NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt football opened the 2025 season by downing Charleston Southern 45-3 in front of a sold-out crowd at FirstBank Stadium on Saturday.
The Commodores produced 481 yards of total offense, the most since generating 601 against Hawai’i on August 27, 2022. Defensively, Vandy held the Buccaneers to 135 total yards while producing 46 tackles, six for a loss, and forcing two turnovers. The victory marks the Dores’ fourth-straight season opening victory.
Multiple milestones were set against the Buccaneers with junior running back Sedrick Alexander hitting 1,000 career rushing yards while graduate quarterback Diego Pavia matched his Vanderbilt single-game high in passing yards with 275 through the air, completing 20-of-25 passes with three touchdowns.
The Dores last faced the Bucs in 2014, pulling out a 21-20 home win in the first meeting between the two programs; Saturday’s matchup looked much different. Freshman wideout Kayleb Barnett started the scoring on a nine-yard jet pass from Pavia, marking the first career touchdown for Barnett. Vanderbilt found pay dirt on its next drive as Pavia connected with junior wide receiver Junior Sherrill for a 12-yard touchdown toss. At the 3:04 mark in the first quarter, the Commodores scored again on a four-yard run from junior running back AJ Newberry, pushing the lead to 21-0. It is the first time Vandy has scored touchdowns on its first three drives of a game since September 25, 2017, against Tennessee.
Vanderbilt increased the lead to 28-0 with its final score of the half late in the second quarter, a 26-yard pass from Pavia to Alexander. The 28-0 lead at the halftime break marks the first shutout through the opening two quarters since Alcorn State in 2024. The last time the Dores scored four touchdowns in the first half was against Elon in 2022.
The Commodores continued to control the game in the second half. Junior running back Makhilyn Young nabbed his first Vanderbilt touchdown on a four-yard run with 5:47 left in the third. Junior kicker Brock Taylor drilled his one and only attempt of the contest to begin the fourth quarter, splitting the uprights from 35 yards out. The Dores added insurance on a 35-yard rush from sophomore Jamezell Lassiter to finish off the 45-3 route. The score was also Lassiter’s first as a Commodore.
Vanderbilt travels to Blacksburg, Virginia next Saturday for a meeting with Virginia Tech; the Commodores used an overtime effort to oust the Hokies 34-27 in last year’s season opener. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will air on the ACC Network.
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