Station Survey: LSU at Vanderbilt predictions

By Hunt Palmer

It’s breakfast on Broadway.

At least it is for the LSU fans who made the trip to Music City for LSU and Vanderbilt. The Tigers arrive as underdogs. They also arrive with their season on the line to an extent. It takes one more win to set up a massive showdown with Texas A&M. Can LSU get it?

I asked the staff at 104.5 ESPN.

Jacob Hester, Co-host, Off the Bench: The Tigers finally hit a couple of explosive plays in the passing game, and it ends up being the difference in a low scoring affair between two good defenses. 20-17, LSU.

Matt Flynn, Co-host, Off the Bench: I haven’t picked against the Tigers yet. Tape shows some good running stuff. Nuss is my guy. 34-13, LSU.

Taylor Sharp, Video Producer, Off the Bench: I’ll start by saying Diego Pavia doesn’t scare me, didn’t last year either. I blindly trust this LSU defense against any opponent. Also, Vanderbilt has faced Blake Baker three times, winless in those games. I have a little more confidence in the offense. I understand that the South Carolina game wasn’t pretty, and you left points on the field and the turnovers MUST be cleaned up, but they moved the ball well. Garrett Nussmeier looked comfortable throwing the ball for the first time this year. If the offense can continue to run the ball like they did against South Carolina, then it will add another element to the offense and take pressure off of Nussmeier. Hopefully this confidence of mine doesn’t hurt the team.  Let’s have some fun with it! 27-14, LSU.

Alondra Villarreal, Audio Producer, Off the Bench: I’ve been on Broadway for two days. It’s all purple and gold. Tigers by 50.

Charles Hanagriff, Co-host, Live at Lunch:​ The Tiger defense has been strong all year. Last week they found a running game and a healthy, functional Garrett Nussmeier. The defense will travel. If they leave either of the other two in Baton Rouge, reverse the score. 21-20, LSU.

Hunt Palmer, Host, The Hunt Palmer Show: Vanderbilt’s identity is running the ball. The only functional team they’ve faced is Alabama who ranks 115th in yards per carry allowed. LSU ranks 23rd. That means some third and longs for the ‘Dores. LSU is going to hit two deep shots on offense. 27-11, LSU.

Matt Moscona, Host, After Further Review: I think this game looks like last year. I don’t blame people being spooked by the point spread. Ultimately, LSU is the better team. I think the defense travels and LSU’s offense found a commitment to the running game last week. That will carry over and open up the passing game. It’s 24-17, the same score as last year. 24-17, LSU.

Matthew Musso, Audio Producer, After Further Review: This game comes down to third down for me. It’s an area where LSU has really struggled offensively and where Vanderbilt has excelled. The ‘Dores are converting at 57% on the season. That’s second in the nation. At their core they want to grind out drives and control the clock. LSU’s defense needs to get Vandy into third and longs and get them off the field. The Tigers are No. 4 in the nation in stop rate at 80% meaning that’s how often the opponents drive ends in zero points. For the offense, you have to get yourself into third and manageable like you did a week ago, but you must convert and stay on the field. You saw improvements on offense against South Carolina, but you were still bad on third down. You’ll have to be better this week, or Diego Pavia will keep your defense out on the field all day long. 24-17, LSU.

Paul O’Neill, Video Producer, After Further Review: LSU started to find a rhythm on offense last week against South Carolina but still didn’t light up the scoreboard. Eventually, the Tigers will need to score more points, or they are toast if a game becomes a shootout. The LSU defense can only do so much if they are constantly bailing out the offense. The next few weeks will be the ultimate test to see if the offense has finally turned the corner. Garrett Nussmeier and Tigers run game find a way to get it done on offense, and the Tigers defense will make the stop to seal the victory. Tigers by a field goal. 27-24, LSU.