Three LSU players to watch in Week 13 against the Vanderbilt Commodores

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers will need their stars to make an impact Saturday night in Death Valley to snap their current three-game losing streak.

After back-to-back losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida, all eyes will be on whether the Bayou Bengals can get back on track this weekend in Baton Rouge.

“Everyone works and puts in the time and the head coach has to be a part of it too. Whether it’s coaching business or football, you can’t sit there and say they’re coordinators. The head coach is solely responsible for the success of his football team and we have not been successful in the last three weeks. You’re going to have to get involved,” Kelly said Saturday in Gainesville.

“Obviously I wasn’t good enough (in Week 12). We’re going to get back to work and see what we need to get better at. We’ll keep rocking. We’ll have 22 guys competing for LSU and playing hard the last two weeks at home.”

The Stars must shine in Week 13 against Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores to leave Tiger Stadium with a victory.

Take a look at the trio of Tigers to watch:

Kyren Lacy: wide receiver

LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy has proven to be one of Garrett Nussmeier’s best players on offense this season, but inconsistency has plagued the Tigers’ WR1 as of late.

Lacy was targeted several times in Week 12, but finished the night with just three receptions for 49 yards in a loss at Florida.

Now he’ll try to flip the script and enter Saturday night against the Vanderbilt Commodores with an opportunity to bounce back.

Lacy is up to 49 receptions for 740 yards and seven touchdowns on the year, but for LSU to overcome a three-game losing skid, he will have to remain consistent to make the offense work.

Look for Lacy to take the return game to Death Valley this weekend to push LSU to a win over the Commodores.

Whit Weeks: midfielder

LSU linebacker Whit Weeks is another player who has struggled in the past few weeks.

Last weekend in Gainesville, Weeks finished the night as LSU’s lowest-rated player with a PFF grade of 35.9. Despite leading the team in tackles this season, it was an unstable period for Weeks.

Expect this sluggish streak to end this weekend against Vanderbilt.

LSU’s defense has had trouble slowing down mobile defenders this season, and with Diego Pavia leading the Commodores, he presents another unique challenge.

Can Weeks and company contain Pavia this weekend at Tiger Stadium?

All eyes will be on the sophomore linebacker, who continues to anchor the defense’s second tier this season alongside Greg Penn III.

Bradyn Swinson: Defensive End

LSU defensive back Bradyn Swinson has been the Tigers’ leading defensive player this season.

He has 47 total tackles on the year, with eight sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.

Swinson was cut out of the woodwork to start the season for LSU, although he was on track to become an SEC Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but his numbers declined during LSU’s losing streak.

The veteran edge rusher was pulled from the game in the first quarter of last Saturday’s game against Florida for disciplinary reasons, but his impact was felt once he took the field in the second frame.

Swinson has proven to be effective for the Tigers when needed, and his presence will need to be felt Saturday night in Death Valley if LSU is to overcome its losing skid.

Look for Lacy, Weeks and Swinson as three players to lift the Bayou Bengals’ rankings this weekend.

“Surprise, surprise, I pick Vanderbilt over LSU,” McElroy said. “Vanderbilt has a super mobile quarterback. LSU has yet to solve its problems with its quarterback running game. I don’t think they are doing the right thing in this situation. Vanderbilt continues to rise as the No. 1 giant killer in the country. “

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