Instant Analysis: Vanderbilt Gets Huge Win Over No. 10 LSU

Vanderbilt Commodores On SI’s Joey Dwyer and Graham Baakko broke down Vanderbilt's win over LSU.

Oct 18, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) celebrates the win with the student section against the Louisiana State Tigers during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt football once again proved that it is for real this season. The Commodores came up with a huge 31-24 win over No. 10 LSU and became bowl eligible for the second consecutive season.

LSU got the scoring started with a field goal on the first possession of the game, but Vanderbilt responded with a touchdown drive right after. It was aggressive play calling that helped Vanderbilt take its initial lead. On 4th and goal from the 1-yard line, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia snuck it in for the score.

Anytime LSU scored during the game, Vanderbilt would always have an answer. It was fascinating to see considering that LSU was a top 10 defense in college football entering the game. In fact, there was only one team who scored more than 10 points on the Tigers in 2025.

The red zone was a major factor into why Vanderbilt won the game. The Commodores scored a touchdown on all three red zone trips, compared to LSU who only got to the red zone one time and had to settle for a field goal.

Vanderbilt outgained LSU 399-325, including 211 to 165 in the second half. The game was put on ice in the final three minutes of the game. The Vanderbilt defense forced a stop that gave the ball back to the offense. Then it was a MK Young 43-yard run deep into LSU territory that essentially iced the game and allowed Vanderbilt to move into victory formation and run out the time.

With the win, there will be more and more conversations to be had about Vanderbilt’s playoff chances. The Commodores are 6-1 with road wins at Virginia Tech and South Carolina in addition to today’s resume-builder.

“We talked today about this as a game of action, a game of responses. And one of the things coming out of the Alabama game that we felt was we didn't play Vanderbilt football all the way to the finish. And the turnovers were one thing, but just our responses there at the end. This needs to be a team that's undaunted, that is resilient. And again, a game of action, a game of responses. We need to win the responses and we control. And today was a reminder that this is a team game, and it takes all three phases to win games like this," Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said.

Up next, Vanderbilt stays home for another big SEC game as it hosts Missouri. The Commodores and the Tigers are slated for either a 2:30 p.m. CT start time or 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff