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Vanderbilt pulls off first major upset of 2024 season with shock OT win

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Vanderbilt pulls off first major upset of 2024 season with shock OT win

The first college football upset of the season featured the SEC.

The twist: the SEC team was the one doing the upsetting.

Vanderbilt, that oft-forgotten minnow of college football’s titanic conference, defeated Virginia Tech 34-27 in overtime to put some spotlight on a school that rarely sees it.

The Commodores, 13.5-point underdogs entering the day, saw their hearts drop upon missing a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation before coming up with a touchdown and subsequent stop to seal victory in the extra period.


Diego Pavia #2 of the Vanderbilt Commodores celebrates during the first half of the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at FirstBank Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. Getty Images

Quarterback Diego Pavia, who finished the day with 190 yards and two touchdowns in the air, scored with a four-yard run to put Vanderbilt ahead in overtime.

After Virginia Tech got inside the 10-yard line on its ensuing possession, a Zaylin Wood sack set up fourth-and-11 when Collin Schlee’s pass fell incomplete to seal the win.

Though the Hokies came into the season unranked, this was a team that had designs on making a run in the ACC, which looks fairly wide open this season.


Sedrick Alexander #28 of the Vanderbilt Commodores breaks a tackle for a touchdown during the second half of the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at FirstBank Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sedrick Alexander #28 of the Vanderbilt Commodores breaks a tackle for a touchdown during the second half of the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at FirstBank Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. Getty Images

They might need to do some re-evaluating now.

Vanderbilt, which has not played in a bowl game since 2018, may now be doing the same in the other direction.

Getting to six victories would count as major progress for Clark Lea’s program, and will likely require a couple of other upsets along the way.

But this certainly counts as a strong start.

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