LSU and Vanderbilt will meet in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night – LSU

LSU and Vanderbilt meet in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 2009 on Saturday night in Death Valley.

Kickoff is set for 6:55pm CT on the SEC Network and LSU Sports Radio Network.

The Tigers will don alternate uniforms of white helmet, gold jersey and white pants with an updated look to the combination LSU wore against the Commodores in 1997, where they escaped with a 7-6 victory.

“I’m very familiar with Clark (Lea),” head coach Brian Kelly said. “He’s done a great job building this program. 6-4 with great wins over Alabama, Kentucky and Auburn. It’s a tough and physical defense. The offensive structure has changed. Diego Pavia is a tough, tough player , and he’s the guy who makes it happen for them.”

Lea, Vanderbilt’s head coach, previously served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Notre Dame from 2018 to 2020 under coach Kelly.

The Tigers have lost three games in a row for the first time since 2021, but belief remains for a team looking to get back on solid footing at home on Saturday night. In each loss, LSU has been in the game into the fourth quarter. The focus will be on finishing games in their last two contests.

“This football team is a long way from believing they can do the job and get the job done,” Kelly said Monday. “When we talk about adjusting the process, it’s about what’s important right now and shifting their focus to some of the things that will help us close games.”

The Commodores are led by senior quarterback Diego Pavia, who enters Saturday’s game with 1,843 yards passing and 15 touchdowns this season. He also leads the team in rushing with 628 yards on the ground and five scores. Pavia’s 15 assists are tied for sixth in the SEC and have been responsible for 124 points this fall.

Eli Stowers has been the main target with 42 receptions for 557 yards receiving and four touchdowns. Junior Sherrill is second in receiving yards with 331 to go with three touchdowns. On defense, linebacker Bryan Longwell leads the unit with 63 tackles, one interception and 1.5 sacks. Randon Fontenette has tallied 53 stops with an interception and 3.5 sacks.

“We haven’t played very well the last three weeks,” Kelly said. “(The players) know it. Everybody knows it. Everybody who watches LSU Football knows it. They want to play better football. We want to practice better and we want to play better. They responded (in practice) like I thought they would .”

LSU leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt 24-7-1 with the last win coming in 2020 when Myles Brennan threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 41-7 win. The last Commodore victory in Baton Rouge came in 1951.

“Our football team is still working to be the best version of itself,” Kelly said Thursday. “What we’ve got to do is win some close games this year. We’ve won a couple and we’ve lost three. We’ve got to finish the last two.”