ATLANTA –Vanderbilt’s fourth-quarter comeback came undone on Saturday, as Georgia State scored a touchdown in the game’s closing seconds to hand the Commodores a 36-32 loss at Center Parc Stadium.
It is Vandy’s first loss of the 2024 season, as the Dores now stand at 2-1 overall. The win improves Georgia State to 2-1.
Trailing by two scores late in the fourth quarter the Commodore offense went full steam. Vanderbilt posted back-to-back touchdowns in 1:15 to take its first lead at 32-29. Running back Sederick Alexander rushed into the endzone from one-yard out with 1:14 left to play.
Georgia State answered by going 75 yards downfield in seven plays, finding the endzone in 59 seconds. The Panthers reclaimed the lead when quarterback Christian Veilleux found a streaking Ted Hurst for a 25-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left to play.
The Commodores could not find pay dirt on their final possession, as the clock expired with Vanderbilt at its 47-yard line after completing a 17-yard pass.
The Dores amassed 380 yards of total offense. Graduate student Diego Pavia had his first 300-yard game as a Commodore, as the quarterback collected 310 total yards of offense. Pavia tossed for a season-high 270 yards and added 40 yards on the ground. He threw for a pair of touchdowns against the Panthers, finding Junior Sherrill for an 8-yard score right before halftime, then connected with tight end Eli Stowers for an 18-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Stowers hauled in nine receptions for 110 yards, both marks are single-game highs by a Commodore this season. A total of seven Dores caught a pass on Saturday. Alexander rushed for a team-best 42 yards and a score on 11 carries, as he has recorded a touchdown in all three games this season. AJ Newberry collected a touchdown for the second-straight game, while he hauled in a two-point conversion on Vanderbilt’s final touchdown. The running back also added a 53-yard reception in the second quarter, which is the longest reception by a Vandy player this season, that set up the Commodores’ first touchdown.
Randon Fontenette led the Vandy defense with eight tackles. Aeneas DiCosmo and Bryan Longwell teamed up for a sack, while the Dores had five tackles for loss. Longwell recorded his first collegiate interception and had four tackles against the Panthers.
Vanderbilt returns to action Saturday, as the Commodores open SEC play at No. 6/8 Missouri. Kickoff against the Tigers is set for 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network.
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