Vanderbilt staved off a Virginia Tech comeback to start the season with an upset win. The Commodores came out on top in the first overtime of the college football season to defeat the Hokies 34-27.
After scoring on its opening possession of OT, the Vanderbilt defense came up with the stop it needed on 4th down to seal it.
Though unranked, the Hokies were a popular dark horse to win the ACC and advance to the expanded College Football Playoff. The Commodores, meanwhile, are coming off of a series of lackluster seasons in the SEC, but started the season with a strong message to the rest of the conference.
Diego Pavia, a senior transfer from New Mexico State, was electric for the Commodores, throwing for 190 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 95 and another score to lead the team to a major win.
His 4-yard TD run in overtime proved to be the game-winner.
The game started off slow, with Vanderbilt taking a 3-0 lead in the first quarter before scoring two touchdowns in the second. The Commodores headed into the locker room with a 17-3 lead at halftime.
The matchup had plenty of mess, including a particularly wild sequence in the third quarter that led to a Vanderbilt field goal. Kicker Brock Taylor missed the Commodores’ first 53-yard attempt, but the play was called dead after a delay of game. After Vanderbilt switched to a punt formation, the Hokies were flagged for having two players with the same number on the field. From there, back within field goal range, Taylor hit the second 53-yard attempt to give Vanderbilt three more points. That gave Vanderbilt a 20-10 lead midway through the third quarter.
Despite that, the Hokies came back in the second half, outscoring Vanderbilt 24-10. Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones — who finished with 322 yards, two touchdowns and an interception — had a strong showing to give the Hokies their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter. However, Vanderbilt then followed it up with a touchdown of its own to tie things up at 27-27.
With less than two minutes remaining, Virginia Tech went three-and-out and Drones went down with apparent leg cramps. That ended up being a big factor in overtime, where Drones only played one snap.
Vanderbilt initially had a shot to win it in regulation, but Taylor’s last-second 43-yard field goal went wide right, sending the game into extra time.
Pavia was clinical during Vanderbilt’s overtime drive, getting the ball down the field and eventually running it in for the winning score. The Commodores’ defense then did their thing, forcing Virginia Tech to a fourth-and-long that backup quarterback Collin Schlee missed.
Vanderbilt now starts the season with a win, which will come in handy: The team will be facing five SEC opponents that are currently ranked before the end of the season, with all five sitting in the top 15. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, will embark on a much easier ACC schedule with a 0-1 record and a bruised ego.
