Vanderbilt football falls hard, 66-38, to No. 5 LSU

Vanderbilt allowed the third-most points in program history in a 66-38 loss to No. 5 LSU Saturday.

The Commodores lost 83-0 to Georgia Tech in 1917 and 71-13 to Florida in 2001. They tied the mark of a 66-3 loss to Alabama in 1979.

Vanderbilt (0-3, 0-2 SEC) dropped to 0-3 for the first time since 2006 and 0-56 all-time against top-5 teams. It has only one ranked opponent, No. 8 Florida, remaining on its schedule.

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But the Commodores have a long way to go after three lopsided losses. Here are five things we learned from their loss to LSU (4-0, 1-0 SEC):

Vanderbilt boosts Joe Burrow’s Heisman campaign

Rest assured, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow’s chances at a Heisman Trophy will be determined by big games against No. 2 Alabama, No. 8 Florida and No. 15 Texas A&M later this season. But he put together a strong stat-stuffing performance against the Commodores.

Burrow, who entered the game ranked No. 2 nationally in passing yards, lit up Vanderbilt’s secondary. He was 25-of-34 passing for 398 yards and six TDs, setting an LSU single-game record.

Vanderbilt defense decimated by LSU attack

It wasn’t just Burrow who buried Vanderbilt’s defense, although he was the biggest contributor. Ja'Marr Chase had four TD catches, the most by an LSU player in an SEC game in program history.

On LSU’s first seven possessions, it scored five touchdowns and one field goal and punted once. The longest of those first six scoring drives took only 2:11. LSU finished with 599 yards — 418 passing and 181 rushing.

Onside kick backfired terribly

Trailing 38-17, Vanderbilt tried to open the second half with an onside kick. Ryley Guay put a good spin and hop on the kickoff, but it bounced through LSU’s front line and Vanderbilt’s coverage team. Near the sideline and 12 yards from the kickoff spot, LSU’s Micah Baskerville secured the bouncing ball and returned it 46 yards to the 1.

After a penalty, LSU scored a touchdown on Burrow’s pass to Racey McMath. The Tigers led 45-17 after Vanderbilt’s failed attempt to swing the momentum in the second half. Another special teams snafu — a blocked punt — resulted in an LSU touchdown later in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt highlights too little, too late

Vanderbilt moved the ball and scored its most points in the series since beating LSU 48-7 in 1948. Running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, the 2018 SEC Newcomer of the Year, rushed for a season-high 130 yards and two TDs on 20 carries, including runs of 41 and 52 yards.

Vanderbilt scored defensive TDs on linebacker Elijah McAllister's fumble recovery at the goal line and cornerback Randall Haynie's 47-yard interception for a TD.

Commodores digging deep holes in SEC games

When Vaughn broke a 41-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and scored on a 5-yard TD run to cap the opening drive, it seemed like Vanderbilt would keep it close for a while.

Instead, LSU answered with 28 straight points in the first quarter to put the Commodores in a deep hole in another SEC game. Vanderbilt fell behind 21-0 to Georgia before playing almost evenly the remainder of the game. LSU tied its program record for most points scored in the first quarter against an SEC opponent (Tulane, 1965).

LSU gained 261 yards of total offense in the first quarter, including Burrow’s 10-of-11 passing for 199 yards. Vanderbilt has been outscored 73-33 in the first half. 

Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

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