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3 takeaways from Vanderbilt’s Birmingham Bowl win over Georgia Tech
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Friday’s bowl action included a Birmingham Bowl meeting between Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, one-time rivals in a bygone era of college football. The matchup was an intriguing regional addition to bowl season and included a bit of everything on the field.
In the end, Vanderbilt would ride a stretch of 21 straight points across the 3rd and 4th quarters to build a 35-13 lead. Georgia Tech never went away and would carve out a chance to get back into things but an onside kick attempt was easily recovered by Vanderbilt late in the game.
Vanderbilt ultimately prevailed in the 35-27 win for the first bowl-game victory for the program since 2013. Here are the key takeaways from Friday’s bowl game:
Diego Pavia takes over
Diego Pavia has been the leader for Vanderbilt on offense all season long, and the bowl game was no different. After staking the Commodores to 14 first-half points, Pavia completely dominated the game over a 6-minute span to end the 3rd quarter and start the 4th.
Across that stretch, Pavia cemented the massive lead for Vanderbilt by throwing a pair of touchdown passes and adding another rushing touchdown. He was by far the top contributor on the ground for the Commodores as things developed into a full-blown rout by the time a lightning delay hit the game.
Pavia finished the game with 5 total touchdowns (3 passing, 2 rushing) and 245 yards of offense. The touchdowns are the most for a bowl game in Vanderbilt history and Pavia’s most in a single game this season. He fell 1 short of his career-high 6 total touchdowns that he had during a game at New Mexico State.
Officiating looms large in pivotal sequence
While Pavia took things over down the stretch, one officiating decision that ultimately favored Vanderbilt played a major role in the momentum swing.
To open the second half, Georgia Tech was playing well on both sides of the ball. A quick punt on Vanderbilt’s first possession of the half netted the Yellow Jackets a quick field goal, and they forced another punt by the Commodores soon after.
Trailing 14-13, Georgia Tech was primed to get the ball back, and the team was going to be in a great spot after Vanderbilt was flagged for kick catch interference. That flag would have given the Yellow Jackets the ball near midfield but officials ultimately decided to pick up the flag.
The officials ruled the Commodore guilty of the infraction was blocked into the returner, but replays made the call a questionable one. ESPN’s rules analyst weighed in and admitted the contact did not greatly influence the Vanderbilt defender, and GT head coach Brent Key was livid.
Instead of getting the ball in great field position, the Yellow Jackets were pinned on their own 2-yard line. And after a quick 3-and-out, it was Vanderbilt to take over on its own 44-yard line instead of the Yellow Jackets benefitting from the infraction.
The ensuing drive included even more officiating drama. On a 3rd-and-6 play, it looked like Georgia Tech was about to get off the field when a pass interference flag was thrown. Once again, it was a questionable call that ultimately went in favor of the Commodores.
On the backend of that PI flag, Key was also flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Vanderbilt 15 more yards. The Commodores would ultimately cash things in for a 21-13 lead and never looked back.
GT ultimately shot itself in the foot soon after with back-to-back drives that ended in turnovers, but the pivotal sequence is one the Yellow Jackets had some gripes over.
Old-school rivalry renewed
Few fans are likely able to remember when Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt faced off on a regular basis, but the Yellow Jackets and Commodores actually hold a rivalry that dates back to 1892. The two sides began playing for the Gold Cowbell in 1924, but the matchup has not been played on a regular schedule since the 1960s.
Georgia Tech had won all 4 meetings since the series was interrupted after 1967, and that makes Friday’s win even more meaningful for the Commodores. It is Vanderbilt’s first win vs. Georgia Tech since 1941 with the Yellow Jackets previously winning 12 of the last 13 meetings with a tie in 1965 the only other game in that time span.
The Georgia Tech-Vanderbilt rivalry is not one that is going to hold an iconic place in history, but it was a cool blast from the past for fans in bowl season.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
