LSU has to beat Vanderbilt to avoid a four-game losing streak. Here's four keys to a win.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly squints to read the video board late in the second half between the Tigers and the Gators, Saturday, November 16, 2024, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Each time LSU football has fallen into a three-game losing streak this century, it’s responded by winning the next game. Can coach Brian Kelly’s Tigers (6-4) snap this three-game skid? To do so, they’ll need to beat Vanderbilt, a 6-4 team that upset No.

10 Alabama and threatened No. 3 Texas. Here are four keys to LSU picking up a win Saturday at home over the Commodores (6:45 p.



m., SEC Network) and avoiding its first four-game losing streak since 1999. 1.

Limit sacks Preventing sacks is a collective effort, with responsibilities shared by the offensive line, the running backs and the quarterback. Against Florida, Garrett Nussmeier rarely had a clean pocket. He was sacked more times against the Gators (seven) than he was in LSU’s nine previous games combined (six).

The Tigers need to stay ahead of the chains against Vanderbilt. If they don’t, then they’ll likely be in for more offensive struggles – no matter how many third downs they convert. 2.

Contain Diego Pavia LSU’s season spiraled out of control in large part because its defense never figured out how to defend mobile quarterbacks. Both Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe ran wild. Will the Tigers allow Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia to do the same? He’s one of the most dangerous running quarterbacks in the country.

This season, he’s rushed for at least 80 sack-adjusted yards in four games. LSU needs to be ready for both his designed runs and his scrambles. 3.

Win on early downs This stat, via ESPN, is illuminating: A whopping 39% of LSU offensive plays run over the last three games have resulted in either no gain or a loss. Those early-down struggles have forced the Tigers into too many difficult third down situations. LSU has converted 49% of its third downs this season, one of the 10 best rates in the country, but against Florida, it faced 28 third and fourth downs.

That’s not a sustainable way to play offense. 4. Play with discipline Over LSU’s three-game losing streak, it feels like each time its offense has built a promising drive into opponent territory, it gets whistled for a costly penalty that derails the possession.

The Tigers are the 11th-most penalized team in the Southeastern Conference. They committed only three penalties in their loss to Florida, but one negated a touchdown, and another threw off the drive that LSU could’ve used to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Instead, it kicked a field goal.

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