LSU Football vs. Vanderbilt Commodores in Week 13 Matchup

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers will take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday night in Death Valley for the first time since 2009.

This is territory where the Bayou Bengals need to win to finish the season on the right foot as Diego Pavia and the Commodores look to ruin their chances.

“Everyone works and puts in the time and the head coach has to be a part of it too. Whether it’s business coaching or football coaching, you can’t sit there and say these are the 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 last 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’re going to keep rocking. We’ll have 22 guys competing for LSU and playing hard the last two weeks at home.”

LSU now approaches kickoff at Tiger Stadium with a chance to get back in the win column.

*(All odds according to DraftKings bookmaker)*

Spreading:
– LSU: (-9)
– Vanderbilt: (+9)

Money line:
– LSU: (-340)
– Vanderbilt: (+270)

More/less: 52.5

The LSU Tigers are currently nine-point favorites heading into their Week 13 matchup. A line that hovered around the 7.5-point mark a week ago, Vegas continues to lean toward the Tigers as the favorites Saturday night.

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 go into 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 lead the return game in 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 inconsistent period for Weeks.

Look for 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 fired out of the cannon 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 after he came on in the second frame.

Swinson has proven to be an effective force 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.

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Follow Zach Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers on SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage related to the LSU program.