Pavia leads Vanderbilt against King, Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl

Georgia Tech knocked off two Top 10 teams, while Vanderbilt overturned then-No. 1 Alabama.

The two opponents in Friday’s Birmingham Bowl have each taken highly ranked teams to multiple overtimes. They are also led by mobile quarterbacks who throw few interceptions.

There’s a reason Vandy coach Clark Lea calls the teams “mirror images” of each other, from playing styles to how their seasons went.

“We’ve upset some people, they’ve upset some people,” Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia said. “We’ve had close losses. I think it’s a perfect matchup for Vanderbilt.”

The Commodores (6-6) are playing in their first bowl game since 2018 and made national headlines with that upset of the Crimson Tide while pushing then-No. 7 Missouri to double overtime and fall by a field goal to playoff team Texas.

“This is a culmination of a special year for us,” said Lea. “And there’s been a lot of effort and sacrifice to get this team to this point. It’s also a great opportunity to launch our team for what’s next.”

The Yellow Jackets (7-5) took on another playoff team, in-state rival Georgia eight overtimes before falling in the regular season finale. They have wins over then-No. 10 Florida State and then-No. 4 Miami.

“When you look at a bowl game, you look at the matchup,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said. “I think they’ve got a handle on this. This will be a good matchup between two very similar football teams in a lot of ways.”

Bowl history

The Commodores are playing in their 10th bowl game and are seeking their first postseason win since the 2013 win over Houston, also in Birmingham.

It is bowl no. 47 for the Yellow Jackets, but for the first time in a decade they have reached the postseason this year in a row.

Quarterbacks return?

Pavia seems to be justified to return for a fifth season of college football based on a federal judge’s ruling, even if the NCAA appeals.

“We just got bigger dreams,” Pavia said. “We want to play in January and next season.”

Lea said he saw Pavia in the hallway after they heard the news and “gave him a kiss on the side of his head, which shows you how excited I was.”

“I’m happy for him. I’m happy for our sport, too. I think college football is better when guys like Diego play as long as they can play at all.”

Georgia Tech’s Haynes King has told reporters he will “probably” be back next season.

Running QBs

Both teams have quarterbacks who are running threats.

King has run for 578 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also could be 90 passing yards away from becoming the third FCS player since 1959 with 10 touchdown passes, 2,000 yards and no more than one interception if he avoids a pick in the interim.

Pavia, the Southeastern Conference Newcomer of the Year, leads all Power 4 quarterbacks with 716 rushing yards, and his 2,147 career yards on the ground are also tops among active QBs. He has only been intercepted four times.

Portal impact

The Yellow Jackets have lost edge rusher Romello Heights (Texas Tech) and leading receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Auburn) among their transfer portal departures.

But Key believes his team has the depth to overcome those bowl game losses.

“You can see some of these teams that are in serious trouble right now in terms of their ability to play a game,” he said. “That’s not the case at all.”

Protection of the ball

Both teams have been among the country’s best in avoiding turnovers. Vanderbilt has committed just seven turnovers, fewest in FBS. Georgia Tech has only lost eight turnovers and ranks second.

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