Commodores Left Virginia Tech & Lane Stadium With A Stunning 44-20 Rout (9-6-25)

By: Joey Raymond

All Photo Credit: Jason Wiley-LMS Network

Blacksburg, VA –

Virginia Tech welcomed Vanderbilt into Blacksburg and Lane Stadium for the home opener for the Hokies. Night games at lane are always special but with all the pressure surrounding this game, this one feels slightly different. For Virginia Tech this almost feels like a ‘must win’ game. Which is weird to say considering it’s only the second game of the year. However, Virginia Tech needs to show some progress this year. Brent Pry’s seat is already pretty hot, and with every loss it only gets hotter and hotter. The Hokies already lost in week one to South Carolina but the Hokies did seemingly show some progress on defense, the offense still left a ton of questions. Vandy comes into this game off a huge win over FCS Charleston Southern. Let’s break down what happened on Saturday night in Blacksburg. 

First Quarter: 

Virginia Tech opened its 2025 season with a methodical drive to set the tone. Kyron Drones connected on a series of short passes before hitting Donovan Greene for 22 yards to cross midfield. The Hokies steadily worked inside the red zone, but Vanderbilt’s defense held firm, forcing a fourth down. John Love drilled a field goal to give Tech an early 3-0 lead.

Vandy’s first drive went sideways quickly, with a tackle for loss and an offensive pass interference call pushing them back. Quarterback Diego Pavia briefly steadied the Commodores with a first-down completion, but two plays later he forced a throw into double coverage — and Hokies defensive back Quentin Reddish made him pay, coming down with the interception. Tech wasted no time capitalizing, as Drones hit Tucker Holloway for 37 yards before ripping off a pair of big runs himself. Inside the red zone, Drones capped the drive with a touchdown strike to Ja’Ricous Hairston, stretching the lead to 10-0. Vanderbilt showed some life on their next possession with a 21-yard completion to Junior Sherrill, but the first quarter ended with the Commodores still searching for momentum.

Second Quarter: 

Vanderbilt wasted no time striking back to open the second quarter. Diego Pavia sold a perfect play-action fake and found Brycen Coleman wide open for a 54-yard touchdown, silencing Lane Stadium and cutting the Hokies’ lead to 10-7. Virginia Tech’s offense sputtered on the next possession, quickly punting the ball back to a Commodore offense full of momentum.

The tide turned when Tech’s defense came up with a huge play, forcing a fumble and recovering it deep in Vandy territory. Though the Hokies initially stalled, Kyron Drones converted on a fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive, then punched in a touchdown himself from the 1-yard line, stretching the lead back to 17-7. Vanderbilt responded with a methodical drive highlighted by a 21-yard run from Sedrick Alexander and a 17-yard completion to move inside the red zone. The Hokies held firm, though, forcing a 29-yard field goal to make it 17-10.

With under five minutes left in the half, Drones and the Hokies leaned on their ground game to march downfield, aided by a defensive holding call that extended the drive. John Love capped it off with his second field goal of the day, a 27-yarder, to give Virginia Tech a 20-10 advantage at the break.

Third Quarter: 

Vanderbilt came out of halftime looking energized and ready to flip momentum. Diego Pavia set the tone with an 8-yard keeper before mixing in shovel passes and short gains to move the chains. A 22-yard dart up the middle had the Hokies on their heels, and a well-executed reverse play put the Commodores on the doorstep of the end zone. From just two yards out, running back Makhilyn Young powered straight ahead for the score, capping a sharp, efficient drive that tied the game at 20-17 and quieted the Lane Stadium crowd.

Virginia Tech tried to answer back by slowing things down, relying on their ground game to regain control, but the drive fizzled after just one first down, forcing another punt. Vanderbilt took advantage, starting from their own 25 and marching steadily into Hokie territory. Even with penalties setting them back — including a delay of game and a holding call — Pavia and company didn’t blink. A clutch 25-yard completion, aided by a defensive pass interference flag, put them deep into scoring position. On third down, Pavia dropped a dime to Tre Richardson, who hauled in a jaw-dropping one-handed catch for a 29-yard touchdown. Though the extra point went wide after a false start penalty pushed the attempt back, Vanderbilt still surged ahead 23-20 with just 24 seconds left in the quarter.

For Virginia Tech, the end of the quarter was a nightmare. Already reeling, the Hokies opened their next possession with an incompletion before a holding penalty dug them into a hole. A sack pushed them even further back, leaving them facing a daunting 3rd-and-23 as the clock ran out. The quarter ended with Tech trailing, their offense visibly rattled, and all the momentum firmly on Vanderbilt’s sideline.

Fourth Quarter:

The Hokies opened the final frame in the worst possible way. Facing 3rd-and-23, the play call left quarterback Kyron Drones with no options as the field rolled away from him, leading to yet another punt back to the red-hot Vanderbilt offense. Despite briefly forcing a third down, Tech’s defense once again broke when it mattered most, allowing another conversion — the Commodores’ fourth in five tries on third down. That kind of efficiency spelled doom for a Hokie defense already running on fumes. Vanderbilt capitalized immediately, stacking first downs before Sedrick Alexander burst through the line untouched for an 18-yard touchdown. As the scoreboard flipped to 30-20 and the crowd thinned rapidly with over 10 minutes left, it was clear momentum had swung fully in the Commodores’ favor.

Virginia Tech tried to fight back, opening their next drive with a deep shot that drew a pass interference flag and gave them free yardage. But the optimism didn’t last — another drive collapsed under pressure, capped by a sack on 3rd-and-long that forced a punt. Vanderbilt responded with a dagger. Running back Makhilyn Young ripped off a 62-yard run down the sideline, setting up first-and-goal, and a few plays later the ‘Dores punched it in to extend the lead to 37-20. That made it 27 unanswered points, and Lane Stadium had all but emptied as the Hokies looked lifeless on both sides of the ball. To make matters worse, Drones was sacked again on the following possession, and Vanderbilt quickly turned the short field into yet another touchdown, this time a 9-yard strike from Eli Stowers. The Commodores had poured on 34 straight points, cruising ahead 44-20.

By then, Virginia Tech had waved the white flag. Pop Watson entered at quarterback for mop-up duty, but the offense only managed a couple of empty runs as the clock wound down. Vanderbilt even scooped up a late Hokie fumble before kneeling it out to seal the blowout. In the end, the Commodores left Lane Stadium with a stunning 44-20 rout, silencing the crowd and delivering a crushing loss for head coach Brent Pry and his team. For a program that desperately needed a statement win, the night instead became a collapse — one that will sting in Blacksburg for a long time.

Final Thoughts:

What started as a promising night in Lane Stadium unraveled into one of the most disappointing performances of the Brent Pry era. Virginia Tech had early momentum, but once Vanderbilt adjusted and began winning on third down, the Hokies had no answer. The defense wore down, the offense fell flat, and the frustration inside the stadium was palpable as fans headed for the exits well before the final whistle. Losing is one thing, but being dominated on your own field by a Vanderbilt team that imposed its will down the stretch is the kind of defeat that lingers.

For the Hokies, this game leaves more questions than answers. The offense looked lost in critical situations, the defense couldn’t get off the field, and the team’s overall energy dipped once adversity hit. These are the moments that test not only players but also coaching staff, and Pry now faces the tall task of getting his group to regroup quickly before the season spirals. On the flip side, Vanderbilt deserves credit — Pavia and company executed their game plan to perfection in the second half, scoring 34 unanswered points and leaving Blacksburg with a statement victory. For Virginia Tech, though, this wasn’t just a loss. It was a wake-up call.