Takeaways from Vanderbilt Football's 44-20 Win Over Virginia Tech
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Blacksburg, VA—Vanderbilt football made a statement on Saturday night as it took down Virginia Tech 44-20 at Lane Stadium in front of a sellout crowd.
Here's some takeaways from Vanderbilt's win that moved it to 2-0 on the season.
Vanderbilt made a statement, but not in the way it likely thought it would
Vanderbilt likely thought it would roll into Blacksburg and win on the back of the things that it’s always relied on to win games like it did on Saturday night. In Vanderbilt’s past, it had to win in the margins and play clean football to get out of places like Virginia Tech with a win.
Saturday, it turned it over twice and didn’t force a turnover. It racked up 74 yards in penalties as opposed to Virginia Tech’s 30. It trailed for nearly all of the first half. Yet it still won handily.
How? By doing the things that all SEC teams do when they win by a significant margin. Vanderbilt won significantly on the line of scrimmage. It hit on a significant amount of explosive plays down the field. It out-talented a team with plenty of it.
That says more about Vanderbilt than a stellar performance would have.
How about Diego Pavia’s performance?
Want to win on the road? Don’t do what Pavia did as he rolled to his right and hurled it downfield in an effort to find Vanderbilt receiver Tre Richardson that ultimately resulted in an interception.
Want to redeem yourself? Do what he did the rest of the night.
Pavia channeled some of the magic that he’s so often put together as he threw for 193 yards, two touchdowns and ran for 61 yards. When it appeared as if the Vanderbilt quarterback was out and had put Vanderbilt in a compromising position, he got it out of it.
The Vanderbilt quarterback did all the things that a star should do. His performance stood out and propelled Vanderbilt to an eventual win.
Vanderbilt’s defense didn’t appear to have all that many answers on Saturday night, until it flipped a switch
It isn’t unrealistic to expect more from a group of old guys who have proverbially been here and done it together before, that group proved why on Saturday night as it
Vanderbilt’s defense surrendered 20 points as well as 227 yards while allowing Virginia Tech to score on four of its five drives over the course of the first half. In the second, it allowed just 21 yards and shut out Virginia Tech.
Its deeper, more talented defensive line had some trouble closing run lanes and gave up far too many yards per carry in the first half. By the end of the night, it was closing up all the holes that appeared to be open at the beginning of it. Virginia Tech’s passing game that was alive and well throughout the first half of Saturday’s game was severely limited in the second, as well.
The only refuge that Vanderbilt’s defense appeared to have throughout stretches of the night was its ability to overwhelm Drones with blitzes. When that’s the only calling card, there’s likely something wrong.
Turns out Vanderbilt would find more answers as things went on. In the end, it reminded everyone in the building what a group of old guys that know each other can do.
Vanderbilt’s line play was far superior to Virginia Tech’s, so was its running back play
The difference in second-half physicality was jarring as Vanderbilt took over the game in the old-school SEC way of opening huge holes in the run game and putting enough pressure on the opposing quarterback in order to force him into mistakes.
This wasn’t a fluke or an indictment on Virginia Tech as much as it was Vanderbilt football proving that it had taken a tangible step forward in terms of the areas that it had invested heavily in over the years.
Its offensive line got the game ball while facing a good Virginia Tech defense. That’s perhaps Vanderbilt’s most encouraging takeaway of the day.
If that isn’t, its running back play is up there as well. Sedrick Alexander went for 73 yards on 11 carries while MK Young quietly had his coming out party with a 95-yard performance as well as a touchdown and the game-sealing run. Even standout walk-on Jamezell Lassiter got involved and ended the game with 26 yards.
Tre Richardson has his coming out party
At times, the Division-II transfer that nobody bet on a few summers ago looked to be the most dynamic player on the field on Saturday.
Richardson finished the day with three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown while showcasing that he can be the downfield receiving threat that Vanderbilt appeared to lack at times down the stretch of the 2024 season.
The Washburn transfer had perhaps his signature moment as he bounced off of a Virginia Tech cornerback and hauled in a touchdown reception to break the game open in a way.
If anyone proved something on Saturday, it was Richardson.
Some jarring second-half stats
Vanderbilt outscored Virginia Tech 34-0 in the second half. It outgained it 321 to 21. It didn’t allow a single rushing yard after the break.
It was completely dominant.
Bryce Cowan has solidified a role
The Vanderbilt linebacker has sat, developed and waited his turn in a linebacker room of surplus. Now he appears to have his opportunity.
PFF grades and snap counts will reveal exactly how involved Cowan was on Saturday, but in a game without injury to the linebacker room the Vanderbilt senior appeared to be more involved in a gameplan than he’s been throughout his career.
Vanderbilt linebackers coach Nick Lezynski said in fall camp that Cowan would have a significant role and that it was time for him to get a real chance, but that could’ve been interpreted as coach speak at the time.
As Cowan brought down Virginia Tech running back P.J. Prioleau with 10:27 to go in the first quarter, it was clear that Lezynski wasn’t just boosting the morale of his guy. Cowan appears to have a real role here.
Brycen Coleman has his moment
Coleman is as talented of a go-up and get it guy as Vanderbilt has on its roster, but he’s struggled to find the field throughout his first two years on Vanderbilt’s campus.
There he was streaking down the home sideline for a 54-yard touchdown reception that gave a Vanderbilt team that was down on the mat some life. There’s still room for Coleman to go as a blocker before he sees the field consistently, but his receiving ability has always been there.
Perhaps that’s the first of many for the Vanderbilt tight end.
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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