Vanderbilt brings fast-start tradition to LSU

• Published: Sep 8, 2009 - Page: 1C

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The key to beating Vanderbilt? Maybe it’s drawing the Commodores late in the season.

The past few years, Vandy has pulled out some of its biggest wins in September and early October.

Last year, for instance, the Commodores started 5-0, a run that included Southeastern Conference victories against South Carolina, Ole Miss and Arkansas.

The year before that, they started 3-1, beating Ole Miss in their third game.

In 2005, Jay Cutler’s senior year, they started 4-0, with two SEC wins.

All this from a team that hasn’t finished above .500 in the SEC since 1982, when Vandy went 8-4 overall and 4-2 in the league.

LSU, which welcomes Vanderbilt to Tiger Stadium for Saturday’s home opener, has faced the Commodores 38 times.

Never have the Tigers faced them this early.

“I think our guys do a good job of preparing,” Vandy coach Bobby Johnson said during a Monday news conference. “I know our coaches work extremely hard every year to have a preseason camp where we get a lot of stuff installed in a short period of time.”

Popular opinion says Vandy, which rarely lands four- and five-star prep prospects, has better success early because it lacks the depth to overcome injuries during the course of the season.

Whatever the reason, the Commodores have been fast out the gate ... and slow to the finish.

Even last season, as Vandy reached its first bowl game in 26 years, the Commodores staggered to a 1-6 mark in their final seven games.

So for LSU, which struggled to a 31-23 victory at Washington in the opener, seeing the Commodores now — as opposed to later — could be half the challenge.