LSU is coming off arguably its two most disappointing losses of the season, coming home from Gainesville with an unexpected 27-16 loss to Florida.
So where does LSU go from here? Well, the goal is to win the next two games for the sake of finishing the season strong.
“We still have a lot to play for,” Will Campbell said. “6-6 is a lot worse than 8-4.”
The quest to reach that 8-4 record starts with Vanderbilt, a team that is both coming off a bye week and a 28-7 loss at home to South Carolina.
Overall, Vanderbilt has exceeded expectations this season, also sitting with a 6-4 record along with LSU.
The Commodores shocked the nation on Oct. 5, when they stunned the at-the-time No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
In that matchup, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was prolific, throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-20 passing. Sedrick Alexander also ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
However, Vanderbilt’s offense against South Carolina was not nearly as productive. The Commodores’ run defense was almost non-existent, allowing Gamecocks’ running back Raheim Sanders to run for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
With Vanderbilt able to defeat the best of teams, but also lose in sporadic ways, here’s what Vanderbilt has brought to the table as a whole this season.
Quarterback Diego Pavia
Pavia played the game of his life against Alabama, quickly becoming a fan favorite after the win.
What allows Pavia to stand out is his dual-threat ability. He’s thrown for 1,843 yards and 15 touchdowns in the air and 159 yards for five touchdowns on the ground.
Pavia has looked to use his legs to extend drives on many occasions. Against Alabama, he ran for 56 yards on 20 carries, which was deemed to be a difference maker in that matchup.
Not only that, but Pavia rarely makes bad reads through the air, only throwing three interceptions this season, two of which came against Texas in a 27-24 loss.
Once again, LSU is met with a running quarterback, a prototype that the Tigers have not had an answer to yet.
Pavia running the ball comfortably early on could lead to LSU having to fight an uphill battle rather than being on a level playing field.
Receiver Eli Stowers
There is no other receiver on Vanderbilt’s roster that Pavia has looked to more than Eli Stowers.
Stowers leads the team in receptions by two times, catching 42 passes for 557 yards and four touchdowns.
Vanderbilt is utilizing Stowers in the right ways at the right times. In Vanderbilt’s last four games, Stowers has scored in three of them.
But measuring in at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Stowers uses his athleticism to his advantage, along with being a mismatch to defenders in the secondary.
Stowers was originally committed to Texas A&M as a quarterback in the Class of 2021. He transferred to New Mexico State after two seasons and became a tight end, where he caught 35 passes for 366 yards and two touchdowns.
In that season, he also ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.
In some ways, Stowers can be considered a glorified wide receiver, similar to LSU’s Trey’Dez Green and Ka’Morreun Pimpton, only not as tall.
But Stowers can be effective in several ways, and Vanderbilt has caught onto that lately. If LSU can contain him in the secondary, especially limiting him to short gains, Vanderbilt’s receiving threats may be alleviated.
A bittersweet secondary
With LSU leaning on its pass game all season, it may work in its favor against Vanderbilt. The Commodores secondary has allowed over 200 passing yards per game.
However, Vanderbilt’s secondary has not been all bad.
Against Alabama, Randon Fontenette took an interception 29 yards for a touchdown, igniting momentum in Vanderbilt and leading them to a historic victory.
He’s kept that same intensity all season, racking up 53 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and six pass deflections.
Fontenette is also very versatile on defense, his lateral movement abilities allow him to be effective at linebacker, but his athleticism allows him to drop back into the secondary when needed.
With Garrett Nussmeier having 11 interceptions to his name this season, players like Fontenette may make him pay if a bad decision is made under pressure.
