Nashville, Tenn. (WKRN)- Vanderbilt falls to 0-3 to start the season for the first time since 2008 after falling to No. 4 LSU 66-38 on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers came in as one of the hottest offenses in college football and did not slow down, combining for 599 yards of total offense. Quarterback Joe Burrow had a record day going 23-of-34 for 398 yards and 6 touchdowns.
“Joe is no different than I remember him. He’s brash, he’s going to talk a little trash, but he loves to back it up. I love the competitive spirit,” said Vanderbilt Head Coach Derek Mason.
While the LSU offense thrived, in what seemed like a home environment at Vanderbilt Stadium, the Commodores defense struggled. The pass defense is the area of most concern, after giving up 418 yards through air.
Mason added, “We have given up yards, a lot of those were in explosives in terms of tackling. And again I don’t know what else to do and it comes back to us we got it find drills to drill it better. But you put guys in position, guys got to make plays. Football’s not about schematics for coaches, players make it come alive.”
The Commodores did find ways to put point up on the board against LSU. Riley Neal finished 15-of-31 for 206 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception but it was running back Ke’ShawnVaughn who had a big day. The Nashville native racked up 120 yards on 13 carries, adding 2 touchdowns.
“I just think we had 11 guys on the same page there and Ke’Shawn’s a good back and five really good guys up front, so he doesn’t need a whole lot to work with, so you just give him that little sliver and he’ll do the rest,” said Riley Neal.
The Commodores schedule will lighten up a bit after playing two top ranked teams. They will host Southern Illinois next Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium.
