LSU sinks the Commodores, 41-7

Photo By: LSU/SEC

10/3/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!

     
     NASHVILLE, TN: The Tigers went into Music City looking to rebound from last week's 44-34 upset loss to Mississippi State and that they did. After a slow start, LSU would begin to take the game over in the second quarter, then dominate the Commodores in the second half, blasting Vanderbilt 41-7...  
   The LSU defense made life miserable for Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals all night long, holding him to only 113 yards passing, putting constant pressure on him including three sacks, and intercepting him twice. Derek Stingley returned to the lineup and helped lead the secondary to a much improved performance, as they were able to eliminate most of the mistakes that lead to the big plays last week. 
    On Offense, the Tigers rolled up 498 total yards, as they played with much more consistency and aggression. They were able to establish a strong running game to help a nicely balanced attack (32 rushing plays, 37 passing plays), against the Commodores' talented defense. 
    Game review is below...
     


      1st QUARTER:

    The Commodores won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff and the
Tiger defense would register a three-and-out to start the ball game. 
    LSU would fair no better with their first possession, with Von Rosenberg having to punt the ball away after the offense could only manage one first down.
   Vanderbilt would end up sputtering a short drive, going 39 yards in seven plays before LSU would stiffen to force a Harrison Smith punt. 
   The Tigers would start the next drive from their own 15 yard line. Myles Brennan would finally begin to click as he would lead the offense on a quick 85 yard scoring drive. 85 yards in six plays taking only 1:44 off the clock, ending with Jontre Kirkland scoring on a wide receiver screen from Myles Brennan. Cade York would push through the PAT to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 6:09 left in the 1st quarter. 
    Both teams would trade punts as we would head into the 2nd quarter with LSU holding a 7-0 lead.

     
      
​      2nd QUARTER:

    To start the 2nd quarter Vandy would go three-and-out quickly and punt it away.... Derek Stingley Jr. would take the punt and return the ball 28 yards to the Commodores' 38 yard line. 
    Brennan would hit Terrace Marshall Jr. in the end zone for a 16 yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 14-0 with 12:28 left in the 1st half. It took the Tigers only four plays to go 38 yards for the score. 
    The Commodores would mount a drive into LSU territory. Facing 4th and four at the Tigers' 40
yard line, Derek Mason would decide to go for it. Seals would be pressured and would throw an incomplete pass to turn the ball over on downs. 
    With the Tigers taking over on their 40 yard line, Myles Brennan would over throw a wide open receiver on 3rd and 10. Randall Haynie would make a diving interception at the Vanderbilt 42 yard line. The turnover would shift the momentum as Vanderbilt would drive 58 yards in 8 plays, scoring on a eight yard touchdown pass from Ken Seals to tight end Ben Bresnahan with 5:07 to go in the half. 14-7 Tigers...
    LSU would waste no time shifting the momentum back in their favor, as Terrace Marshall would pull in a pass across the middle from Brennan and out run the secondary for the score and a 21-7 lead.  The play covered 51 yards, ending a 3 play, 75 yard drive that only took 55 seconds of the clock. 
    Vanderbilt would continue to scratch and fight as Dnovan Kaufman would find a hole up
the middle on the kickoff return and return the ball to the LSU 42 yard line. From there, Seals would drive the Commodores down to the LSU four yard line where the drive would stall with 16 seconds remaining. Vanderbilt would line up for a 22 yard field goal, but Commodores' kicker Pierson Cooke would miss the chip shot pushing it to the left.  
    Myles Brennan would take a knee to take us to the halftime break with LSU leading 21-7.



      3rd QUARTER:

    LSU would receive the 2nd half kickoff, but could only manage nine yards in three plays, punting the ball to the Commodores. The Tigers defense would respond holding Vandy to a three-and-out..
    LSU would begin their next drive at their own 41 yard line. From there Brennan would drive the Tigers 25 yards in seven plays setting up a Cade York 53 yard field goal attempt. York would boom the kick straight through the uprights with plenty to spare increasing LSU's lead to 24-7.
    Ken Seals would be sacked twice by the Tigers on their next possession as Travez Moore would take him down on 1st down, then Andre Anthony would drop him on 3rd down and 13.. Vanderbilt's  Harrison Smith would punt the ball away to Derek Stingley. Stingley would do an incredible job of waiting, faking, and shaking to set up his blockers as he would return the ball 48 yards up the far sideline to the Commodores' 20. 
    LSU's offense would be unable to put the ball into the end zone, settling for a Cade York 31 yard field goal with 7:10 to go in the 3rd quarter, giving the Tigers a 27-7 lead. 
   The LSU defense would continue to play well, as they would hold Vandy once again to what seemed to be another three-and-out. However, Derek Mason would call a fake punt on 4th and five. Dshaun Jerkins (one of the up-men in the punt formation), would take the direct snap and scamper for seven yards and a 1st down. It would all be for none, as LSU would respond with a back-to-back, three-and-outs to force another Vanderbilt punt. 
    LSU would begin to drive the nails into the coffin as they would end the 3rd quarter with a beautiful nine play, 85 yard scoring drive, as Steve Ensminger would dial up a flea flicker. Jontre Kirklin would make an outstanding 29 yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone from Myles Brennan, extending LSU's lead to 34-7 with 46 seconds left in the 3rd. 



      4th QUARTER:

    Vanderbilt's offense would start the 4th quarter with a nice, time consuming driving that would see them set up with a 2nd and goal at the LSU nine yard line. Ken Seals would roll to his left while under pressure, throwing a pass into the end zone that LSU's Todd Harris would intercept and make a nice return out to the Tigers' 21 yard line with 11:16 left in the game.
  The LSU offense would continue to wear down the Commodores as they would control and dominate the remainder of the ballgame. Brennan would drive the Tigers 79 yards in seven plays, eating up 3:05 on the drive. John Emery Jr. who had a great night would score on a 12 yard sweep into the end zone, putting the Tigers up 41-7. 
    Vandy would start the next drive at their own 30 yard line. On 1st and 10 Seals would throw deep down the near sidelines and true freshman corner back Eli Ricks would make a spectacular interception at the LSU 47. 
    With 7:57 to go in the game, the Commodores' offense wouldn't see the football again, as Myles Brennan would complete a few nice passes to Koy Moore, then the LSU O-line would lead the way for redshirt freshman running back Josh Williams. Williams would carry the ball eight straight plays, eating up the clock and moving the ball from the Vanderbilt 37 yard line, down to their seven. There,  Myles Brennan would take a knee twice to end the football game.  A 41-7 victory for LSU. 


   


    Myles Brennan played much better this week. He made better decisions and threw the ball with better accuracy. He would finish with 23-37, 337 yards passing, 4 TDs, 1 INT.  Myles also spread the ball around really well tonight completing passes to 11 different players. The wide receivers showed nice improvement, running solid routes and making nice catches throughout the ballgame. The leaders here were Terrace Marshall who had 2 catches for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as Jonte Kirklin who added 65 yards and 2 touchdowns on three grabs.  The offensive line played together as a dominating unit against a talented veteran Vanderbilt defense, as they opened up plenty of running lanes for the backs and did a great job protecting the quarterback as Brennan was never sacked.  Chris Curry ended up missing the game due to an injury, which lead to John Emery Jr. having a huge night. Emery would rush for 103 yards on 12 carries,(an impressive 8.6 average), and a score.  JaCoby Stevens lead the defense with 11 tackles. Jabril Cox and both defensive ends, Andre Anthony and Ali Gaye played great giving the Commodore offense fits. The secondary bounced back playing pretty well overall, and should continue to improve each week as they gain game experience. Special teams were solid as usual, except for one small bust on a kick coverage. Cade York and Zach Von Rosenberg continue to perform at a high level. 
    With the win, LSU improves to 1-1 on the season. Look for the Tigers to continue to improve and hopefully perform better as the season goes on if they can remain healthy. This team is young and talented but they lack depth at key positions. The 41-7 victory will be a huge boost to the Tigers' confidence as they prepare for a good 0-2 South Carolina team next week in Tiger Stadium. ESPN will broadcast the game. Kickoff is set for 8pm CST. 

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Photos by: Vanderbilt/LSU/SEC