BATON ROUGE, La. — In a decisive match played on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, LSU triumphed over Vanderbilt with a score of 24-17. Josh Williams showcased his skills with two rushing touchdowns, while Garrett Nussemeier threw for an impressive 332 yards, helping the Tigers break a three-game losing streak, their longest since the 2021 season.
At halftime, LSU was in the lead, 14-10. However, Vanderbilt quickly narrowed the gap with a 47-yard field goal from Brock Taylor on their opening drive of the third quarter. LSU’s offense, which had struggled in recent weeks with a mere 29 points across the last two games, embarked on a critical 77-yard drive that consisted of ten plays and ended with Nussemeier connecting a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kyren Lacy, extending the lead to 21-10. A pivotal moment in this drive was a 24-yard pass from Nussemeier to C.J. Daniels on a fourth down within Commodore territory.
Lacy played a vital role in the game, recording six catches for a total of 85 yards and one touchdown. Following a Vanderbilt punt, LSU further stretched their advantage with a 28-yard field goal from Damian Ramos, bringing the score to 24-10. Although Commodore quarterback Diego Pavia managed to score a 1-yard touchdown run late in the contest, bringing the score to 24-17, LSU managed to keep possession for the last 5:47 of the game, securing their victory.
Pavia contributed 43 yards rushing on six carries and completed 13 of 24 passes for 186 yards for Vanderbilt, who now stands at 6-5 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Meanwhile, the LSU defense, which had previously allowed 107 points during the losing streak, showed significant improvement, limiting Vanderbilt to just 308 total yards of offense.
Vanderbilt aimed for their first win over LSU in Baton Rouge since 1951 and initially seized the lead when Pavia threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Skinner on the very first play from scrimmage. However, Williams answered back by scoring on LSU’s next possession, completing a 90-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run. After stopping Vanderbilt on a crucial fourth down near the end of the first half, LSU executed an 80-yard drive, capped off by another touchdown run from Williams, giving the Tigers a 14-7 lead that they would hold onto.
The match took a significant turn when Vanderbilt failed to convert a fourth down in the second quarter, which ultimately shifted momentum toward LSU. This game marked one of the Tigers’ most well-rounded offensive performances during a challenging stretch, featuring 129 rushing yards and 332 yards through the air, with an added bonus of no turnovers for the first time in three games.
Looking ahead, Vanderbilt is set to host Tennessee next Saturday, while LSU will face off against Oklahoma at home.