Vanderbilt Football Gets Two Offensive Players Recognized

Another week, another two more Vanderbilt football players getting weekly awards.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week and offensive lineman Jordan White was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, per a release. Additionally, Pavia was named to this week's list of Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 and the Manning Award for Star of the Week. It is the second time this season Pavia has been named to the latter two awards.

Pavia, while the box score may not show it, put on a great performance against No. 10 LSU in the 31-24 victory. Pavia completed 14 of his 22 pass attempts for 160 yards and a touchdown. He also was the team’s leading rusher as he collected 86 yards on the ground for two rushing touchdowns.

In the late stages of the third quarter, Pavia ran a 21-yard touchdown into the end zone to put his team up 31-21. But his celebration got people around the sport talking. Once Pavia reached the end zone, he quickly found the camera and did the Heisman Trophy pose. 

“I think he’s the best player in college football,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said in the postgame press conference when asked if Pavia should be more involved in the Heisman conversation.

Pavia has certainly earned himself at least consideration to be this year’s winner of college football’s most prominent award. On the season, Pavia has thrown for 1,569 yards and 15 touchdowns with only four interceptions while completing 70.1 percent of his passes. On the ground, Pavia has run for 438 yards and four of his rushing attempts have gone for touchdowns.

But most importantly, Pavia has led his team to a 6-1 record and all the way up to the No. 10 spot in the AP Top 25. Vanderbilt is solidly in the mix as to who could make this season’s College Football Playoff. ESPN analytics give the Commodores a 34 percent chance to make it to the playoffs, according to their playoff predictor.

White was given the team’s highest performance grade and run block grade in Pro Football Focus’ post-Week 8 analysis. White did not allow a sack or a quarterback hit on 32 pass blocking snaps.

Vanderbilt’s offensive line as a whole did a nice job against LSU’s defensive front, which was considered as one of the best in the country coming into the game. But the Commodores held their own up front and helped Vanderbilt gain 399 yards of total offense against the Tigers.

Vanderbilt hopes to continue its winning ways this weekend as it hosts No. 15 Missouri at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game is also this week’s featured game on ESPN’s “College Gameday.”

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