LSU Holds Off Vanderbilt 24-17 in Close Week 13 Contest
LSU defeated Vanderbilt 24-17 on Saturday in a competitive matchup that featured six lead changes throughout the game. The Tigers' defense made crucial plays in the first half, including a pivotal stop on Vanderbilt's opening drive. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier led the offensive attack, completing 332 passing yards and connecting with Chris Hilton Jr. on nine receptions. Josh Williams contributed 90 rushing yards for the Tigers.
Vanderbilt kept the game close behind Diego Pavia's play at quarterback. The Commodores scored early on a 63-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Skinner Jr., but LSU answered with a balanced offensive approach throughout the contest. The game remained tightly contested, with momentum swinging between the two teams multiple times.
LSU's scoring came in waves, putting up seven points in the first quarter and second quarter, then three in the fourth. Vanderbilt scored seven in the opening quarter and seven in the second quarter, with a final field goal in the fourth. Despite the narrow final margin, LSU's defense proved the difference in securing the victory.
AI-generated recap · Aug 29, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vanderbilt | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
 LSU | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Vanderbilt | LSU |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 13-24 | 28-37 |
| Pass Yards | 186 | 332 |
| Rush Yards | 122 | 142 |
| Total Yards | 308 | 474 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd Down | 2-10 | 8-13 |
| Penalties | 3-15 | 3-25 |
| Possession | 25:17 | 34:43 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Brock Taylor kickoff for 62 yds , Zavion Thomas return for 15 yds to the LSU 18 Zavion Thomas fumbled, recovered by LSU return for 15 yds , return for no gain to the LSU 18
Caden Durham run for 3 yds to the LSU 21
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Caden Durham for 4 yds to the LSU 25
LSU Penalty, False Start (-5 Yards) to the LSU 20
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Kyren Lacy for 1 yd to the LSU 21
Blake Ochsendorf punt for 41 yds , Martel Hight returns for a loss of 1 yard to the VAN 37
Diego Pavia pass complete to Quincy Skinner Jr. for 63 yds for a TD LSU Penalty, Face mask (15 yards) (15 Yards) to the LSU 0 (Brock Taylor KICK)
Brock Taylor kickoff for 42 yds , Josh Williams return for 2 yds to the LSU 10
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Mason Taylor for 10 yds to the LSU 20 for a 1ST down
Caden Durham run for 6 yds to the LSU 26
Caden Durham run for 3 yds to the LSU 29
Caden Durham run for 4 yds to the LSU 33 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Kyren Lacy for 30 yds to the VAN 37 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Aaron Anderson for 3 yds to the VAN 34
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Josh Williams for 14 yds to the VAN 20 for a 1ST down
Josh Williams run for 20 yds for a TD (Damian Ramos KICK)
Sedrick Alexander run for 5 yds to the VAN 30
Diego Pavia run for a loss of 1 yard to the VAN 29
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Jesse Mirco punt for 54 yds , Zavion Thomas returns for 10 yds to the LSU 27
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Caden Durham run for 1 yd to the LSU 28
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Mason Taylor for 24 yds to the VAN 48 for a 1ST down
Josh Williams run for 6 yds to the VAN 42
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Caden Durham run for 7 yds to the VAN 35 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Kyren Lacy for 16 yds to the VAN 19 for a 1ST down
Caden Durham run for 11 yds to the VAN 8 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier sacked by Yilanan Ouattara for a loss of 6 yards to the VAN 14
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Aaron Anderson for 6 yds to the VAN 8
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Trey'Dez Green for 5 yds to the VAN 3
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Diego Pavia pass complete to Quincy Skinner Jr. for 1 yd to the VAN 4
Diego Pavia pass complete to Quincy Skinner Jr. for 8 yds to the VAN 12
Diego Pavia run for 36 yds to the VAN 48 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Diego Pavia pass complete to Sedrick Alexander for 5 yds to the LSU 47
Jesse Mirco punt for 47 yds for a touchback
Caden Durham run for 3 yds to the LSU 23
Caden Durham run for 4 yds to the LSU 27
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Blake Ochsendorf punt for 33 yds, fair catch by Martel Hight at the VAN 40
Nate Johnson run for 10 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass complete to Loic Fouonji for 9 yds to the LSU 41
Sedrick Alexander run for 3 yds to the LSU 38 for a 1ST down
Moni Jones run for 3 yds to the LSU 35
Sedrick Alexander run for no gain to the LSU 35
Diego Pavia pass complete to Loic Fouonji for 7 yds to the LSU 28 for a 1ST down
Sedrick Alexander run for 5 yds to the LSU 23
Diego Pavia run for 2 yds to the LSU 21
Eli Stowers run for 1 yd to the LSU 20
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Ka'Morreun Pimpton for 5 yds to the LSU 25
Josh Williams run for a loss of 1 yard to the LSU 24
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to CJ Daniels for 9 yds to the LSU 33 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Josh Williams run for 8 yds to the LSU 41
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to CJ Daniels for 14 yds to the VAN 45 for a 1ST down
Josh Williams run for 8 yds to the VAN 37
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Josh Williams for 16 yds to the VAN 21 for a 1ST down
Josh Williams run for 21 yds for a TD (Damian Ramos KICK)
Diego Pavia pass complete to Junior Sherrill for 13 yds to the VAN 38 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass complete to Junior Sherrill for 9 yds to the VAN 47
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Vanderbilt Penalty, False Start (Eli Stowers) to the VAN 42
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Jesse Mirco punt for 49 yds, downed at the LSU 9
(00:03) Kneel down by TEAM at LSU8 (team loss of 1).
End of 2nd Quarter
Sedrick Alexander run for 5 yds to the VAN 30
AJ Newberry run for 6 yds to the VAN 36 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Diego Pavia pass complete to Eli Stowers for 2 yds to the VAN 38
Diego Pavia run for 7 yds to the VAN 45
Sedrick Alexander run for 2 yds to the VAN 47 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Diego Pavia pass complete to Junior Sherrill for 18 yds to the LSU 35 for a 1ST down
Sedrick Alexander run for 1 yd to the LSU 34
Nate Johnson run for 7 yds to the LSU 27
Vanderbilt Penalty, False Start (Gunnar Hansen) to the LSU 32
Diego Pavia pass complete to Richie Hoskins for 3 yds to the LSU 29
Brock Taylor 47 yd FG GOOD
Brock Taylor kickoff for 62 yds , Zavion Thomas return for 20 yds to the LSU 23
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Caden Durham run for 1 yd to the LSU 24
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to CJ Daniels for 9 yds to the LSU 33 for a 1ST down
Caden Durham run for 5 yds to the LSU 38
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Aaron Anderson for 21 yds to the VAN 41 for a 1ST down
Caden Durham run for 1 yd to the VAN 40
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Caden Durham for 2 yds to the VAN 38
Josh Williams run for 2 yds to the VAN 36
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to CJ Daniels for 24 yds to the VAN 12 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Kyren Lacy for 12 yds for a TD (Damian Ramos KICK)
Sedrick Alexander run for 2 yds to the VAN 27
Sedrick Alexander run for 1 yd to the VAN 28
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Jesse Mirco punt for 57 yds, downed at the LSU 15
Josh Williams run for 2 yds to the LSU 17
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Josh Williams for 13 yds to the LSU 30 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Aaron Anderson for 18 yds to the LSU 48 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Aaron Anderson for 7 yds to the VAN 45
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Mason Taylor for 6 yds to the VAN 39 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Josh Williams for 18 yds to the VAN 21 for a 1ST down
LSU Penalty, False Start (-5 Yards) to the VAN 26
Josh Williams run for 6 yds to the VAN 20
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Chris Hilton Jr. for 9 yds to the VAN 11 for a 1ST down
Josh Williams run for no gain to the VAN 11
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Garrett Nussmeier pass incomplete
Damian Ramos 28 yd FG GOOD
Nate Johnson run for 3 yds to the VAN 28
Diego Pavia sacked by Shone Washington and Bradyn Swinson for a loss of 2 yards to the VAN 26
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Jesse Mirco run for 9 yds to the VAN 35 for a 1ST down
AJ Newberry run for 10 yds to the VAN 45 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass incomplete
Diego Pavia pass complete to Loic Fouonji for 39 yds to the LSU 16 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia pass complete to Eli Stowers for 9 yds to the LSU 7
AJ Newberry run for 6 yds to the LSU 1 for a 1ST down
Diego Pavia run for 1 yd for a TD (Brock Taylor KICK)
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Kyren Lacy for 21 yds to the LSU 46 for a 1ST down
Caden Durham run for 6 yds to the VAN 48
Caden Durham run for 3 yds to the VAN 45
Josh Williams run for 3 yds to the VAN 42 for a 1ST down
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Aaron Anderson for 10 yds to the VAN 32 for a 1ST down
Josh Williams run for 1 yd to the VAN 31
Garrett Nussmeier pass complete to Kyren Lacy for 5 yds to the VAN 26
Vanderbilt Penalty, Disconcerting Signals on TAYLOR, CJ enforced (CJ Taylor) to the VAN 21 for a 1ST down
Josh Williams run for 8 yds to the VAN 13
Josh Williams run for 6 yds to the VAN 7 for a 1ST down
(01:14) [SG] Kneel down by TEAM at VANDY8 (team loss of 1).
[SG] Kneel down by TEAM at VANDY9 (team loss of 1), clock 00:00.