Vanderbilt - 13, LSU - 12
David Billiot Jr • March 14, 2026
Friday Night Recap
Gut-wrenching. There’s no other way to put it. LSU fought all the way back from a 10-4 deficit to have the game ripped from them at the very last second. They say that the 27th out in baseball is the hardest one to get and tonight, we saw why. If you told Jay Johnson that he could be in that situation with the tying run at 3rd base with 2 outs in the 9th inning and Gavin Guidry on the mound, I can guarantee you that he’d take that scenario 10 out of 10 times. In majority of those times, it would work in the Tiger’s favor, too. Not tonight. Sometimes you have to tip the cap to the other team for making the necessary plays and that’s what happened in the final inning on Friday night. Vanderbilt earned their victory. Not without some help from the LSU pitching staff early in the game, but when it mattered most, the Commadores stepped up. Although we learned a lot about the resilience of the Tigers in game 1 with their willingness to to fight back, we will learn even more about their ability to rebound from a tough loss. There were plenty of silver linings despite the L, which could be huge for the future success of this LSU team.
Pitching
Casan Evans had been on a steady upwards trajectory with his transition from ace bullpen piece to Friday night ace. That trend hit a brick wall tonight. Despite having a lead before stepping on to the mound, Evans was way off from his very first pitch. He walked 3 of the first 4 hitters of the game. Though he was able to strike out two, a two out 2-run single flipped the scoreboard to give Vanderbilt a 2-1 lead. The offense retook the lead, but the struggles remained as the LSU ace gave up another run in the 2nd on walk and a couple of singles. It was more of the same in the 3rd, as Evans continued to battle control problems, allowing another 2 runs on only 1 hit. The free passes were a haunting presence for his entire outing. Surprisingly, he returned for the 4th having already thrown 82 pitches. He’d finish with 83, though, as Braden Holcomb would blast a solo homerun to right center and that would be the end of the night for Casan Evans.
Final line: 3.0 IP / 5 hits / 6 runs / 5 Ks / 5 BBs / 1 HBP / 83 pitches (46 strikes, 55%)
The expectations for Cooper Williams were high coming in to his sophomore season, but he has failed to come even close to them, so far. That continued tonight when he relieved Casan Evans in the 4th inning. He entered with no one out in the inning, but failed to record an out. Williams walked the bases loaded and then started the next hitter with back to back balls and Jay had seen enough. Williams desperately needs to figure it out.
Final line: 0.0 IP / 0 hits / 4 runs / 0 Ks / 4 BBs
Jaden Noot inherited the 2-0 count from Williams and promptly allowed the walk with a few more pitches out of the zone. He followed with back to back outs to get close to being out of the inning, but another walk, then a 2 run single, followed by yet another walk would allow Vanderbilt to extend their lead to 10-4 and that would be all for Noot.
Final line: .2 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 1 K / 2 BB
Although it’s fairly subjective, it’s safe to say that Zac Cowan has been the most disappointing pitcher on LSU’s staff thus far in 2026. Considering how dominant he was for almost all of his 2025 season, the coaching staff had high hopes that they were bringing back a pitcher that could be trusted against anyone on the schedule. With the way some of Cowan’s outings had gone through the first four weeks of the season, he was borderline unable to be trusted against anyone. That changed Friday night. He was marvelous. Looking like the rock solid bullpen piece from a year ago, Cowan mowed through the Commadores lineup, allowing just one baserunner. One single was all that he allowed, while striking out 5 and throwing 73% strikes. As much credit as the offense deserves for fighting back in this game, Cowan deserves just as much for stabilizing things for the staff and allowing the bats to go to work.
Final line: 3.1 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 5 Ks / 0 BBs
Once the Tigers took the lead in the top of the 8th, Jay Johnson turned to Gavin Guidry. The argument could be heard that Cowan may have had more in the tank as he was rolling strong, but we’ve seen Guidry come in to close the final 6 outs of a ballgame before. It’s almost never the wrong move to put the game in his hands. At first, he was proving why. He went 3 up, 3 down in the 8th while striking out two hitters looking. But as I said in the beginning, sometimes you have to tip your cap to the opponent and admit that they beat you. In the 9th, Vanderbilt recorded back to back singles to start the inning. A passed ball then allowed both runners to advance, putting the tying run at 2nd base in a 12-10 ballgame. Guidry was able to record an out, although it was a sacrifice fly that drew the Commadores within a run and top hitter Braden Holcomb coming to the plate. Guidry painted a perfectly executed slider on the outside corner to freeze Holcomb for the second out of the inning, putting LSU just an out away from the comeback win. Unfortunately, an 0-1 slider to Logan Johnstone hung up just a little and the ball took flight in to right center to give Vanderbilt a walk off victory. Guidry just got beat. Plain and simple.
Final line: 1.2 IP / 3 hits / 3 runs / 3 Ks / 0 BBs
Hitting
Moving up in to the leadoff role, Steven Milam acted like he belonged there. He recorded hits in his first three at bats, leading to a 3-6 day with 3 runs scored. Milam has been hitting the ball hard, severely lowering his strikeout rate from 2025. His lone strikeout tonight was only his 4th of the season, showing why concerns of his performance have been largely overblown.
This spot for Jake Brown might as well be written in permanent marker at this point. He finds his way on to the top offensive performer list ever single game and he is year yet again. The 3 run homerun in the 2nd seemed like the perfect opportunity for Casan Evans to settle in and roll, but as we know, the offense would be relied upon for even more. Brown’s final line was 3-5 with 3 RBI, 2 runs scored, a walk, the homerun, and also a double. His third hit came on a beautifully executed drag bunt in the 8th inning, helping get the rally together that eventually took the lead.
Derek Curiel moved down to third in the order with Milam swapping to leadoff. Curiel has been LSU’s best hitter not named Jake Brown and he continued that on Friday. It doesn’t matter where he hits in the lineup, he’s going to just simply…hit. He finished 2-4, which included the 2 run double over the center fielder’s head to pull LSU within a run with a 10-9 deficit. He finished with 3 RBI, 2 runs scored, and also walked.
Cade Arrambide has gone through the bumps on the road as he adjusts to being the primary starting catcher. Both offensively and defensively, LSU has needed him to be better. He was just that on Friday night. His defense was solid, blocking up multiple pitches in the dirt. His 2-4 line with 2 runs scored and a walk further boosted his bounce back game from a rough week or two.
Seth Dardar didn’t get the start, but he entered as a pinch hitter in the 5th inning for Brayden Simpson and delivered what I would say was the biggest swing of the night for the Tigers. With the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 5th, Connor Fennell was very close from escaping without damage, but Dardar ripped a base-clearing double to drive in 3 runs and cut LSU’s deficit in half to 10-7. If he doesn’t come through in that moment, who knows how the rest of the night would have went for the Tigers. He finished 1-3 with that double and the 3 RBI.
Zach Yorke entered the game with a 4 game hitting streak that started in game 1 against Sacramento St. That streak came to an end on Friday, but he did draw 3 walks, which led to a .600 on base percentage.
Last, but certainly not least, is Chris Stanfield, who provided the much needed spark that the lineup had been missing in his absence. In that 9-hole spot in the bottom of the order, his ability to find his way on base is invaluable. He is, essentially, a second lead off hitter. His biggest value in that spot is to be a table setter for the table setters in the top of the lineup and that’s exactly what he did Friday in his first start since opening weekend. Stanfield was 2-4 with a couple of singles, while drawing a walk and scoring twice.
Up Next
LSU will be faced with the enormous task of bouncing back from that heart breaking loss to try and win the next two games and head back to Baton Rouge with an opening SEC weekend series win. The loss dropped the Tigers to 13-6. Cooper Moore (3-1) will take the mound on Saturday with the goal to go deeper in the game and compete to give his team the best chance to win. Vanderbilt improved to 12-7 on the season and will send Wyatt Nadeau to the mound on Saturday night. Nadeau has made 4 appearances thus far, with last Saturday being his only start. He is filling in for Austin Nye in the weekend rotation, who is injured. First pitch between LSU and Vanderbilt will be for 7 pm central on Saturday night.
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The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns suffered another heartbreaking loss on Saturday afternoon, falling 35-31 to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Renasant Stadium in Hattiesburg. Despite holding a lead late in the fourth quarter, UL once again failed to finish a game, allowing Southern Miss to march down the field and score the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining. Louisiana entered the matchup looking to build on its dominant 33-6 victory over Troy last weekend. Instead, the Cajuns delivered one of their most frustrating performances of the season against a Southern Miss team that entered Saturday with just one win. The loss drops Louisiana to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in Sun Belt play, with the chance of reaching the Sun Belt title game now being slim to none. Defense Gets Exposed on the Ground Just one week after putting together arguably its best defensive performance of the season against Troy, Louisiana’s defense took a significant step backward against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles finished with 450 total yards, including a staggering 286 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Southern Miss averaged 6.7 yards per rushing attempt with two rushers running for over 140 yards each, consistently finding success against what a Louisiana defense that struggled to contain the Golden Eagles’ backfield. Running back Steven Robinson finished with 145 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries, scoring all three of his touchdowns in the first half. Jamarice Wilder was just as productive, rushing for 154 yards on only 13 carries, including the 16-yard game-winning touchdown with 58 seconds remaining. For comparison, this same Louisiana defense held Troy to just 126 rushing yards a week ago, who rushed for 437 yards against Southern Miss a couple weeks ago. The difference in performance from that standpoint alone is concerning, especially considering Southern Miss entered the game struggling to find success offensively. What makes the defensive performance even more frustrating is that Southern Miss didn’t necessarily need their explosive passing attack to win. Quarterback Landry Lyddy finished with 164 passing yards and no touchdowns. The Golden Eagles were able to move the football primarily by running it, and Louisiana simply couldn’t find a consistent answer. The Cajuns also struggled to get off the field in important situations. Southern Miss converted four of its seven fourth-down attempts, including a devastating fourth-and-one late in the game when Wilder broke free for 28 yards to set up the winning touchdown. Then the self-inflicted mistakes. In the second quarter, an offsides penalty on Louisiana turned a fourth-and-six into a fourth-and-one, which Southern Miss converted before eventually scoring another touchdown. Jake St. Andre led the Cajuns with 11 tackles and a sack, while Lake Bates finished with a career-high 10 tackles. Kody Jackson added nine tackles and a fumble recovery, but the individual defensive efforts weren’t enough to overcome the unit’s struggles. This defense showed against Troy that it is capable of controlling a football game. Saturday’s performance was a disappointing reminder of just how inconsistent it has been. Passing Game Surges in Second Half, but a Costly Mistake Changes Everything One of the few encouraging developments from Saturday was Louisiana’s improvement through the air in the second half. After throwing for just 70 yards against Troy last weekend, quarterback Lunch Winfield bounced back with a career-high 299 passing yards, completing 22 of 41 attempts with two touchdowns and one interception. The Cajuns started the afternoon in the best way they could, putting together a 13-play, 75-yard opening drive that lasted half a quarter and ended with a five-yard touchdown run from Winfield. The Cajuns defense then forced a three and out and got the ball right back, making it seem like they were on their way to put up a stellar game performance. But that wasn’t necessarily the case. Southern Miss orchestrated a seven-play, 67 yard drive in just three minutes for a touchdown. Louisiana later answered a 14-7 deficit when JJ Garner broke free for a 42-yard touchdown run, tying the game in the second quarter. Then trailing 21-14 late in the first half, Winfield connected with Trenton Chaney for a four-yard touchdown with just 31 seconds remaining, sending the teams into halftime tied at 21. Louisiana eventually took a 28-21 lead late in the third quarter when Winfield found Anthony Reagan Jr. for a 31-yard touchdown. At that point, the Cajuns appeared to have gained control of the game, particularly with the defense holding Southern Miss scoreless throughout the third quarter. Unfortunately, that momentum disappeared early in the fourth. With Louisiana still leading 28-21, Winfield threw an interception that Southern Miss defensive back Kolby Peavy returned 30 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 28 with 10:05 remaining. It was undoubtedly one of the biggest turning points of the afternoon. Instead of forcing Southern Miss to put together another scoring drive, Louisiana handed the Golden Eagles seven points. Winfield deserves credit for making some important throws throughout the game, particularly after the passing game’s struggles against Troy. However, mistakes like that become incredibly difficult to overcome in closely contested conference games. Unfortunately this wasn’t the first time this season, as similar mistakes cost the Cajuns the game against Louisiana Tech a couple weeks ago on the road. Louisiana finished with only 118 rushing yards, its lowest total of the season. Southern Miss came into this game allowing 252 yards per game, the second worst in the country. Garner led the way with 52 yards on seven carries, continuing his streak of five consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. The improvement in the passing game was encouraging, but the Cajuns couldn’t combine that production with the rushing success they had established in previous weeks. Lunch Winfield himself was shut down on the ground by the Golden Eagles, finishing with only seven yards on 13 carries. It’s ever since the USC road game, Winfield has struggled on the ground when on the road, and it was no different on Saturday. Another Fourth-Quarter Collapse The most frustrating part of Saturday’s loss was how Louisiana once again handled the final minutes of a close game on the road. Following Winfield’s interception, the Cajuns responded with an impressive 17-play, 74-yard drive that consumed seven minutes and eight seconds of game clock. Louisiana moved the football all the way to the Southern Miss five-yard line, but the drive stalled after an incomplete pass on third down. Tony Sterner connected on a 22-yard field goal to give the Cajuns a 31-28 lead with 2:51 remaining. While the drive was impressive in terms of controlling possession and moving the football, settling for three points instead of seven proved costly. Southern Miss needed a touchdown to win, and Louisiana’s defense had an opportunity to close out the game. The Golden Eagles marched 75 yards in just eight plays, taking only one minute and 53 seconds off the clock. The Cajuns force fourth down on the Louisiana 44-yard line. With an opportunity to end the drive and essentially secure the victory, the Cajuns allowed Wilder to break free for 28 yards, setting Southern Miss up deep in Louisiana territory. Two plays later, Wilder found the end zone from 16 yards out, giving Southern Miss a 35-31 lead with just 58 seconds remaining. Louisiana had one final opportunity following a 46-yard kickoff return by Ja’Corian Norris, but the offense failed to move the football beyond its own 47-yard line before turning it over on downs. Poor play-calling and offensive execution once again in a late game situation turned another potential victory into another devastating loss. A Frustrating Loss with Bigger Implications The most disappointing takeaway from Saturday isn’t simply that Louisiana lost another close game. It’s that the Cajuns continue to put themselves in positions to win football games, only to come away empty-handed when it matters most. As I kept mentioning, Louisiana suffered a similar loss in Ruston when they lost a heartbreaker to Louisiana Tech 32-31. They were up 31-19 with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs, only to give it up after poor defensive play and poor offensive play calling. Now, the Cajuns have lost another game in the final minute in similar fashion, this time against a Southern Miss team that entered the matchup with a 1-5 record. These are the kinds of games that can ultimately determine whether a team competes for a conference championship or spends the remainder of its season wondering what could have been. And it certainly looks like the latter will be the case. Louisiana will now have to win these last four games, as well as hope that Louisiana Tech loses 3 of their remaining 4 games, in order to make the Sun Belt title game. Knowing the Bulldogs are 4-0 in the Sun Belt and have been playing really good in their first SBC season, it seems unlikely the Cajuns has any chances left. There’s plenty of blame to go around. The defense allowed nearly 300 rushing yards and failed to make critical stops. The offense gave Southern Miss a defensive touchdown and couldn’t finish its final scoring drive in the end zone. Louisiana also went 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts while allowing Southern Miss to convert four of seven. It’s difficult to point to any one mistake as the reason Louisiana lost. The reality is that multiple mistakes throughout the afternoon contributed to an outcome that should have been avoided. Fifth-year head coach Michael Desormeaux in his postgame interview told the media: “We didn’t play well enough to win…Too many mental mistakes and critical errors.” It’s becoming a season of what-ifs, simply put. Unfortunately, we have seen this time and time under head coach Michael Desormeaux. It is leading to a lot of questions and frustration being voiced by the fan base, and rightly so. The fanbase (and the program) needs more than just another bowl game appearance, and assuming things go the way they’re projected to go, unfortunately it won’t be that way once again this season. Louisiana will have a much-needed bye week before returning home to face South Alabama on November 7 at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. The extra week provides an opportunity to address the mistakes that have continued to cost this team. But at some point, those corrections have to translate into results on the field. Saturday wasn’t a game Louisiana lost because Southern Miss was overwhelmingly more talented. It was a game the Cajuns had multiple opportunities to win and simply failed to finish. And unfortunately, that’s becoming an all-too-familiar story this season.
The Saints lost in Paris today. They look lost on the field and the organization from the top down appears lost. The Saints for all of their supposed effort and emphasis on this international game did not show up ready once again to play their opponent. It was once again an embarrassing showing by the offense after many hoped they could carry over their offensive success from last week against the Giants. This game despite the score was not all that close. If it was not for a bad play from Jalen Ramsey against DeVaughn Vele on his TD catch the Saints would not have gotten into the endzone at all today. The complete incompetence of the Saints run game is so astonishing there are so many things you could say but they are all tired at this point. It is nothing new for this team. The simple fact of finding some success last week to then having the worst performance this season but also the NFL’s worst performance in four years speaks to just how bad the coaching and execution of the run game is for the Saints. There is too much being asked of a second year QB with a broken hand to carry this offense and the Saints are failing him by putting him in this position. The ineptitude is not just on offense though. The defense today could not stop the run once again and continue to be one of the worst run defending teams in the NFL. On third down the Saints routinely could not get off the field and allowed the Steelers to drive the ball, chewing up the clock all day long. It felt like the only time the Saints could get a stop was when Chase Young and Carl Granderson were able to get to the quarterback today. Then there were the plays where the coverage just made no sense. When you have Jonas Sanker playing man coverage deep against DK Metcalf you are doing something wrong as a defensive playcaller. It’s not just a one off issue as the Steelers scored their touchdown to Darnell Washington because of the simple size advantage given to them by having Kool Aid in coverage. Cameron Jordan was in coverage down the field the other week. These types of situations cannot happen if you want to be a competitive football team which the Saints just are not anymore. Heading into the bye change is needed for this organization. The status quo is not good enough as fans' patience has reached its limit for this regime. Fans do not want to hear or watch the same story every week and feel apathetic towards their football team but that is exactly what the Saints are doing to their fans. This coaching staff does not have the answers needed to even show the needed signs of improvement to even consider wanting to give them more time. But the front office and Mickey Loomis are just as much to blame for the sad state of affairs the Saints find themselves in. Regime change is needed for the Saints to get where they want to be but until Gayle Benson makes those changes the Saints will continue to be lost.