Vanderbilt beats Georgia Tech 35-27 in Birmingham Bowl for first postseason win in 11 years

By AP News Published Dec 27, 2024 06:06 pm

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt delivered another victory to end a surprising season.

Pavia threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores and Vanderbilt secured its first winning season since 2013 with a 35-27 victory over Georgia Tech on Friday in the Birmingham Bowl.

The Commodores (7-6) capped the year with another big game from Pavia, a New Mexico State transfer whose gritty play helped lead a huge turnaround from a 2-10 season.

“This is just a stepping stone of what we want to do here at Vanderbilt,” Pavia said. “We’ve got bigger dreams.”

Pavia accounted for three of his scores in a six-minute span starting late in the third quarter before Georgia Tech (7-6) rallied. A lightning delay with 7:17 left only pushed back the celebration of the Commodores’ first bowl win since that 9-4 season 11 years ago.

“That was a tough fight and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and the weather delay added a layer that we had to overcome,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said.

Pavia, the game MVP, completed 13 of 21 passes for 160 yards and gained 84 yards on 17 rushes. He had a 7-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Skinner Jr. and a 6-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. Afterward, he announced his plans to return to Vandy next season, with the caveat that Lea and staffers like Jerry Kill come back.

Georgia Tech’s Haynes King tried to bring his team back from a 35-13 deficit with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Haynes with 5:03 left and a 2-yarder to Bailey Stockton at the 1:30 mark. Both onside kick attempts failed.

“I thought the character of our team showed with the final seven minutes of the game, how they fought through adversity and continued to play until the end of the game,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said.

King was 25-of-33 passing for 204 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Haynes carried 17 times for 136 yards and had five catches for 32 yards.

The Commodores went ahead 21-13 on Pavia’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Eli Stowers with 56 seconds left in the third quarter in a drive filled with fireworks.

Key was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct protesting a pass interference call on the drive. It came after a non-call on what he thought was a kick catch interference that had buried the Yellow Jackets at their 2.

“There was dialogue and we have to control what we can control as a football team,” Key said.

Then, Tech was flagged for defensive holding and both teams were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after a scuffle on Vandy’s sideline. The Yellow Jackets also had a roughing the kicker call on the extra point.

King then threw only his second interception of the season and CJ Taylor returned it 22 yards to the 11. Pavia was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after flipping the ball into the stands following a run but still produced a 3-yard touchdown to Eli Stowers.

“I don’t know that there was a more perfect person to quarterback this team and to quarterback this program,” Lea said. “This is a chip on the shoulder program.”

Takeaways

Georgia Tech: Had eight penalties for 90 yards and two turnovers that both led to touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets had already lost two key players to the transfer portal, edge rusher Romello Heights (Texas Tech) and leading receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Auburn)

Vanderbilt: Staged a big turnaround in Lea’s fourth season a year after going 0-8 in Southeastern Conference games last season. Lea retooled the staff and brought in players like Pavia, and it paid off.

“We’ve come a long way in 12 months,” Lea said.

Up next

Vandy’s prospects for next season got brighter when a federal judge cleared the way for Pavia to return for another season, pending an NCAA appeal. Georgia Tech’s King also can come back.

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By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer