Vanderbilt dominated Charleston Southern 45-3 in a season-opening rout at FirstBank Stadium, with quarterback Diego Pavia throwing three touchdown passes in the first half alone. The Commodores built a commanding 28-0 halftime lead before adding 17 more points in the second half, with three different players scoring rushing touchdowns. The Buccaneers avoided the shutout with Zach Gordon's 38-yard field goal in the final seconds, but it was too little too late against Vanderbilt's overwhelming performance.