Hours before the LSU Tigers were set to battle the Vanderbilt Commodores, there was still a glimmer of hope that star linebacker Whit Weeks was going to suit up. Weeks spent the week battling a bone bruise to his ankle, and while he was listed as "questionable," ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Weeks was going to warm up and test things out. Unfortunately, it was announced leading up to kick-off that Weeks wasn't going to play.
It was a tough blow for the Tiger defense, who entered Week 8 alloweing just 11.8 points per game. Weeks' absence played a major role in Saturday's outcome, as LSU simply didn't have any answers for Diego Pavia's running ability.
Diego Pavia runs wild against LSU with Whit Weeks sidelined
The Vanderbilt offense had little trouble moving the ball consistently all game long. The ultimate decider in the game was Pavia making plays with his legs. Pavia burned LSU both through designed runs and improvised scrambles. In total, the Commodore QB collected a team-high 86 rushing yards to go along with two rushing touchdowns.
Not having Weeks in the middle of the field to captain LSU's defense was a major loss. Weeks is the unquestioned leader of the Tiger defense, and not having his veteran presence out on the field was too much to overcome. Furthermore, Weeks excels at running around the field and making tackles. Without him, LSU looked lost trying to contain Pavia, as nobody could step up and make a timely play. Perhaps most notably, Harold Perkins Jr guessed wrong and lost contain on several occasions, which Pavia quickly took advantage of.
All in all, the Tigers allowed the Commodores to run for 240 yards and 5.5 yards per carry. Vanderbilt ran for 116 yards in the 3rd quarter alone. Pavia and company faced little to no resistance and were able to sustain drives and control the clock. The Commodores punted just twice on the day, and their first punt didn't come until the 4th quarter when LSU was desperately trying to stay in it.
Hopefully, Weeks is able to rest up and get healthy for next week's battle vs No. 4 Texas A&M in Baton Rouge. He was wearing a walking boot on the sidelines during the game, so for now his status appears to still be up in the air.