(Photo credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images)

Vanderbilt will try to celebrate its national ranking and gain a little revenge Saturday when it hosts Georgia State in Nashville.

The Commodores are off to their first 3-0 start since 2017 after knocking off No. 11 South Carolina 31-7 on Saturday. They are ranked No. 20 by the Associated Press and No. 23 in the coaches' poll.

But Vanderbilt isn't likely to sleepwalk this week against Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia State (1-2), which upset the Commodores 36-32 in Atlanta a year ago. That was just the second win over a Power 4 opponent for Georgia State, which began playing football in 2010. Vandy hasn't forgotten the sting of that loss.

'We've talked about this game since January,' Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. 'It's a really big one for us, and we want to play really well. It's real important to our players to show up and play well. This is a team that is a year better for the experience of last year and then highly motivated to have a great season. We need a great week of prep so it shows up on Saturday and we can play at our highest level.'

Vanderbilt brings one of the nation's top defenses into the game. The Commodores are ranked in the top 20 per game in rushing yards allowed (82.7), total yards allowed (237) and scoring defense (10 points). They rank sixth in the nation with seven takeaways and have a plus-1.33 turnover margin.

The Vandy offense is rolling behind quarterback Diego Pavia, who's completing 73.5 percent of his passes and has a 181.3 efficiency rating. He has thrown for 645 yards and seven touchdowns. Vandy has converted 60.7 percent of its third downs. Pavia threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia State in 2024.

Vanderbilt center Jordan White was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week for helping the Commodores post 22 first downs and control the ball for 35:43. Cornerback/receiver Martel Hight was named the Paul Hornung Award Player of the Week.

Georgia State has faced a difficult early schedule, losing to 63-7 to No. 13 Ole Miss and 38-16 to undefeated Memphis. The Panthers got their first victory last week by defeating FCS opponent Murray State 37-21.

'We had too many 'Panther-beat-Panther' penalties,' Georgia State coach Dell McGee said. 'The false starts, hands to the face, late hit on the quarterback. Those are the things that get you beat. We've got to play with more composure.'

The Panthers have been using two quarterbacks - well-traveled TJ Finley and Texas Tech transfer Cameran Brown. They played nearly the same number of snaps last week, with Finley throwing for 150 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions, and Brown throwing for 101 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Christian Veilleux, who engineered last year's last-minute win, has not played since the season opener.

Georgia State's all-conference receiver, Ted Hurst, has 18 catches for a 15.3-yard average this season and two touchdowns.

But Georgia State has had trouble establishing the run. Georgia transfer Branson Robinson rushed for 65 yards and Ole Miss transfer Rashad Amos ran for 56 yards last week, but the Panthers are yet to produce a 100-yard rusher in three games.

-Field Level Media