the run game and conversely the play action game. Playing in tight end heavy sets was something they were unable to do more of last year due to injuries and lack of talent at the tight end position. Mainstay and the only returning starting caliber player is Juwan Johnson. Johnson had a good year last year as one of the few reliable targets in the passing game aside from Chris Olave. Johnson is looking to build on a solid year where he had 77 receptions for 889 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns. He was a security blanket when Rattler was starting and had quite a few big plays when Shough took over as the starting quarterback. With Shough coming into the season as the presumed starter I expect their connection to be even better next season. Someone hoping to have a better connection with a new QB is Noah Fant. Fant was a first round pick back in 2019 with the Broncos but has never quite lived up to his draft status. Fant will be playing on his third team in three years as he seeks to be a quality rotational piece in the offense and find stability for his career here in New Orleans. Fant should be utilized more in the passing game than in the running game but should be able to hold his own when called upon to do his part on run downs. Fant has been on a statistical decline since his time with Denver as his best receiving season came in at 68/670/4 back in 2021. Although his stats have been declining Fant still has plenty to offer with his athleticism and should produce more given a better opportunity. After Fant in the depth chart should be Oscar Delp who could be the x-factor of the tight end room after being selected in the third round of the draft this year. Delp brings a versatile option to the offense as he can lineup in various spots and handle the rigors of blocking in the run game. Delp’s calling card in college was his elite athleticism which jumps off the screen when you watch his tape. He has the ability to turn a five yard catch into an explosive play with how quickly he can get to top speed. Delp is an adequate, willing blocker where like most new tight ends in the league has room to improve in the blocking area of his game. With his versatility and athleticism I believe Delp will play a pivotal role in the offense this upcoming season. With Delp presumed to round out the depth chart at tight end the remaining tight ends will be competing for spots on the practice squad or spots on another team. This group includes Cody Hardy, Treyton Welch, Moliki Matavao, and Zaire Mitchell-Paden. We’ve seen Welch and Matavao from last season fill in admirably after some injuries but are best served as bench options at this point in time in their development. This group of roster hopefuls should hopefully provide some good competition from one another as we progress through training camp and preseason here shortly. Overall this group has a lot more promise heading into this season as it did last year. By getting younger and more athletic the tight ends will play a more prominent role in Kellen Moore’s offense. Whether it’s Juwan building on last season or Fant having a bounce back year or Delp proving to be revelation, the team is going to have plenty of options to choose from to attack the defense. Exactly what this team needed after not having enough last season.

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