The Hokies let an otherwise stellar defensive effort against an explosive South Carolina club slip away by allowing two long fourth-quarter TDs, one on special teams and another on a deep pass. Now, they face a crossroads in a revenge game against a stubborn Vanderbilt team that pulled a Week 1 upset of them last year as a two-TD underdog. The Hokies reportedly held a players-only meeting this week to solidify a sense of urgency in this one. Coach Brent Pry hasn't met the lofty expectations of this program, and his seat will grow warner with another loss Saturday, but he is 3-0 in home openers and Lane Stadium is still a difficult place to win a night game for a visitor.

Diego Pavia's magic act at Vandy began vs. this same VPI last August 31 in Nashville when he led a swashbuckling 34-27 upset in which he scored the winning TD in overtime, preceding several other notable efforts as the Dores would go bowling. Up to his old tricks in last week’s opener vs. Charleston Southern, Pavia completed 20 of 25 passes and tossed 3 TDs in a 45-3 romp. When the dust settled he had accounted for 319 yards of offense and continued to infuse belief in the Dores, whose defense is now flying around the field for Clark Lea, no longer afraid that one mistake will kill chances because the offense can’t rally. That’s the old Vandy, not the new Pavia model! Play Vanderbilt

I'm going to jump on Vanderbilt early at +3. I placed this bet before Sunday's Virginia Tech-South Carolina game but I don't see Vanderbilt getting more than a field goal even if the Hokies pull the upset. I make the Commodores -2 on the road, so going by my numbers, I can't pass up +3. FYI: This line is only being offered at DraftKings on Sunday. I would jump on it if you can.