NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt’s football program has not reacted well far too often when momentum turns against it.
Saturday at home, the Commodores answered after a 17-point lead disappeared to post the first overtime win of coach Clark Lea’s career at his alma mater.
Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia scored on a 4-yard touchdown run as Vanderbilt upset Virginia Tech 34-27 in the season opener for both teams.
“As far as the game goes, look, that was the full catastrophe,” said Lea, a 42-year-old Nashville native and former Commodores fullback in his fourth season leading the program.
“I mean, it had everything that you could ever want as a coach and some that you don’t want. But I don’t know that the script could be written differently for our program.”
Lea mimicked Vanderbilt’s first major renovation of its stadium since 1981 during the offseason by changing his coaching staff, taking over as defensive coordinator and bringing in 51 new players. The result was a positive start to the 2024 schedule with Vanderbilt’s first overtime win since beating Ole Miss 36-9 on Nov. 17, 2018, in Nashville.
Lea produced overall records of 2-10, 5-7 and 2-10 over his first three seasons at Vanderbilt, while the Southeastern Conference records for those years were 0-8, 2-6 and 0-8.
“We’re now on the road to change,” Lea said after beating the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Hokies.
Pavia, the graduate transfer from New Mexico State and last season’s Conference USA offensive player of the yar, is a big part of that. He needed four plays to put the Commodores ahead in overtime and finished with 294 yards (190 passing, 104 rushing).
Vanderbilt sold out this game with its south end zone closed to fans during construction. Enough Hokies faithful filled the stands that Pavia said he couldn’t hear himself call the cadence at times.
“I’m there to play how I want to, play my game,” Pavia said, “and when you stop me, then you can talk.”
Lea not only lured Pavia from New Mexico State, which won 10 games last season, he also hired Jerry Kill as his chief consultant and senior offensive coach along with bringing offensive coordinator Tim Beck to Music City.
The Vanderbilt coach’s first game coordinating the defense produced four sacks and an early interception to set up the Commodores’ first touchdown.
Virginia Tech switched quarterbacks in overtime with Kyron Drones cramping up on a sweltering day after throwing for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
“He just had kind of run out of gas at the end,” Hokies coach Brent Pry said.
Collin Schlee, who took over behind center, was sacked on third down. On the last play, his throw to Da’Quan Felton went out of the back of the end zone, starting a big celebration for the home team.
Pavia nearly won in regulation. After Virginia Tech took its only lead at 27-20 with 4:12 left, he capped a 70-yard touchdown drive with an 8-yard pass to Sedrick Alexander with 1:51 left. Pavia also set up Brock Taylor for a 43-yard field-goal attempt that he missed wide right as time expired.
Virginia Tech outgained Vanderbilt in total yards, 397-371, but Vanderbilt played keepaway by holding the ball for more than 34 minutes.
The Hokies, who capped their 7-6 record last season with a win in the Military Bowl, came in favored by 13 1/2 points. Pry called it a humbling loss after an offseason filled with expectations as all 11 starters on offense and 19 of 22 overall returned.
“Maybe we needed some of that,” the Hokies coach said.
Vanderbilt might not have had a chance at overtime if not for a costly penalty on Virginia Tech in the third quarter. The Hokies forced Vandy into a delay of game penalty with Taylor missing a 54-yard field goal only to then draw a penalty with a pair of Hokies wearing the same No. 0 on Vanderbilt’s punt.
That allowed Taylor another shot with the ball moved a little closer, and he made the 53-yarder for a 20-10 lead. Pry took the blame for that, saying after the game he should have taken a timeout.
Pry was co-defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt during the Commodores’ best three-year period in decades as they made three straight bowls and won nine games in back-to-back seasons from 2011 to 2013 under head coach James Franklin, who left after that for Penn State, where he is now in his 11th season.