Vanderbilt = Winner

[trailbait]

From The Washington Post's article on the winners and losers after week one:

Vanderbilt (winner)

The simpleton’s instinct when sizing up the Commodores’ 34-27 overtime defeat of Virginia Tech on Saturday is to dwell on how a chronic SEC cellar dweller dispatched a purported ACC contender, then add in a three-letter conference chant for good measure.

But for those who actually watched Vanderbilt go about its business in its opener? The inescapable conclusion is the Commodores are better — at running the ball, for certain, and definitely at creating problems for opposing offenses at the line of scrimmage.

Importing Diego Pavia (190 yards and two touchdowns passing plus 104 yards and a score on the ground) from New Mexico State to play a clean game mattered. The addition of consultant Jerry Kill, whose work at New Mexico State was only the latest of many demonstrations of his coaching chops, is a plus, too.

Vanderbilt wasn’t perfect, and eventually the Hokies figured out how to move the ball. Others will see how Virginia Tech adapted and respond accordingly. No one should anoint the Commodores an SEC title contender.

But capable of reaching a bowl game? Of being a heck of a lot better than the team that slogged its way to 2-10 last year? It’s already fair to elevate hopes to that point.

Virginia Tech (loser)

The Hokies ran into an improved Vanderbilt team (see above), but that doesn’t absolve them of a disappointing first half in their 34-27 overtime loss in Nashville.

Quarterback Kyron Drones and the offense eventually figured things out, though Drones cramped up at the tail end of the game. And it wasn’t a league game, so it doesn’t do any real damage to the Hokies’ playoff hopes. They just go into the motley mix of ACC teams (Clemson, Florida State) that have some work to do.

The real damage done is puncturing some of the excitement that had finally started to return to Blacksburg after more than a half-decade of sustained mediocrity. Virginia Tech won six of its last nine last season — pulverizing rival Virginia along the way — and brought back almost all of its starters on both sides of the ball.

If ever there was a year for the Hokies to jump back to 10-win territory, it was this year.

And maybe that still happens. But it’s going to be a lot harder to sell that in the coming weeks.

 

[VandyNashman]

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.