The Shadow
BLACKSBURG, Va. (VR) – For one half Saturday night, Virginia Tech looked ready to erase the sting of last year’s overtime loss to Vanderbilt. Instead, the Hokies collapsed after halftime, giving up 34 unanswered points in a 44-20 defeat at Lane Stadium.
Quarterback Kyron Drones set the tone early, engineering a sharp opening drive that ended in a field goal. The Hokies built on that momentum, controlling the first half behind a balanced attack and timely stops on defense. By halftime, Tech held a 20-10 lead, the Lane Stadium crowd roaring with belief that redemption was on the way.
That optimism vanished quickly. Vanderbilt opened the third quarter with an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by a touchdown from quarterback Diego Pavia, chewing nearly eight minutes off the clock. Tech’s response was a three-and-out, and Pavia went back to work, leading another Commodore touchdown march that gave Vanderbilt a 23-20 lead. The Hokies never recovered.
Penalties and protection breakdowns plagued the offense. A false start, a sack, and a batted-down pass late in the third quarter handed the ball right back to Vanderbilt, who promptly struck again. By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the outcome was all but sealed.
Drones finished 17 of 29 passing for 134 yards with one touchdown through the air. He added 37 rushing yards and another score, though he lost nearly half his gains on sacks in the second half. Outside of Drones, the Hokie offense offered little resistance, producing just 250 yards for the game, with most of that coming before halftime.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, piled up 492 total yards and punished Tech’s defense on the ground, averaging 7.5 yards per rush. Pavia was efficient, completing 12 of 18 passes for 193 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, while also rushing for 61 yards.
Virginia Tech falls to 0-2 on the season, with head coach Brent Pry facing increasing scrutiny after another second-half collapse.
