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Gators beat the Bulldogs while Aggies creamed the Gamecocks along with other scores and results from SEC Week 7 action this past Saturday.
While the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s double-overtime victory over the top-ranked Clemson Tigers was likely the biggest news from the college football Saturday, there were plenty of happenings in the Southeastern Conference, as well, despite only eight of the league’s members being in action.
As we at Gators Wire have done each week this fall, here is a rundown of all the conference’s games.
Team rankings are courtesy of the Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA TODAY Sports.
LSU earned an impressive win against Vanderbilt on Saturday while putting up solid numbers from a few key players.
LSU defeated Vanderbilt in a dominant fashion on Saturday to move to 1-1 on the season. The No. 20 Tigers took a big step on both sides of the ball in their first win of the season, showing reason for optimism within the fan base after a disappointing 44-34 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the opener.
Redshirt junior quarterback Myles Brennan looked more poised in the pocket this week and took less time on his throws.
Here’s a look at who came up big, and who could have done better in the Tigers’ 41-7 victory on Saturday night in Nashville.
Brennan completed 23-of-37 passes for 337 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. But it isn’t the numbers that place him on the studs list. His composure and calmness in the pocket gave him the ability to make better throws than last week.
The junior quarterback was dishing the ball everywhere to any receiver that was open. Two of his touchdowns went to Jontre Kirklin and the other two went to Terrace Marshall Jr.
If Brennan can continue what he started on Saturday, he could finish between 1,500 and 2,500 passing yards for the season.
LSU bounced back with a dominant 41-7 win over Vanderbilt as the Tigers offense found its rhythm early and never slowed down.
The No. 20 LSU Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 41-7 on Saturday night in Nashville after suffering a 44-34 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the season-opener.
On offense, the Tigers racked up 498 yards of offense while converting four out of 12 times on third down and being perfect on fourth-down conversion attempts.
Here are four takeaways from the Tigers’ dominating victory as they’ve evened out their record.
Last week against Mississippi State, LSU totaled just 80 yards on the ground. Saturday against Vanderbilt, the offense doubled that total for 161 yards. Sophomore John Emery Jr. carried the ball 12 times for 103 yards and a touchdown and averaged 8.6 yards per rush.
Freshman Josh Williams saw the field in the fourth quarter and held the ball eight times for 30 yards. Tyrion Davis-Price also had eight touches for 29 yards.
One key going into this game was to get the running game more established, and LSU gave the Commodores defense a tough challenge on the ground.
After a crushing loss last week, here’s a look at the two most major concerns heading into next week.
The time for the No. 20 LSU Tigers to face off against the Vanderbilt Commodores is drawing closer.
Both teams enter the game with an 0-1 record. LSU lost 44-34 to Mississippi State and Vanderbilt lost 17-12 at Texas A&M last week.
The Tigers have plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the ball. Star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is likely to make his 2020 season debut on Saturday after missing last week with an illness.
Vanderbilt looked like a new and improved team last week against the Aggies as they only allowed 17 points and 180 passing yards.
Here’s a look at the two most major areas of concern for the Tigers as they travel to Nashville for the second straight season.
The Tigers gave up an astonishing 623 passing yards last week to Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello. Heading into this week, the Commodores likely won’t achieve anywhere near those numbers, but the Tigers pass defense has to improve.
With Stingley out, Jay Ward and freshman Eli Ricks filled in along with Cordale Flott, and all three gave up big pass plays to the Bulldogs.
Commodores quarterback Ken Seals went 20-of-29 for 150 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in last week’s loss to Texas A&M.
While he may not be a big time quarterback, Seals still has the ability to offset the Tigers defenders and complete passes. The one area of concern within the pass defense will be in the flat and the deep threat.
Seals’ longest completion last week was 27 yards. Costello was connecting on much deeper passes against LSU. But, the threat remains for the Tigers if they get off to a slow start on defense.
The LSU Tigers opened the 2020 college football season as 14.5-point favorites over the Mississippi State Bulldogs last week.
The LSU Tigers opened the 2020 college football season as 14.5-point favorites over the Mississippi State Bulldogs last week.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they ended up losing 44-34 in Baton Rouge.
This week, LSU faces the Vanderbilt Commodores and BetMGM has the Tigers as 20.5-point favorites for their trip to Nashville.
Vanderbilt opened the season at Texas A&M last week and lost the game 17-12. However, the Commodores were much more competitive considering they were 31.5-point underdogs.
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Here’s what the lines look like for Saturday’s SEC matchup between LSU and Vanderbilt:
Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.
Spread:
LSU: -20.5 (-110)
Vanderbilt: +20.5 (-110)
Money line:
LSU: -1250
Vanderbilt: +700
Over/Under:
O/U: 48.5
Over: -110
Under: -110
While both teams lost last week, Vanderbilt did cover the spread, meaning the Commodores could be a good bet in this week’s meeting with the defending national champions.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
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Here’s some information about how you can catch the upcoming LSU-Vanderbilt game, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CST on Saturday.
Coming off a 44-34 home loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a season-opener that shocked many, the LSU Tigers (0-1) will look to get back on the right track as they hit the road to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores (0-1).
The Commodores seem to be a stronger team than we’ve seen in the past, coming within just five points of quarterback Kellen Mond and the Texas A&M Aggies last week.
This should be a game the Tigers can use to get their feet back under them as they look to work out some issues that clearly need addressing after Saturday’s performance in Death Valley.
Here’s some information about how you can catch the upcoming game, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CST on Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee:
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TV channel: SEC Network
Live stream: Fubo TV
Location: Vanderbilt Stadium
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy, 63 degrees
Point spread: LSU, (-20.5)
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LSU hasn’t lost in Nashville since 1990. Coming off a crushing loss, the Tigers face a Vanderbilt team that could impress for another week.
As LSU looks to avenge last week’s season-opening loss to Mississippi State, their opponent this week, the Vanderbilt Commodores, look like a much improved team from a season ago.
Last September, the Tigers went into Nashville and dismantled the Commodores defense in a 66-38 win in which Joe Burrow tossed six touchdown passes.
This past Saturday, Vanderbilt held Texas A&M to just 17 points in a five-point loss, and achieved over 100 rushing yards from two stout running backs in Ja’veon Marlow and Jamauri Wakefield.
Heading into the Tigers’ second game of the 2020 season, here are four things to know about the match-up with the Commodores.
The last four games played in Nashville have resulted in a Tigers victory. Most recently, the Tigers blew out Vanderbilt 66-38 last season. The Tigers are riding an eight-game winning streak in the overall series.
Leave no doubt, this year’s installment of the series could be a lot closer than it looks on paper. The Commodores looked impressive last week in a hostile environment in College Station. The way LSU played could give Vanderbilt an early advantage if the Tigers start slow.
As LSU heads to face Vanderbilt on Saturday, the Tigers have to prepare for an improved Commodores team.
The SEC season just kicked off last weekend. Despite LSU losing to Mississippi State 44-34 at home, the Tigers travel to Nashville to face the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Vanderbilt lost a close 17-12 game to the Texas A&M Aggies last Saturday. However, the Commodores only gave up 180 passing yards to Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond.
On offense, the Commodores totaled 255 yards of offense. Quarterback Ken Seals finished 20-of-29 for 150 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Commodores totaled 102 rushing yards from running backs Ja’Veon Marlow and Jamauri Wakefield. One area of the offense that LSU was not excellent at last weekend, the Commodores have the ability to run the ball on a Tigers defense this weekend that is still trying to find its identity without a few key players.
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The Vanderbilt defense forced three turnovers against Texas A&M. This could be an important factor when LSU comes to town on Saturday due to the fact that the Tigers have a new starting quarterback in Myles Brennan, who will have to adjust to making better decisions in the pocket.
One aspect of the Commodores as an overall team that the Tigers have to be ready for is the defense. Mond only completed 17 of his 28 attempted passes and had a QBR of just 32.2.
This game for the Tigers will be interesting to see if they can rebound from last week’s loss. Last season, as the Tigers cruised along to a national championship, LSU went to Nashville and defeated Vanderbilt 66-38 behind Joe Burrow’s six touchdown passes.
While the end result will likely look different this time, Vanderbilt seems to have an improved team, at least through the first week of the season.
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The LSU Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 23-9 in 2009 for their 21st win in the series between the two historic SEC programs.
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The No. 11 LSU Tigers hosted the SEC conference foe Vanderbilt Commodores on September 12, 2009, for the 29th installment of the game between the two conference teams.
The Tigers were coming off a 31-23 season opening win at Washington, while the Commodores entered Baton Rouge with a 1-1 record.
Tigers quarterback Justin Jefferson passed for 138 yards on 20-of-28 completions. Running back Keiland Williams carried the ball 10 times for 72 yards for two touchdowns as LSU defeated Vanderbilt 23-9.
LSU opened the scoring in the first quarter on a touchdown by Williams. Vanderbilt scored in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7 as Commodores quarterback Larry Smith scored on a six yard run.
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The Tigers put up six more points before halftime on two field goals by kicker Josh Jasper, as he connected on kicks from 32 and 22 yards.
LSU held the 13-7 lead at the half, but would only score three points in the third quarter to hold a 16-7 lead until the Commodores defense earned a safety and cut the deficit to 16-9.
In the fourth quarter, Williams scored on a 14 yard touchdown run to put the Tigers up 23-9. That score would be the last one for either team in the game, as the Tigers earned their second win of the 2009 season.
To finish the season, LSU would finish with a 9-4 record with losses to Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss. In the Capital One Bowl, the Tigers fell to Penn State for their fourth loss of the season.
For Vanderbilt, they finished the 2009 season with a 2-10 record and an 0-8 record in SEC play.
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The 1997 edition of the LSU-Vanderbilt football series saw the Tigers escape with a one point victory in a defensive battle.
LSU entered the 1997 season coming off a strong 10-2 season. On October 4, 1997, the Tigers traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to face the 2-2 Vanderbilt Commodores.
The Tigers headed into the matchup with a 3-1 record, and would come out of it with a 7-6 victory and a 4-1 record.
Tigers quarterback Herb Tyler finished the game 9-of-18 passing for 53 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked four times. His lone touchdown pass came in the third quarter for the first score of the game.
Tigers running back Kevin Faulk ran the ball 31 times for 142 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per rush. He also recorded four catches for 10 yards.
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LSU had 230 total yards of offense to the Commodores’ 248. But the Tigers had two more first downs with a 15-13 advantage.
Vanderbilt scored six points in the fourth quarter to make it a one point game, but could not score again. The Tigers barely escaped with the victory, but nonetheless, left Nashville with their fourth win of the 1997 season.
Commodores quarterback Damien Allen passed for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 11-of-24 completions.
The Tigers finished the 1997 season with a 9-3 record, including 6-2 in SEC play. They faced off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Independence Bowl and came out victorious with a 27-9 win.
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Vanderbilt finished the season with a 3-8 record, finishing 0-8 in the SEC. The Commodores’ best win of that season came against TCU, who they defeated 40-16.
Tigers head coach Gerry DiNardo added nine more wins to his coaching record as he led the Tigers to another stellar season.
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