NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Graduate Diego Pavia and junior Sedrick Alexander spearheaded a dynamic rushing attack to keep No. 14 Vanderbilt’s playoff hopes alive, downing No. 19 Tennessee 45-24 at Neyland Stadium on Saturday for the Commodores’ first win over the Volunteers since 2018.
Both teams traded blows throughout the opening two quarters in what was the highest combined first half point total since Sept. 27 when Vanderbilt and Utah State combined for 52. After forcing a turnover, Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 SEC) opened the scoring on a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped off by a 2-yard rush from DeSean Bishop. The Dores responded on the ensuing drive behind a 28-yard touchdown run from Alexander, going 75 yards in under three minutes.
Vandy (10-2, 6-2 SEC) grabbed its first lead of the contest in just four plays to start the second quarter, highlighted by two Pavia completions for over 30 yards each. The Commodores moved up 14-7 after junior Makhilyn Young rumbled in from 3 yards out. It was the first score for Young since his 80-yard burst against Missouri on Oct. 25. The Volunteers evened things up on their next drive as Joey Aguilar found Chris Brazzell II on a 52-yard pitch and catch. Bishop gave Tennessee a 21-14 advantage soon after with a 35-yard scoring scamper. Vandy made the score 21-21 in the closing seconds of the first half, going 52 yards in seven plays and finished off by a Pavia 3-yard touchdown pass to junior Tre Richardson. Richardson now has three straight games with a score.
The Commodores leaned on the run game coming out of halftime, generating 91 rushing yards across its first two drives en route to two scores. Alexander again found pay dirt for his eighth career multi-score game, and junior Brock Taylor drilled a 35-yard field goal with 2:12 remaining in the third to put Vanderbilt ahead 31-21. The black and gold have scored on the opening drive of the third quarter in three consecutive games, and in total have outscored opponents 114-40 in the third quarter this season.
After a Tennessee field goal in the early minutes of the fourth, the Dores continued the ground-and-pound mindset. Pavia took a designed run to the house from 24 yards out to give Vanderbilt a 38-24 lead with 8:55 left in the game. Vandy punched in the dagger moments later on another Alexander touchdown. His three-score performance is a career high and is tied for the third-most rushing touchdowns in a game in program history. The Vols were unable to reach the end zone in the second half, marking just the second time this season they have not scored a touchdown in the final two quarters.
Pavia outgained the entirety of Tennessee’s team in yardage, throwing for 268 yards and rushing for 165 compared to the Volunteers’ 382 yards of total offense. It was Pavia’s career high in rushing yards. Alexander finished the day with 115 yards on the ground on just 10 carries, setting his career best in rushing yards as well. The Dores rushed for a season-high 314 combined yards, their most since going for 404 against Hawai’i in 2022 and their most against an SEC opponent since at least 1996. Vanderbilt’s six SEC wins are the most in the program’s record book, while the victory capped the first 10-win season for the Dores across their 135-year history.
The Commodores await the announcement of the College Football Playoff field. The playoff selection show will take place December 7 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN. For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt football team, follow @VandyFB on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X.
