Know Your Enemy: What No. 20 LSU Must Prepare for Against Vanderbilt
LSU faces a week two opponent in Vanderbilt that’s entering its first home game of the season with a ton of confidence. The Commodores are coming off of a 17-12 loss to No. 13 Texas A&M fueled by a strong effort of the defensive end.
The Commodores are an interesting matchup to say the least so we reached out to Commodore Country editor Greg Arias to learn a little bit more about the team.
1. It really seems that the Vanderbilt defense exceeded expectations in its 17-12 week one loss to Texas A&M. What and who were some of the big factors/players to contribute to the success.
The defensive line is where it starts this year with the Commodores. Along with having eleven starters returning on that side of the ball, there is more talented depth up front that allowed head coach Derek Mason and defensive coordinator Ted Roof to rotate players, keeping them fresher and more able to compete than last season when depth was limited and it showed.
2. Talk to us a little about freshman quarterback Ken Seals. It seems like Derek Mason and the coaching staff are already enamored with his poise. What challenges does he bring to an LSU defense that just allowed an SEC record 623 passing yards?
From our limited contact with Ken, he is a very mature 18-year-old, and he showed an extremely calm and poised presence against A&M. I'm not sure what challenges he will present to the Tigers considering that the talent level in Baton Rouge is still higher than that in Nashville at this point, However, Seals will come and compete, and he is a talented passer that can make all the trows and play solid football. He's still a true freshman and while he might be able to do some things against the Tigers, no one expects to see him do what KJ Costello did to them last week.
3. If you had to pick one position group that's the major strength of this Commodore team, what would it be and why?
As I said above, the defensive line because of their depth, but I'd also say that the quarterback room is a strength this season as opposed to last year. The Commodores brought in four new quarterbacks, and all four are head and shoulders above anyone in the room a season ago. Hopefully, they can avoid injuries this season and not have to go through the revolving door there again.
4. Can we expect linebacker Dimitri Moore, who recently opted back into the season, to play on Saturday? If so what kind of an impact can he have in stopping the LSU defense?
Yes, according to Derek Mason, Moore suffered an undisclosed injury in practice last week. He tried to go in warmups but was unable to and so he was held out. He is the unquestioned leader of this defense, and while his replacements played well, Moore along with Dayo Odeyingbo are the two true NFL prospects that will have a chance to go to the next level in April's draft. Moore can do some things that would force the Tigers to account for him, which could allow some other players to be able to be freer to make plays. He is definitely a key performer and will impact things if he is on the field.
5. Give us your early thoughts on this game. What are the most important things the Commodores must do to secure a win over the Tigers?
Despite the Tigers issues last week against the Bulldogs, it's hard to see Vanderbilt being able to come close to what it took for Mississippi State to get the win. However, if the Tigers secondary struggles, Seals is a talented enough passer to hurt them and he has some wideouts who can make some plays. It will take a monumental effort for the Commodores to win, but then we thought the same thing last week, so anything is possible, especially in 2020.
