LSU and Vanderbilt meet for the first time since 2009 at Tiger Stadium on Saturday Night in Death Valley.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:55 PM CT on the SEC Network and the LSU Sports Radio Network.

The Tigers will don alternate uniforms, featuring a white helmet, gold jersey and white pants, with an updated look to the combination LSU wore against the Commodores in 1997, where they escaped with a 7-6 win.

“I know Clark (Lea) well,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “He has done a fantastic job building this program. 6-4 with blowout wins over Alabama, Kentucky and Auburn. It is a tough and physical defense. The attacking structure has changed. Diego Pavia is a tough player with a hard nose and he is the man who makes it possible for them.”

Lea, the head coach at Vanderbilt, previously served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Notre Dame under Coach Kelly from 2018 to 2020.

The Tigers have dropped three games in a row for the first time since 2021, but the belief remains for a side looking to get back on solid footing at home on Saturday night. In each loss, LSU was in the game entering the fourth quarter. The focus will be on finishing games in their last two matches.

“This football team absolutely does not believe they can get the job done,” Kelly said Monday. “When we talk about adjusting the process, it’s about what’s important right now and shifting the focus to some of the things that will help us close games.”

The Commodores are led by senior quarterback Diego Pavia, who enters Saturday’s game with 1,843 yards passing and 15 touchdowns this season. He also leads the team in rushing with 628 yards on the ground and five scores. Pavia’s 15 passing touchdowns rank sixth in the SEC and are responsible for 124 points this fall.

Eli Stowers was the top target with 42 receptions for 557 yards receiving and four touchdowns. Junior Sherrill is second in receiving yards with 331 to go and three touchdowns. On defense, linebacker Bryan Longwell leads the unit with 63 tackles, an interception and 1.5 sacks. Randon Fontenette has recorded 53 stops with an interception and 3.5 sacks.

“We haven’t played very well the last three weeks,” Kelly said. “(The players) know that. Everyone knows that. Anyone who watches LSU Football knows that. They want to play better football. We want to coach better and we want to play better. They responded (in practice) the way I thought they would.”

LSU leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt 24-7-1 with the last win coming in 2020 when Myles Brennan threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 41-7 win. The last Commodore victory in Baton Rouge was in 1951.

“Our football team is still working to be the best version of itself,” Kelly said Thursday. “What we had to do was win some close games this year. We won a few and lost three. We have to finish these last two.”