BATON ROUGE — LSU’s home opener against Vanderbilt on Saturday will also be the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams as the No. 9/11 Tigers host the Commodores in what could be a soggy Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff for the contest is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. It has rained in Baton Rouge since Wednesday and more rain is expected throughout the day on Saturday.
LSU goes into the Vanderbilt game coming off a 31-23 win over Washington last week in Seattle. Vanderbilt had a much easier time in its opening game, beating Western Carolina, 45-0, in Nashville.
LSU hasn’t faced Vanderbilt since a 34-6 win over the Commodores in Nashville in 2005. Vanderbilt’s last trip to Tiger Stadium came a year earlier when LSU posted a 24-7 win. The only time Vanderbilt won a game in Tiger Stadium came in 1951 by a 20-13 margin.
LSU brings several streaks into the Vanderbilt game as the Tigers have won 30 consecutive Saturday night games in Tigers Stadium to go along with 10 straight wins during the month of September. Since the start of the 2000 season, LSU is 43-4 in night games in Tiger Stadium and the Tigers haven’t lost a Saturday night game in Death Valley since the 2002 season against Alabama.
GameDay Info
LSU vs. Vanderbilt
Saturday, Sept. 12
6 p.m. CDT
ESPNU
GameDay Forecast
High: 82?
Low: 72?
Rain: 60% chance
Humidity: 83%
Wind: E 9 mph
Forecast
Sunrise: 6:48 a.m.
Kickoff: 6:05 p.m. Sunset: 7:14 p.m.
Times of Interest
8 a.m.
LSU Ticket Office opens
1:30 p.m.
Allison Collins Band performs at Zatarain’s Tiger One Village (in front of PMAC)
3 p.m.
Club level and Suites open at Tiger Stadium
3:15 p.m.
LSU Student gates open at Tiger Stadium
3:30 p.m.
All remaining gates open at Tiger Stadium
- LSU At the Game Programs on Sale in and around Tiger Stadium. Read More
- Live Sports Radios on Sale in and around Tiger Stadium. Read More
3:55 p.m.
LSU walks down “Victory Hill”
4 p.m.
LSU Game Day presented by CST radio show at Zatarain’s Tiger One Village
- Listen Live
- Watch Pregame Stadium Video (ends prior to kickoff per SEC rules)
4:15 p.m.
Mike VI and LSU band march down Victory Hill
5:35 p.m.
Mike the Tiger and LSU Cheerleaders field parade
5:43 p.m.
Robyn DesOrmeaux Tribute
5:45 p.m.
McClendon Scholarship Presentation
- Watch Live Video of the LSU Sports Radio Network broadcast team in the Geaux Zone
5:47 p.m.
Guest Captains (see list below) and Game Sponsor (McDonald’s and Super Chevy Dealers) Presentations
5:50 p.m.
Golden Band from Tigerland takes the field for pregame performance
5:54 p.m.
Alma Mater, National Anthem and fly-over
6:01 p.m.
LSU takes the field
6:01:45 p.m.
Vanderbilt takes the field
6:05 p.m.
Kickoff: LSU vs. Vanderbilt
- Follow Live Stats on LSUsports.net/livestats.
Presentations:
End of First Quarter
LSU Baseball National Championship Recognition
Halftime
LSU Golden Band from Tigerland performs
Guest Captains *
Charles Alexander
Warren Capone
Tommy Casanova
Robert Dugas
Ronnie Estay
Bert Jones
Tyler LaFauci
Doug Moreau
Jerry Stovall
* All were first team All-Americans during the Charles McClendon era.
This year’s Vanderbilt team is different from those in the past as the Commodores are still riding the momentum established last year when they posted a 7-6 record and beat Boston College in a bowl game. In last week’s win over Western Carolina, the Commodores unveiled a new offense ? the same one that Florida runs ? and the results were immediate with 620 total yards, including 433 on the ground.
Vanderbilt’s rushing attack was led by a pair of true freshmen ? Zac Stacy and Warren Norman ? last week as they both went over 100 yards. A total of four Commodores rushed for 60 yards or more last week.
“They’re both fresh and both very dangerous runners,” Miles said of the Commodore running back tandem. “They do a great job, by scheme, giving them the ball where numbers can hardly gang up on them. You have to be able to defeat a block and make a tackle on these guys. They are very, very good.”
The key to the Vanderbilt offense is sophomore quarterback Larry Smith, who threw for 153 yards and rushed for 66 yards in the season-opener.
“They’re much different,” Miles said of this year’s Vanderbilt team compared to the one LSU played in 2005. “They had a pocket quarterback (Jay Cutler), who is still in the NFL. There are some differences in their personnel. They do much more no-huddle. They’re a much better team.”
A big key for the LSU this week will be getting in a rhythm on offense as the Tigers never found their groove last week after running just 48 plays against Washington. The 48 plays were the fewest by an LSU team since the 1965 season and it was a big reason the Tigers never seemed to get into any type of offensive flow.
LSU sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson will make his first start in Tiger Stadium on Saturday and he goes into the contest coming off a 172-yard, three touchdown passing effort against Washington. He also accounted for 42 yards on the ground.
Running backs Charles Scott (52 yards in week 1), Keiland Williams (51 yards) and Trindon Holliday form the backfield for the Tigers.
Jefferson’s top receiving targets a week ago were Terrance Toliver, who caught four passes for 117 yards and a pair of scores and Brandon LaFell, who had four receptions for 34 yards and one touchdown. LaFell goes into the Vanderbilt game having caught at least one pass in 29 straight games.
The Tiger defense was led a week ago by cornerback Patrick Peterson, who recorded a career-best nine tackles against Washington. Other defensive standouts in week one for the Tigers include linebacker Jacob Cutrera with five tackles and an interception return for a touchdown; linebacker Harry Coleman with seven tackles and one tackle for a 4-yard loss and defensive tackle Drake Nevis with four tackles and a sack for a 10-yard loss.
The Vanderbilt contest will also represent the earliest that LSU has played a conference game in Tiger Stadium since 1994 when the Tigers beat Mississippi State, 44-24.
“We’ve had a good week of preparation” Miles said. “It’s nice to be back in Tiger Stadium with the opportunity to play in front of our fans.”