NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia threw for 160 yards and a touchdown and ran for 86 yards and two scores as the 17th-ranked Commodores beat No. 10 LSU 31-24 on Saturday to improve to 6-1 for the first time in 75 years.
Vanderbilt, which matched its best start since a 6-1 start in 1950, beat LSU for the first time since 1990. This was only the fourth meeting since 1947 with both schools ranked in the AP poll. The Commodores also snapped a 10-game skid to the Tigers.
Even better for Vanderbilt, which improved to 2-1 in Southeastern Conference play, the team is bowl eligible in what used to be the top goal for this program. This time, there are still five games remaining on the regular-season schedule.
“Ultimately we have a lot of season left, and we’re going to celebrate this win,” Vanderbilt fifth-year head coach Clark Lea said. “I think we’ve earned the right to celebrate it. But this game won’t define our season. And there’s a lot more for this team to accomplish.”
The Tigers (5-2, 2-2) had some big plays with Garrett Nussmeier throwing for 225 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yarder to Zavion Thomas. Caden Durham also had a 51-yard run down to the Vanderbilt 2 before the Commodores forced LSU to settle for one of four field-goal attempts by the visitors.