Vanderbilt rally fell shot as chance for statement road win turns into critical loss for Commodores

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Vanderbilt's big rally against Texas came up short as an onside kick rolled out of bounds and took one last chance for the Commodores with it.

And those mere inches in a desperate scramble for the ball may be all the difference between a really good season in Nashville and a great one.

Ninth-ranked Vanderbilt rallied from a 34-10 deficit in the fourth quarter with three unanswered touchdowns Saturday before losing 34-31. Quarterback Diego Pavia ran for touchdown and passed for two more in the desperate fourth quarter.

Instead of a statement road victory, the result was a dreaded second loss in conference play that could be the difference in getting a shot at the Southeastern Conference title game, and the College Football Playoff beyond that.

“I would have loved to have seen us recover that onside kick, but we didn't,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said.

He praised his team's grittiness in the rally, but also noted why it was needed.

“In our program, to say that we weren't the hardest playing team on the field hurts me, but that's how I feel,” Lea said. “In the second half, we woke up to that, and I think we started to play the way we want to play. Just it was too late.”

Pavia, the engine that drives the Commodores on the field and in the locker room, did what he could. Sacked six times, he was often on the run, but kept delivering big plays.

A Pavia fumble in the first quarter set up a Texas field goal. He was also sacked near the Vanderbilt goal line on the final touchdown drive, but converted a 4th-and-19 pass to keep the drive and the rally going.

Pavia had a 25-yard touchdown run and scoring passes of 67 and 8 yards in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Vanderbilt never forced a turnover, never got a sack and only forced Texas to punt once. The game started with the Commodores giving up a 75-yard touchdown on the first play.

Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2 SEC) has already qualified for a bowl game, but reaching the SEC championship game will need some things to happen around them and above them in the league standings to get there.

Vanderbilt had hoped a win could boost the Commodores to match or beat the highest ranking in school history: No. 7 in 1937.

“We can't play like we played today ... At some point, everything won't be out in front of us if we don't play the right way,” Lea said. “We will keep charging at it, but this one hurts.”

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