Can LSU football keep its ground game rolling vs. Vanderbilt?

Through the first six weeks of the season, LSU football had one of the worst run games in the country, averaging just 87 rushing yards per game on 3.5 yards per attempt against Power Four opponents. This issue within the offense came to a head against Ole Miss, where they rushed 22 times for 57 yards, averaging an abysmal 2.6 yards per carry.

The Rebels were able to drop eight defenders into coverage for a majority of the game due to the lack of a threat LSU posed on the ground, making it impossible to move the ball through the air.

Against South Carolina, however, LSU’s run game found life, rushing for 166 yards on 5.5 yards per carry. The improvement’s impact on the rest of the offense was immediately apparent, with Garrett Nussmeier throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns, both his best marks of the season against FBS opponents.

This offensive revival presents a new challenge, though: they need to do it again.

LSU’s opponent this week, Vanderbilt, will make a repeat performance a challenge. Pro Football Focus has the Commodores graded as the 38th-best run defense in the country, and they’ve held Power Four opponents to an average of 115 rushing yards per game at just 3.5 yards per attempt. 

To be clear, the way LSU’s run game performed on Saturday was the expectation heading into the year, given the amount of talent the team invested in along the offensive line. They signed two of the top interior offensive linemen in the portal in Josh Thompson and Braelin Moore, the latter of whom has been the team’s best lineman so far.

The problem is that Moore has been the only consistent performer along the line this season, with LSU’s tackle duo of Tyree Adams and Weston Davis coming in ranked 153rd and 239th among tackles to play at least 270 snaps this season, per PFF. The Tigers have tried to mitigate this problem by focusing on runs between the tackles, but up until their game against South Carolina, that hadn’t worked.

Something changed against the Gamecocks, however. South Carolina has been a stout run defense with a talented interior line this season, but LSU still managed an incredible rushing performance against them, largely on the shoulders of Moore and Thompson.

On runs between the tackles, LSU rushed 13 times for 121 yards, proving that the principles that head coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan have been espousing this season have finally been realized.

Below is a perfect example of the level of play fans expected from Thompson and Moore, with the two of them opening up a massive hole for Ju'Juan Johnson.

Ju'Juan Johnson's big run. Braelin Moore creates space up front, then Johnson makes a play.

Maybe the ankle was an issue in recent weeks, but Moore looked like the player we saw in Week 1 pic.twitter.com/lA2nhi3tBq

— Will Rosenblatt (@rozenwill) October 15, 2025

Kelly was asked about the run game’s turnaround on Monday, and his response suggests that its effectiveness against the Gamecocks is only the beginning.

“I think it’s just been an evolution. I think it starts with getting off the ball,” Kelly explained. “A lot of the things that take time to come together are starting to come to fruition. And so the run game, as I said, has got to be central to our overall offensive efficiency.”

If you consider the two red zone mistakes the Tigers made—with the goal line fumble from Ju’Juan Johnson, and an interception from Nussmeier on the nine-yard line—LSU could have easily scored 34 points instead of just 20 Saturday night. These mistakes need to be eliminated, but it’s important to note that these mistakes were actually made in the red zone at all. The fact that LSU was able to put together drives and reach that area signifies a real change in the offense, and something to build off of.

With Kelly’s confidence that the run game will continue to improve, and the focus he and Sloan are placing on eliminating these key mistakes moving forward, it’s reasonable to believe the Tiger offense could become a genuinely dangerous unit in the coming weeks. 

If that can be paired with a defense that has a strong case for being the best in the country, the Tigers might no longer be facing a lost season. It will require exceptional play on both sides of the ball, but if they can deliver, a playoff berth could be within reach.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Can LSU football keep its ground game rolling vs. Vanderbilt?