“One of the Best Quarterbacks in the Country”: Virginia Tech Knows It Has Its Hands Full against Vanderbilt

Virginia Tech is no stranger to facing the new-look Vanderbilt. Last season the Commodores started 2024 by beating Virginia Tech 34-27 in overtime. 

Last season’s Vanderbilt team was difficult to prepare for because of the amount of transfers and unknown factors, including quarterback Diego Pavia. Now that Virginia Tech has seen Pavia and a majority of the roster, it knows exactly what it's getting into this weekend. 

Though Virginia Tech has a short week after losing its first game to South Carolina Sunday, it does help in the sense that it is familiar with Vanderbilt’s offense and defense, so having one less day to prepare may not hurt as much. Virginia Tech watched Vanderbilt's game against Charleston Southern closely, but Hokies' head coach Brent Pry knows Vanderbilt has plenty of plays still in the vault.

“More folks have a better understanding of who they’re going to be, what this quarterback’s all about and how good he really is,” Pry said. “They’re innovative as coaches and their offense allows for creativity and different things. I’m sure we’ll see something that they didn’t show against Charleston Southern.”

In his weekly press conference, Pry praised Pavia for his skillset and discussed him at length, including the challenges that he presents Virginia Tech’s defense.

“Diego Pavia is obviously one of the best quarterbacks in the country in my opinion. We saw it firsthand, he took down No. 1 Alabama last year. He had a great year. He looks even better to me right now. He’s a dual-threat guy again. He can beat you with his legs, he can beat you with his arm.”

In last season’s game, Pavia frustrated the Hokies’ defense all day with both his arm and his legs. He threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns on 12-for-16 passing and ran for 104 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

Pry and the coaching staff know that Pavia is more than capable of putting the team on his back. But they also know that the Vanderbilt offense is not just about Pavia, it also has an All-SEC tight end in Eli Stowers and a deeper receiver room than last season.

“He’s got a nice arsenal of receivers that have good speed, particularly Sherrill. The running back looked fantastic in week one. And the tight end is one of the best in the country,” Pry said.

The game within the game to watch this weekend could be how the experienced Vanderbilt offense plays against a Virginia Tech defense that is just learning to play together. The Hokies only have three of the same defensive starters that they had in last year’s matchup. 

Last week against another dual-threat quarterback in South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, Virginia Tech’s defense contained Sellers on the ground with only 25 yards and a touchdown, but he got the best of Virginia Tech’s defense through the air with 209 passing yards and a touchdown.

The scheme that Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense puts on the field in the rematch will be intriguing to see. But the environment of playing at Lane Stadium at night will no doubt be enough to motivate the players on both sides.

“We got our hands full, it’s a very talented football team,” Pry said.

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