Vanderbilt beat Georgia Tech, 35-27, to win the 2024 Birmingham Bowl. In doing so, Clark Lea and Vanderbilt made some history along the way.
The Commodores finished their 2024 campaign with a winning record for the first time since the 2013 season. The 7-6 finish is also just the fourth winning season in the last 42 years for the Commodores.
The bowl win was highlighted by Diego Pavia doing Diego Pavia things. On the heels of him winning a lawsuit against the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, he capped off his season with a five touchdown performance against the Yellow Jackets.
Vanderbilt took a 35-13 lead before play was suspended due to inclimate weather. The game ended with an eight-point win and another 240-yard offensive performance for the game Pavia who won the game’s MVP honors.
However, the real story for this Vanderbilt team wasn’t told on a scoreboard Friday, it was told all season long.
Las Vegas set the season win total for Vanderbilt at 2.5 wins. Clark Lea and company almost tripled that. They beat Alabama for the first time in 40 years, and did it as a 24-point underdog. Then they went on the road the next week as a 14-point underdog against Kentucky and beat them outright too.
All season long people doubted the ‘Dores, and all season long they showed up with receipts and a chip on their shoulder.
They didn’t make the playoff. They will probably never have a Heisman winner. However, Clark Lea, Diego Pavia, and Vanderbilt were a shining example of some of the few things that are still right about the sport we love.
