Pavia’s Masterclass Lifts No. 16 Vanderbilt Over Auburn

NASHVILLE – Just when you thought the Pavia Heisman talk was over, it is not.

The Vanderbilt quarterback’s odds of winning the most coveted award in the sport of college football took a hit in last week’s loss to Texas. After the game, many people decided to count Pavia and the whole team out as Vanderbilt dropped to 7-2 on the season. But on Saturday, Pavia responded accordingly with a memorable game.

It was a slow start, but once Pavia and the offense got into a rhythm, he put his team and his season on his back, putting up a season-high 377 passing yards and adding three passing touchdowns. But it was not just the passing game he was able to get something going, it was the ground game, too. Pavia was the leading rushing in the game for Vanderbilt as he ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

Offensively, Pavia started to give his team a spark on Vanderbilt’s final offensive possession of the first half. Pavia found wide receiver Tre Richardson for a 43-yard gain before throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Junior Sherrill to make it a one-score game.

In the second half, Pavia’s excellence only continued. After Vanderbilt’s defense forced a three-and-out to start the second half, it was Pavia who connected with his tight end Eli Stowers on two plays that combined for 43 yards. Then, Pavia took it into his own hands with a 19-yard scramble that set Vanderbilt up for a short rushing touchdown from Sedrick Alexander.

On the next possession, Pavia and Vanderbilt’s sudden quick-fire offense took advantage of a confused Auburn offense as he found Richardson sitting all by himself on the Auburn 30-yard line, where Richardson walked in for a touchdown.

But that was just the beginning of Pavia’s great night. On a possession that began toward the end of the third quarter and finished at the start of the fourth quarter, Pavia came up with a 28-yard scramble that allowed Vanderbilt to get into plus territory before running in for a 7-yard score to put his team back in the lead.

It was the precise game that Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea needed out of his quarterback. With his team’s back against the wall, Pavia put on his cape once again and came up with one of the best performances he has had in a Vanderbilt uniform. But Lea has seen this type of night from his quarterback before. He knows what Pavia is capable of and trusts him to go make plays. That is exactly what Pavia did against Auburn

“What is there to say about Diego Pavia? I mean the guy took the game over. I've said it at this podium before, but in our minds, he's the best player in the country. He found a way to win a game for us tonight,” Lea said.

Ultimately, Pavia’s performance all led up to Vanderbilt’s overtime possession. On a 2nd and 10, Pavia found Sherrill for a 21-yard gain to the 4-yard line. At that point, Lea put the game in Pavia’s hands to make one more play. Pavia sold a fake handoff to Alexander, then threw a quick pop pass to a wide open Cole Spence in the end zone for a touchdown.

In a game where offense ruled the day, the end of the game for the Vanderbilt offense felt fitting. The Commodore quarterback did on the last play what he had been doing all night long: finding ways to make a play. 

“I'm not surprised by anything. I think when the ball's in his hands, we have a chance. And so it's just this confidence that you know when he's back there. We get the ball back to him, we're going to win,” Lea said.

Pavia continues to amaze the fans and other spectators, but within the locker room all of Pavia’s teammates are well-aware of his skill and his abilities. Nothing about his abilities surprises anyone in and around the locker room, even when he has a night like Saturday where he takes his game to another level when his team needs him to. 

There is no telling what will happen at the Heisman Trophy ceremony at the end of the year, but Pavia’s performance certainly makes Lea and his coaching staff believe that they have a quarterback a team cannot find anywhere else.

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