By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – LSU’s 2024 football season was never anticipated to be a pleasure cruise.
There were enough documented questions in the preseason, such as an offense tweaked to fit new starting QB Garrett Nussmeier’s skill set and an all-new defensive coaching staff seeking steady improvement, to know life preservers would be needed almost weekly to reach the promised land of the College Football Playoffs.
Nobody, not even third-year LSU head coach Brian Kelly, couldn’t anticipate his team crashing into rocks with three consecutive SEC losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida. It has left the Tigers (6-4 overall, 3-3 SEC) in the SEC frantically and futilely bailing water from its sinking season as they prepare to play Vanderbilt (6-4, 3-3) here Saturday night in open a two-game homestand to close the regular season.
More than a month ago, LSU was an SEC co-leader at 3-0, averaging 33 points per game in league play (1st in the SEC) and was second in turnover margin with a plus 4 (lost 4 turnovers, gained 8).
After second-half nosedives in road losses at Texas A&M and Florida sandwiching a thorough 42-13 home beatdown by Alabama, the Tigers are eighth in scoring (in conference games) averaging 25.17 and dropped to 11th in turnover margin with a minus 2 (11 lost, 9 gained).
That’s not a typo. In the trio of defeats, LSU has committed seven turnovers (five Garrett Nussmeier interceptions, two lost Nussmeier fumbles) and gained one.
LSU’s offense has dissipated into a puddle of ineffectiveness, scoring three TDs in its last 27 possessions. The Tigers have struggled to find a consistent, productive rushing attack all year but then the passing game hit the skids at Florida when the Gators sacked Nussmeier 7 times for losses of 56 yards.
“It’s not a coaching problem, it’s not a scheme,” LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell said on Tuesday in his first media interview since the first week of the season. “We have to do little things right. When you don’t, you don’t deserve to win.
“We’re doubling down on consistent application of our process because it works. It worked last year and the year before. It’s worked for over 30 years on Coach Kelly’s journey. Every other coach under him does parts of it, too.
“It’s up to us to make it happen. Nobody’s on that field with us.”
While Nussmeier’s passing effectiveness is on a downward slope – he’s thrown for 21 TDs but also has had 11 passes intercepted and is completing just 62.3 percent of his throws – New Mexico State transfer Diego Pavia has been one of the SEC’s best stories this season as Vanderbilt’s starting QB.
Pavia, just 6-0 and 207 pounds, was the Conference USA’s Player of the Year last season when he guided New Mexico State to its second 10-win season in history. After NMS head coach Jerry Kill resigned a week after a bowl loss to end last season, Pavia ended up transferring to Vandy when Commodores’ head coach Clark Lea swayed Kill to become Lea’s chief consultant and a senior offensive advisor.
In Vanderbilt’s season-opening 34-27 win over Virginia Tech, Pavia opened eyes when he accounted for three touchdowns and 294 total offense yards. Then, in the Commodores’ first-ever win over a No. 1 ranked team, a 40-35 win over Alabama, he completed 16-for-20 with 252 passing yards and two touchdowns and ran for 56 yards on 20 carries.
Lea became Vanderbilt’s coach in December 2020 after serving three seasons as Kelly’s defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. After winning just 2 of 24 SEC games in his first three seasons, the Commodores broke through this season.
“Clark is extremely locked into what his process is and how he’s developed his process,” Kelly said. “They haven’t gone for the flavor of the week. He stayed steadfast with that even through some of the rougher years.
“This has been a consistent approach as a head coach, saying `This is our system, this is our process, this is how we do things, and we’re sticking with it. You can start to see how that’s paying off for him today, and that’s why they’re on the other side of this.”
GO FIGURE
7: True LSU freshmen have started at least one game this season.
7-3: LSU’s record under Brian Kelly immediately following a loss.
563: Receiving yards for Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, first among SEC tight ends.
628: Rushing yards this season for Vandy’s Diego Pavia, first among SEC quarterbacks.
1951: The year the last time LSU lost to Vanderbilt in Baton Rouge.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com