Column: Vanderbilt Football Crafted the Perfect Revenge Game

NASHVILLE—It was the type of relentless pursuit of revenge that is generally only evident after a breakup or a derogatory comment about a family member, the type of vengefulness that is considered to be a sin in non-football circumstances. It was appropriate for this Vanderbilt football team, though. 

The only way that this Georgia State team could’ve avoided what it got on Saturday night is if it performed a mind trick on Clark Lea’s team to force it to forget what happened a year ago at the old Turner Field. That night was painful enough for Vanderbilt to remember it vividly, though. It could never forget reaching what appeared to be rock bottom as it walked into the tunnel that night. 

Perhaps some of its hurt and disappointment was relieved on Saturday night even if it won't call it a revenge game, though. 

“We did not forget that game from a year ago and how painful that was,” Lea said. “But, tonight was our night and the kids came out, they started fast and maintained the energy throughout.” 

This Vanderbilt team will never lose the hurt of that 2024 night if it didn’t in its 70-21 over Georgia State on Saturday night. It was all that a revenge game could’ve been. It was the equivalent to slashing the tires of an ex-lover. 

It never gave Georgia State a glimmer of hope that it would find a way to leave FirstBank Stadium winners. It was the closure that this group always appeared to want. Vanderbilt walked in, did whatever it wanted to offensively and scored touchdowns on all of its six first-half drives and immediately put this one out of reach. It was businesslike, put Georgia State away early, but still walked around with an attitude as if it believed the result was yet to be sealed. 

This Vanderbilt team wasn’t leaving this thing to chance. It was relentless. It didn’t extend any grace. It even let Virginia Tech and South Carolina in on some of the action by playing Enter Sandman and Sandstorm at halftime. The Vanderbilt athletic department that has so often bowed down to opposing fanbases in its own stadium was mean and ruthless on Saturday night. 

It finished its wrecking ball of a performance by outgaining Georgia State 635-290, picking up 30 first downs as opposed to the Panthers’ 18 and showing Dell McGee’s team what would’ve happened this time last season had Vanderbilt approached it with the proper intensity and focus. 

“It felt so good,” Vanderbilt defensive end Khordae Sydnor–who missed the Georgia State game last season–said. “We played a complete game today and it was a blessing to be out there.”

The idea that Vanderbilt didn’t do that this time last year demonstrated its immaturity. It was late to meetings. Its players lacked focus at times throughout the week. Vanderbilt three-way standout Martel Hight admitted that his team “had in our mind” that they were going to walk in and win convincingly. 

This Vanderbilt team is deeper and more talented than the one that lost to McGee’s team last season, but those things were never the issue. Lea says that his 2024 team “wasn’t ready” to take down Georgia State last season. 

His 2025 team was, though. 

“This is a new team,” Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia said. “You feel the energy.”

That demonstrates something about it. It’s not about it being more talented than Georgia State, either. It’s about it being more mature and grounded than it was this time a year ago. It’s about properly preparing so that it can have nights like it did on Saturday. A year after its missteps caught up with it, it’s coming out treating every game as if it’s going to be a point of data on its College Football Playoff rèsumè. 

If Saturday night’s point of data is any tell, this group will have a significantly stronger rèsumè than it did a year ago. At the very least, it doesn’t include the crippling loss. This Vanderbilt team is free from the guilt of that night a year ago and it’s free of the anchor that could drag it down the rest of the way. 

Revenge was sweet for this Vanderbilt team on Saturday night. It was practical, too. 

“Proud of our team, proud of the effort,” Lea said. “We were aware of how we played a year ago, we were aware that this team is dangerous and that we needed to be prepared so we then channelled our energy towards ‘hey, we need to play fast, we need to win the explosives.’ We started fast and we took command of the game.”