Vanderbilt held all the momentum in the world just three weeks ago. Quarterback Diego Pavia placed a final knee at Auburn as the Commodores earned bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. It was an emotional moment for Vanderbilt fans across the nation as the years of disappointment faded away.

Since then, head coach Clark Lea and Co. have come back to earth. A brutal 28-7 loss to South Carolina on Nov. 9 humbled the Commodores, and this Saturday, Nov. 23, Vanderbilt fell 24-17 to an angry LSU team in Death Valley.

If someone had asked me in August if I’d be content with Vanderbilt losing to LSU by seven points, I would’ve responded with a resounding “yes.” But this season has been filled with new expectations for the Commodores. No longer is it the doormat of the SEC as key wins over Alabama, Auburn and more have ushered in a new era of Vanderbilt Football. 

However, against LSU, Vanderbilt slipped back into some of its old, undisciplined habits despite the somewhat close score. The offense appeared stagnant at times, and the defensive line forced no pressure on LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The Commodores’ downfield passing threat was nonexistent — except for one long touchdown reception to start the game — and a multitude of missed tackles gave up easy yards to LSU. 

There were a fair share of promising moments — like the successful punt fake late in the fourth quarter or the Diego Pavia rushing touchdown — but these moments felt sparse.

A lack of offensive explosiveness, an array of missed tackles and a weak defensive line are all on today’s brunch menu. But for those of you still hungry after this loss, don’t worry: rivalry week against Tennessee starts today.

No heat on the grill

Vanderbilt’s pass rush didn’t hold up its end of the bargain against the Tigers. It failed to bring the heat at any point in this game. LSU’s offensive line looked stronger and faster than Vanderbilt’s front seven as they gave Nussmeier all day to make throws in the pocket. Vanderbilt’s defensive line has been a strength all season, but it failed to live up to expectations against the Tigers. 

In fairness to Vanderbilt, LSU has an extremely experienced offensive line, headlined by projected first-round draft pick Will Campbell. This LSU unit has only given up 13 sacks this year, good enough for first in the SEC. Left tackle Campbell has given up just one sack in 480 pass-blocking opportunities this season, and his 2.7 pressure rate ranks in the top five among the nation’s offensive tackles. 

Vanderbilt generated just two tackles for loss and accumulated one sack against the Tigers. This gave Nussmeier time to expose Vanderbilt with the vertical passing game as he carved up Vanderbilt’s secondary like a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Vanderbilt’s cornerbacks aren’t its strongest defensive room either, and LSU’s receivers were given plenty of time to find open spaces downfield. It was only a matter of time before Nussmeier found these open receivers.

Nussmeier threw for 332 yards and completed 76% of his passes. Similarly, four LSU receivers had over 50 receiving yards, headlined by Kyren Lacy, who pulled in 85 of his own. While these stats are impressive, anyone watching the game knows that LSU’s receivers were wide-open downfield on several plays. This was highlighted by a Nussmeier touchdown pass to an uncovered Lacy for the Tigers to go up 21-10. 

LSU made Vanderbilt’s defensive line look small and disorganized, and the Commodores failed to bring the heat (and pressure) on big downs. 

Toast with no jam

Vanderbilt’s offense lacked flavor in its Death Valley matchup. Other than a 63-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Skinner Jr. on Vanderbilt’s first play of the game, Pavia struggled to activate the vertical passing game. Seemingly injured, he couldn’t make timely throws to bring Vanderbilt back to life. 

Outside of the Skinner connection to start the game, Pavia threw for 123 yards in the other 25:07 of Vanderbilt’s possession time. This low number (even for Vandebilt’s run-heavy offense) prevented the offense from gaining explosive yardage to get itself back in the game. Pavia doesn’t have the same speed as he did earlier this season (largely due to injuries), and he’s not a true pocket passer, leaving Vanderbilt with no kindling to spark the offense.

I’ll give Pavia credit — after all, he is the first quarterback to bring Vanderbilt to a bowl game since 2018 — but he didn’t flash enough weapons to compete against the SEC’s strongest teams. This led Lea to put in backup quarterback Nate Johnson several times to add a rushing threat. Johnson was able to pick up some decent chunk yardage, but his use was often puzzling. On one drive in the third quarter, Johnson came in on first and second down and then was replaced by Pavia for third down. While this might seem effective on paper, this offensive strategy is predictable. Johnson’s main threat is on the ground, so LSU hedged its bets and proceeded to pack the box to stop the run on both consecutive plays. It worked, and Pavia came in on third down and threw an incomplete pass. 

This summed up Vanderbilt’s offense for the night: predictable. 

Offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s schemes were not effective on Saturday. His heavy use of the option worked flawlessly earlier this season, but in the past two games, teams have clearly found a way to stop this offensive scheme. The element of surprise is no longer working in Vanderbilt’s favor. 

In the third quarter, Pavia tossed a shovel pass to star tight end Eli Stowers near the line of scrimmage. This play worked flawlessly against Virginia Tech and Alabama, but LSU ate this up and tackled Stowers for practically no gain. 

Now, in Week 13, Vanderbilt has used most of its playbook, and opposing defenses know to keep Pavia penned up in the pocket and stop the run. Beck will need to be more creative game-to-game to catch opposing defenses off guard.

Diced cantaloupe 

This title might seem confusing, but hear me out. What’s the one food that everyone skips at a brunch? The picked over fruit salad. Much like the diced cantaloupe remaining untouched all brunch, Vanderbilt couldn’t seem to touch LSU’s offensive playmakers. Tackling remained a massive issue for Lea’s defense against the Tigers. 

Vanderbilt still can’t seem to wrap up when opposing running backs or receivers get moving downhill. Against the Tigers, the Commodores missed 13 tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. This marks the fourth game in a row that Vanderbilt has missed 10 tackles or more (17 against Texas, 15 against Auburn and 15 against South Carolina).

There are a variety of potential reasons why Vanderbilt couldn’t tackle this game. Firstly, this defense is banged up after almost a full season of grueling contests. Linebacker Langston Patterson was injured earlier this season, and his mobility seemed limited last night.

Secondly, Lea does not emphasize these fundamentals in practice. This is becoming too common of a trend to not start looking internally, beyond just injuries. Missed tackles are missed opportunities, and last night, it felt like LSU’s uniforms were covered in slippery gravy.

Whatever the cause, the Commodores need to start wrapping up. There were multiple instances where LSU players were met before the line to scrimmage but pushed through or juked around Vanderbilt’s defenders for a gain. 

With 13:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, LSU receiver Josh Williams juked Randon Fontennette — one of Vanderbilt’s strongest tacklers — before the line of scrimmage and then slipped by Bryan Longwell to pick up an easy 20 yards. This play sums up Vanderbilt’s tackling performance perfectly. 

Granted, LSU has some fantastic athletes, and it would be hard for any team to put on a tackling clinic against the Tigers. But Vanderbilt already runs at a talent deficit in the SEC, so limiting any fundamental and preventable mistakes are critical to maintaining momentum.

Now, Vanderbilt has one more chance to shock the college football world. A lunch date with Tennessee on Nov. 31 at 11:00 a.m. CST is its last opportunity to knock off an SEC opponent. While the odds are certainly stacked against the Commodores, rivalry week can certainly bring new energy to a team. 

The Volunteers, sitting at 9-2, are just one win away from securing itself a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Vanderbilt will attempt to spoil those plans. To do so, Vanderbilt must create a different brunch menu to avoid another loss.