Vanderbilt, behind quarterback Diego Pavia’s 294 yards of total offense, pulled a huge overtime upset of visiting Virginia Tech by a 34-27 score at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday.
The Commodores, 13 1/2-point underdogs, blew a 17-point lead and trailed 27-20 but Pavia connected with Sedrick Alexander with a touchdown pass with 1:51 left that helped Vandy tie it at 27.
Pavia then scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 4-yard run on the first drive of overtime.
The Commodores got a Zaylin Wood sack on Tech’s ensuing possession, forcing a fourth-and-11 from the 12. Quarterback Colin Schlee had time but couldn’t find a man and threw the ball through the back of the end zone to end the game.
Schlee was on for Kyron Drones (322 yards passing), who was hurt in the final minutes of regulation.
The Hokies trailed 17-3 at the break but came alive in the second half. They used three big plays on their first drive, the last, a Bhayshul Tuten 24-yard touchdown run over the left side with 12:42 left in the second half, to cut into Vanderbilt’s lead.
Drones threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes to Tuten and Ali Jennings, the last, a 62-yarder with 4:21 left that put the Hokies up for the first time all day.
That looked like the knockout punch for a Vanderbilt team that lost all nine games against Power 5 teams last season, but Pavia had other ideas.
The Commodores used the game’s first 6:33 on an 11-play drive that ended in Taylor’s 43-yard field goal.
On Tech’s first drive, Vandy linebacker Bryan Longwell came free on a blitz, knocked Drones’ pass in the air and defensive lineman Glenn Seabrooks III picked it and ran it back 15 yards to the Tech 28.
On a third-and-9 from the Tech 14, Pavia hit Quincy Skinner with a great throw to the right side of the end zone and Vanderbilt led 10-0.
After a Tech punt, the Commodores marched 80 yards in 11 plays and Alexander pushed through a hole in the middle for a 7-yard score.
–Field Level Media
