Vanderbilt hasn't won in Baton Rouge, La., since 1951, when I Love Lucy made its TV debut. The redhead had a nice career, so maybe it's about time the Commodores make a little history, too, in their SEC opener Saturday night at LSU. Can it happen? "The only thing I can say is that we have to go down there anyway, so let's make the most of it," said Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson, whose team is a two-touchdown underdog.
As promised, Vanderbilt unveiled its no-huddle offense with smashing success in last Saturday's 45-0 victory over Western Carolina. The Commodores had 620 total yards and produced their highest single-game rushing total (433) in more than 30 years. They ran 95 plays (70 rushing attempts), had possession for 34:44 and didn't commit a single procedure penalty.
Johnson also has done his best, if that's possible, to prepare his team for the raucous, evening atmosphere at LSU.
"I think we've played very well on the road," Johnson said.
"Our guys seem to relish the challenge of going to places like that and going up against the very best people in the country and that is what we tell them when we recruit them. We tell them they are coming here to play the best. They will see on the film that they are going to have a great challenge not only with the atmosphere in the stadium, but the players they are playing. What makes those stadiums so hard is the players that are playing in them."
LSU has players, too. For starters, Johnson knows that slowing down LSU sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson is essential to Vanderbilt's chances for an upset. The 6-foot-4 Jefferson threw for 172 yards and three touchdowns in LSU's 31-23 victory at Washington last week. Eight of his 11 completions went to Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver.
"When you rush the passer, you've got to be careful because (Jefferson) will pull it down and run it," Johnson said. "They do run some option. They run some zone read. He's very dangerous doing that. And he can throw it."
Vanderbilt will counter with its own sophomore dual quarterback, Larry Smith. Smith ran for 66 yards and threw for 153 yards a touchdown against Western Carolina. The Commodores also showcased a pair of true freshman tailbacks in Zac Stacy and Warren Norman. Talk about first impressions -- Stacy and Norman became the first Vanderbilt duo to rush for more than 100 yards in the same game in seven years.
Stacy's 133-yard rushing total is the second highest single-game rushing total ever by a Vanderbilt true freshman, behind only Frank Mordica's 148-yard total against Air Force in 1986. Norman added 105 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
"They ran the ball well," Johnson said. "I think sometimes, we got a little picky in there and waited. If we wait against LSU, someone is going to be knocking them on the side of the head.
"We have most of the playbook in, and we're not afraid to call it. Hopefully our signaling system will be good enough that we can get the calls in. Not huddling, hopefully we won't have too many situations where we're running down and don't have enough time left on the clock."
Although LSU's defense allowed 478 yards against Washington, Tigers fans hope the effort was an aberration. Vanderbilt certainly understands the task at hand. The Commodores struggled with offensive production throughout last season, particularly against conference teams. They averaged seven fewer points scored than in games against non-conference opponents. Vanderbilt is young, too. Seven true freshmen played against Western Carolina. Johnson has fingers crossed that first experience helps when they walk into Tiger Stadium, capacity a mere 92,400. An average of eight nights a year, Tiger Stadium becomes the fifth largest city in the state of Louisiana.
"They will know what our routine is and we will go to the stadium Friday night and give them a chance to look at it," he said. "We are trying to tell the team that it is a great stadium and a great place to play, and it can't be any more fun than this. We are trying to look at it that way instead of dreading going down there. We are looking forward to it."
The only real area of concern for Johnson following Saturday was in the kicking game. Freshman Ryan Fowler missed two of three field goals, and punter Brett Upson struggled after a consistently strong showing in preseason practices.
While the Commodores prepare to open SEC play after posting a 4-4 mark in league action last year -- the win total represents the most SEC wins by Vanderbilt since the league went to divisional play in 1992 -- LSU will be out to snap a four-game SEC losing streak, the longest such streak for the Tigers since 1999 when they dropped seven straight.
On the flip side, LSU has won 30 straight Saturday night games in Tiger Stadium with 19 of those victories under Miles.
LSU last faced Vanderbilt in 2005, Miles' first season in Baton Rouge. LSU beat the Commodores, 34-6, in Nashville as Vanderbilt finished with just 138 total offensive yards, including 26 rushing yards on 25 carries. Vanderbilt was No. 1 in the SEC and No. 19 in the country in passing offense in 2005 with current Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler behind center.
In 1951, with Lucy on the tube, Commodore quarterback Bill Wade, who earlier in the season appeared on the cover of Life magazine, threw for three touchdowns to lead Vanderbilt to its last victory at LSU, 20-13.
"Believe me, offensively we are realistic and we know we won't be able to run the ball as easily against LSU as we did against Western Carolina," Johnson said. " We've got to be attentive to detail with everything we do."
