By Hunt Palmer
I’ve said for years that the best two words in SEC football scheduling are “at Vanderbilt.”
Your fans get a great trip to Nashville and good seats in a tiny stadium. Your teams gets a free win on the road in a league where those are tough to come by. Everyone is happy.
Then Clark Lea and Diego Pavia ruined it.
The Commodores knocked Alabama off and played Texas close last year. Now they’re 5-1 and ranked in the top 20…and FAVORED against LSU.
What looked like a sure-fire win now looks like a fight that LSU will have to be ready for at 11:00 a.m. local time in Music City. Here are three matchups to watch between the Tigers and Commodores.
LSU’S YOUNG DEFENDERS VS. VANDERBILT’S OPTION OFFENSE
Tim Beck has masterfully crafted an offense to play to Vanderbilt’s strengths and away from a perceived talent disadvantage in most league games.
The Commodores play very, very slowly ranking 118th in plays per game and in the top 50 in time of possession. They limit snaps but make the most of them. Vanderbilt leads the country in yards per carry at 6.5 and ranks 19th in total offense.
Vandy RB Crossface Shovel Pass
So nice they ran it twice! pic.twitter.com/V7ocn3xBUB
— Danny Schaechter 🏝️🏈🐾 (@CoachDShack) October 4, 2025
Pavia is not the biggest or the fastest, but he’s in control of what the Commodores want to accomplish. He’s deliberate and patient. Vanderbilt wants to rock you to sleep, and they will have some fairly young LSU defenders in the front seven to work on. Whit Weeks is questionable. If he doesn’t play, Davhon Keys and Tylen Singleton are likely to see more time. At edge, Gabriel Reliford is out, and Jimari Butler is questionable. That means Dylan Carpenter will see an expanded role behind Jack Pyburn and Patrick Payton. Bernard Gooden is doubtful, so that means Ahmad Breaux, Dominick McKinley and even freshman Walter Mathis will see time.
Talent is not the issue there. It’s experience.
Vanderbilt lives to try to bore the defense with four and five yard runs to set up third and short where you get another short run for a first down. That’s why they’re 2nd nationally in third down conversions at 58%.
Shovel passes, option keepers, misdirection. Vanderbilt does it all. LSU’s younger defenders will have to play well at the point of attack. There’s not much doubt the cornerbacks and safeties will hold their own.
LSU’S INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE VS. VANDERBILT’S INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE
LSU has the advantage on the perimeter. Alabama threw for 340 on this Commodore secondary. South Carolina threw for 242 without a quarterback. But, as we know, the passing game needs a little help from the ground game to function.
Braelin Moore looked healthy and, at times, dominant on Saturday night. He’s getting healthy at center. Josh Thompson also played probably his best game as a Tiger at right guard. Left guard may be Coen Echols or Paul Mubenga. Either way, LSU needs to get the push it got versus South Carolina against Vanderbilt. It all starts there.
Zaylin Wood is the most productive interior defender for the ‘Dores. He’s just 280 lbs. He also said Vanderbilt was “itching for a shutout” this week. Glenn Seabrooks is the other interior lineman. He’s the 6-foot-3-inch, 349 pounder that is tough to move.
LSU doesn’t have to dominate this matchup, but some effective early runs can really open this up down the field for what we now believe to be a healthy Garrett Nussmeier.
The offensive tackles may have their hands full at times with Miles Capers (8.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks) and Khordae Sydnor (6 TFL, 2.5 sacks), but the middle is where LSU need to make a little bit of hay.
VANDERBILT TIGHT END ELI STOWERS VS. LSU TIGHT END TREY’DEZ GREEN
It’s a rare matchup where both teams may feel their tight end is their most dynamic pass catcher.
Stowers leads the Commodores with 25 catches and 323 yards. He also paces the team in yards per catch at 12.9 which is rare for a tight end. He’s third among all active tight ends with 1,328 yards receiving, and he was the First Team All-SEC selection last year.
Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers (#9) showed the ability to win in so many different ways for the Commodores in 2024. Dense frame at 6’3 1/2” and 240 pounds… nice catch radius.
Really impressive after the catch. Has flashed ability to win as a route runner, and at the catch point. pic.twitter.com/42fUWsd0Rh
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) August 27, 2025
Trey’Dez Green exploded last week as the focal point of the LSU offense, and I don’t see that changing moving forward. For a unit struggling to find an identity, Green provides a matchup advantage on every snap.
More LSU Sports
