Vanderbilt hopes to build on an opening-week upset and turn that into a winning streak when it hosts Alcorn State in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday night.
Quarterback Diego Pavia led Vanderbilt’s 34-27 overtime upset of Virginia Tech last Saturday, completing 12 of 16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns while adding 26 carries for 104 yards and a score.
Pavia found Sedrick Alexander for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 left in regulation to tie the game and added a 4-yard rushing score in overtime to win it.
Pavia’s leadership helped the Commodores (1-0) snap a 10-game losing streak.
“I’ve seen responses to him on a team level that I’ve not seen in our leadership to this point in our time here,” coach Clark Lea said. “Those guys really respond to him, and he’s not a guy who speaks all the time. He speaks with his actions.”
The defense did its part last week, getting four sacks and snuffing out Virginia Tech’s lone overtime drive.
Middle Tennessee State transfer Zaylin Wood had a sack on that drive as part of a seven-tackle effort. Linebacker Langston Patterson led the Commodores with 10 tackles.
However, Lea announced that Vanderbilt likely will be down two starters Saturday in defensive end Khordae Sydnor (ankle injury) and cornerback Kolbey Taylor (“internal matter”).
Alcorn State (0-1) was the preseason pick to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Western Division.
However, the Braves allowed 302 rushing yards and had just 177 yards of total offense in Saturday’s 41-3 loss last week at UAB, the program’s first game under coach Cedric Thomas.
Three Braves quarterbacks combined to complete 9 of 21 passes for 60 yards, with an interception.
“I’ve got to do a better job of preparing the guys,” Thomas said. “That’s all on me and this coaching staff. I thought the kids played their tails off.”
Starter Tyler Macon completed 3 of 7 throws for 4 yards, with an interception, and ran 12 times for a team-high 37 yards.
Tight end Tavarious Griffin, a preseason All-SWAC first-team pick, had just two catches for 7 yards.
The Braves’ Malachi Bailey, a first-team defensive selection on the preseason All-SWAC team, had five tackles on Saturday, four behind Geoffrey McKelton’s team-leading nine.
