Upon Further Review: Vanderbilt 44, Virginia Tech 20

BLACKSBURG, Va.. – Going into halftime down 10, nobody could have guessed that Vanderbilt would win the game by over 20 points.

On Saturday night, Vanderbilt got its best win since its upset over No. 1 Alabama last season as the Commodores rolled into Lane Stadium and won 44-20 over Virginia Tech. Vanderbilt shutout Virginia Tech in the second half while dropping five touchdowns on the Hokies’ defense. 

The story of the game was indeed the night and day defense of Vanderbilt’s offensive line being able to open up running lanes and the Vanderbilt defense shutting down Virginia Tech mobile quarterback Kyron Drones after Drones gave the defense fits in the first half.

After a deeper look into the game, here is the play of the game, the player of the game, the statistics of the game and 10 things you may not have noticed.

Play of the Game: This is an easy pick this week. It was a play that was a highlight reel as well as the play that truly shifted all the momentum in Vanderbilt’s favor. And that play is wide receiver Tre Richardson’s one-handed touchdown grab to take a 23-20 lead in the third quarter

Player of the Game: In a game like last night where it was a total team effort in the second half, it is hard to pick one player. Pavia and Richardson both are worthy of it. But this week, the player of the game is really the position room of the game, which is the offensive line. After a sloppy first half, the offensive line wore down Virginia Tech and allowed for rushing lanes to open nearly every play.

Stat of the Game: Vanderbilt went 5-for-5 on touchdown drives in the second half. Every possession ended in a Commodore touchdown, excluding the knee in victory formation to run the clock out.

10 things you may not have noticed

1. Red Zone Perfection (Both teams): Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech both scored on every trip to the red zone. Virginia Tech went 4-for-4 and Vanderbilt went 5-for-5 inside the 20-yard line. However, all of Virginia Tech’s trips occurred in the first half before Vanderbilt’s defense took over and went after the Hokie offense.

2. Wide Margin in Yardage: Vanderbilt’s offense took off like a rocket ship in the second half and ended up gaining nearly 500 yards of offense, nearly double of its opponent. By the end of the game, Vanderbilt outgained Virginia Tech 490 to 248 yards.

3. Offensive Line Opens Lanes: How good was the run blocking of Vanderbilt’s offensive line? On 37 rushing attempts, the Commodores averaged 7.1 yards per carry to total 262 yards on the ground compared to 3.7 yards per rush for Virginia Tech.

4. More on the Run: Vanderbilt had seven runs of at least 10 yards in the game. The longest rush of the night went to MK Young, who ran 62 yards to the Virginia Tech 10-yard line in the fourth quarter to put a nail in the coffin.

5. Pavia’s Long Throws: Pavia had four throws that went for at least 20 yards down the field. The two that occurred in the second half were critical plays that essentially sealed the game for his team. Backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz also threw a 26-yard pass on a 3rd-and-13 to Jamezell Lassiter.

6. Tre Richardson: Richardson seems like he is in fact a force for Vanderbilt’s offense this season. After finishing the game against Charleston Southern with the most receptions on the team, he made an even bigger impact on the game Saturday. Despite only three receptions this week, they were all crucial ones that affected the outcome of the game, including his one-handed touchdown in the third quarter. 

7. Time of Possession: In the first half, Vanderbilt lost the time of possession battle by a significant margin of 19:41-10:19. In the second half the script flipped. Vanderbilt held onto the ball for 21:53 compared to just 8:07 for Virginia Tech.

8. Second Half Shutout: Vanderbilt’s second half shutout was very impressive to watch. But what went a little unnoticed was how little Virginia Tech actually moved the ball. The Commodores allowed just 21 yards of offense, all of them were passing. In 10 rush attempts, Virginia Tech netted zero yards in the half.

9. Pavia the Blocker: Diego Pavia was active not just in the passing game, but he also helped his teammates by blocking for them. When he improvised by pitching the ball to his running backs, Pavia immediately ran right at the nearest defender and became a blocker for his guys.

10. Third Down Defense: Vanderbilt did not start off well defending third down. Virginia Tech converted on five of its first six first down attempts and another third down that turned into a first down via a defensive penalty. After that, the Hokies only converted on one of its final eight third down attempts.

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