Game 3: RV/RV Vanderbilt (2-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 11/10 South Carolina (2-0, 0-0, SEC)
When: Saturday, Sept. 13 • 6:45 p.m. CT
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, S.C.
Watch: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic)
Listen: 102.5 The Game (Andrew Allegretta, Norman Jordan and Kevin Ingram)
EXIT SANDMAN
• Vanderbilt stole the night in Blacksburg, storming back from a 20-10 halftime deficit to defeat Virginia Tech 44-20.
• The Dores outgained the Hokies 321-21 as part of their 34-0 second half domination. It was the largest second-half yardage disparity for the Commodores in available records dating to 2002.
• The win marked the first double-digit comeback for Vanderbilt since 2022. The 24-point margin of victory was the largest for the Dores after trailing by 10-plus points in at least 80 years.
• The victory was also Vanderbilt’s first nonconference road win over a Power 4 team since taking down Wake Forest 41-7 on Nov. 26, 2011.
• Diego Pavia accounted for 254 total yards, throwing for 193 and two touchdowns while adding 61 on the ground. It marked the third-straight game with multiple TD passes for Pavia.
• Newcomer Makhilyn Young rushed for a career-best 95 yards and a touchdown. Young also busted a career-long 62-yard scamper to help Vanderbilt ice the road win.
• Defensively, senior Nick Rinaldi led the Dores with six tackles, including 2.5 for loss and a sack.
TREMENDOUS TRE
• Tre Richardson’s jump from Division II Washburn to Vanderbilt has been seamless on the football field, as the wide receiver leads the Dores with 128 receiving yards.
• Richardson is also tied alongside Eli Stowers for the team lead with eight receptions through two games.
• The speedster made a spectacular leaping grab on a 26-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass in the third quarter at Virginia Tech. The score was his first as a Commodore.
• Richardson is averaging a team-high 16.0 yards per catch.
• The versatile threat also has three carries for 33 yards, giving him a 14.6 yard/touch average.
YOUNG RUNNING WILD & FREE
• Makhilyn Young is in the midst of a break out through his first two games with the Dores, running for 114 yards on just 11 carries. In 14 games prior to Vandy, Young had just 201 yards on the ground.
• Young carried a career-high eight times in the Virginia Tech win, racking up a career-best 95 yards on the ground. He added a 12-yard reception to lead all players in all-purpose yardage.
• The career day also include a collegiate-best 62 yard carry to help seal the win in the fourth quarter.
• 29 of Young’s 95 yards came after contact, according to PFF. That mark is also a career best for the junior. In total, Young set or matched eight career highs against the Hokies.
DOMINANT DIEGO
• Diego Pavia holds the highest offensive rating of any quarterback with a 93.1 grade through two weeks according to PFF.
• The Commodores’ signal caller also leads all qualified players with a 12.0 percent big throw percentage.
• Pavia has accounted for 573 yards of offense through the first two games, going 32-of-43 through the air for 468 yards while adding 105 yards on 19 carries.
• He didn’t miss a beat in Vandy’s season-opening win over Charleston Southern, completing 20-of-25 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. The 80 percent completion rate was a career best for Pavia when completing 20 or more passes and tied for the second best performance in any game of his career.
• The three passing touchdowns and 275 passing yards both matched Vanderbilt highs for Pavia.
• Pavia’s 20 passing touchdowns in 2024 ranked sixth in the SEC. The 20 touchdowns were fifth-most by a Commodore in a season.
• On the ground, Pavia ran for a Vanderbilt QB record 801 yards. That total was the highest by a Power 4 quarterback last season and seventh-most among non-service academy quarterbacks in all of FBS.
• For his career, Pavia capped 2024 second among active FBS quarterbacks with 2,232 rushing yards, trailing only Army’s Bryson Daily. In addition, his 6,716 career passing yards ranked 12th among active quarterbacks heading into 2025.
• He was named one of 16 semifinalists for the 88th Maxwell Award, as well as one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award.
• His performance in the win over top-ranked Alabama on Oct. 5 landed him SEC Offensive Player of the Week. He was also named the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week and the Maxwell Award Player of the Week.
• He became the 13th quarterback since 2004 to defeat Alabama and Auburn in the same season and just the fourth do to so without playing in the SEC West (Stetson Bennett, Deshaun Watson, Matthew Stafford). He is the seventh quarterback in that same time frame to have at least three career wins over the Tigers and Tide, joining Jayden Daniels, Bennett, Joe Burrow, Jarrett Lee, Jordan Jefferson, Stafford and JaMarcus Russell.
• Pavia piloted a deadly efficient offense in 2023 while leading New Mexico State to 10 wins. He ranked among the top 35 in FBS in passing touchdowns, points, passing yards per attempt and passing efficiency that season. In addition, Pavia ranked fifth among FBS quarterbacks in Pro Football Focus’ Elusive Rating.
SEDRICK THE ENTERTAINER
• Running back Sedrick Alexander picked up right where he left off in 2024, going for 83 yards on 12 carries in the season-opening win against Charleston Southern. The 83 yards propelled Alexander past the 1,000-yard mark for his career. Alexander also added 26 yards receiving to top 100 all-purpose yards for the first time in his collegiate career.
• Alexander followed with a 73-yard, two-touchdown performance on just 10 carries in the win at Virginia Tech. The two touchdowns match a career high for the junior. The opening two games also marked the first time in his career Alexander rushed for 70-plus yards in back-to-back games.
• Last season, he tallied a career-high 21 carries in the win over top-ranked Alabama on Oct. 5, 2024, matching his career-best with two rushing touchdowns, and was included on the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Honorable Mention List for the week.
• He finished his sophomore campaign as the team’s second-leading rusher, trailing only Diego Pavia, with 586 yards and six touchdowns. He became the 26th Vandy running back to eclipse 500 rushing yards in a season since 1996 and his total was second among all SEC sophomores.
• The Texan played in all 12 games as a freshman, logging 504 all-purpose yards, 371 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
• He led SEC freshmen in rushing yards and touchdowns and was named to the league’s All-Freshman team.
• Alexander was named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List entering 2024.
CONTROLLING THE SEAS
• The Commodores defense surrendered just 135 total yards to Charleston Southern in the season opener.
• The 135 yards were the eighth-lowest total allowed in the past 30 seasons by the Commodores. It’s also the second-lowest output by an opposing offense in the season opener.
• The Commodore defense racked up three sacks and totaled seven stops behind the line of scrimmage.
• Bryce Cowan led the Dores’ defense with five tackles, one shy of his career-best six set against Tennessee in 2023.
• Miles Capers led the black and gold with 2.5 tackles for loss, including a strip sack. The forced fumble was the fourth of Capers’ career, extending his team-leading total. The 2.5 tackles for loss total was a career best for Capers as well.
• The Dores followed by holding Virginia Tech to just 248 total yards, including a stifling 21-yard second half, in the Week 2 win. Nick Rinaldi led the way with six total tackles and a career-best 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. Rinaldi, Khordae Sydnor and CJ Heard all recorded their first sacks.
