Vanderbilt Football Opens as Underdogs Against Virginia Tech

“Definitely a revenge game,” Returning Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones told On SI’s Graham Dietz in an exclusive interview that was obtained by Vandy on SI. “Definitely a Redemption game.” 

“For sure [a revenge game], we got a lot of guys that still have that bad taste in their mouth,” Virginia Tech linebacker Jaden Keller added. “Having that chip on your shoulder, having that usually adds motivation, fuel to the fire. It's huge. We got a whole bunch of guys that know what that feels like.”

The trip to Blacksburg represents Vanderbilt’s first real test of the 2025 season and its most difficult non-conference game by a significant margin. 

In Vanderbilt’s 13 games a year ago, it covered in nine of the 13, including covering its largest line of the season as 33.5-point favorites over Alcorn State with a 55-0 victory. Virginia Tech was thought to be a contender to be a College Football Playoff team, but finished 2024 with a 6-7 record overall and a 4-4 record in ACC play. 

Vanderbilt entered last season’s week one matchup with the Hokies as significant underdogs, but used its upset to propel it to a 7-6 season in which it knocked off No. 1 Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky as well as Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl. Now, it looks to set the tone for its season with another upset win over Virginia Tech. 

“We're going to need to redirect our energy really quickly to the game against Virginia Tech, which is going to be really challenging for us,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said after Saturday’s win over Charleston Southern. “We're in a mode of execution now. And every week's a climb for us, and a challenge, and we can't waste time. Your mistakes now have consequences. This isn't training camp. And so I hope that we have a little better perspective on not heading into next week."