“If it ain’t about beating Alabama, get the f*** out of the way.”
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, charismatic and unhinged as ever, didn’t mince words at his postgame press conference last night. The graduate quarterback said the offensive line’s mentality throughout the week leading up to Saturday’s game wasn’t about what could’ve been had the Commodores won against Missouri.
I was speechless as I watched Pavia kneel down and officially end the game as the Black and Gold faithful stormed the field. I was speechless as I sat in the McGugin Center, waiting for head coach Clark Lea’s press conference to start. I was even speechless as I figured out how to write this article. All that is to say, I couldn’t think of anyone better to kick off this week’s Commodore Brunch than the very man who led Vanderbilt to victory last night.
Pavia was sensational, but the win goes deeper than that. After a long bye week to think about a crushing loss to No. 7 Missouri, it would’ve been easy for Vanderbilt to lay down and give up against the best team in the country. We’ve all seen them do it in the past: just look at the Commodores’ 2022 matchup against Alabama.
As Vanderbilt’s players and coaches have harped all season, this isn’t the same team that fans have become accustomed to. The ‘Dores aren’t just gritty and resilient — they’re confident, too.
“I think a lot of people are gonna be surprised,” said CJ Taylor in an interview Friday afternoon. “I know we aren’t, but I think a lot of people are gonna be surprised by the outcome of the game.”
Lea, emotional for the second time this season, echoed the same message to the media after the game.
“We expected to win that game,” Lea said.
Perhaps Vanderbilt has built this newfound confidence thanks to Pavia, the self-proclaimed best player in the country. Amassing 308 total yards and 2 passing touchdowns en route to the biggest win in Vanderbilt Football’s 134-year history, he is playing worthy of the title.
Let that sink in.
134 years without a win over a top-five team, let alone the number-one team in the country. Vanderbilt had some great teams and some great players over the sesquicentennial, and with that greatness came some incredible wins, but nothing like this.
The Commodores shocked the nation on Saturday with a 40-35 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide — the No. 1 ranked team in all of college football. Vanderbilt had all sorts of questions surrounding it after a devastating loss to Georgia State in Week Three. How much of a fluke was the win over Virginia Tech? Or was Virginia Tech not even that good? Pavia, Taylor, Lea and Co. answered those questions and more on Saturday night: The Black and Gold are here to stay.
Takeout
Before this game, the Commodores were 0-60 against AP top-five teams. It was also their first win over Alabama since 1984 (23 straight losses) and their first win over a top-10 team since 2007 (South Carolina).
It would be a crime of the highest order to not address the giant, goalpost-shaped elephant in the room. Well, maybe in the river? I’m not sure where the goalpost is now, but I know where it’s been. When Pavia took a game-ending knee and fans rushed the field, they went straight to the big yellow structure in the southern end zone. It might have taken the feverish crowd a lot of rocking back and forth to do so, but the Commodore faithful eventually got the post free.
From there, students broke out of FirstBank Stadium and began their march to Nashville’s world-famous Broadway.
The street was partially blocked off by a number of police cars, but Vanderbilt’s students made their way to the Cumberland River to say goodbye to their souvenir.
More than just a fun moment for students and fans, this trip to the river is representative of the wild, wild ride that the Vanderbilt community has been on since Lea took over in 2021. It’s taken blood, sweat and tears to get from the crushing defeat to ETSU in 2021 (my first-ever football game as a Commodore) to this. No one, and I mean no one, has wanted it more than Lea.
“I love our university. I love our city. I love our program. This is why I came back,” Lea said. “It’s meant to be emotional because I’ve bled a lot into this. It feels great to be able to celebrate with the team that I love and care about.”
Anybody who’s been on a journey with this football team, whether that was the short trip from West End to the Cumberland River or the now four-year grind with Lea and company, knows how much this win means. It’s not just program-defining in terms of Lea’s tenure; this is the best win that Vanderbilt Football has ever experienced.
Chewed clock
This game wasn’t a fluke, no matter what the Alabamians crawling throughout Nashville will try to tell you this weekend. Vanderbilt executed its offensive game plan to a complete-and-utter tee.
In the days leading up to the game Lea said that he wanted to minimize possessions in this game. Alabama’s offense, led by Heisman candidate Jalen Milroe and first-year phenom Ryan Williams, is extremely explosive. For Vanderbilt to stand any chance in this one, it needed to limit the time that Milroe and Co. had to cook.
It did that and so much more.
Vanderbilt won the time-of-possession battle by an absurd margin, holding onto the ball for more than two-thirds of the game (42:08 to 17:52). Offensive coordinator Tim Beck knew exactly what he was doing all game, as the Commodores milked as much clock as they could from the game’s opening moments. Pavia and Co. kicked the game off with back-to-back 75-yard touchdown drives that took 27 plays and a combined 16:04 off the clock.
At times, Beck’s commitment to the run was confusing. Pavia was surgical in the passing game, and Vanderbilt was only averaging 3.1 yards per carry (well below its season average of 4.3 yards). Why, then, did it run the ball 54 times? Because a run up the middle will never stop the clock, and that was the name of the game for the Commodores.
Alabama only ran 45 total plays, compared to 75 for Vanderbilt, and even then, the Crimson Tide almost pulled it off. Milroe’s big-play ability — as seen through three passes over 45 yards — was on display all night as he torched Vanderbilt’s depleted secondary. Vanderbilt kept its lead all game, but by the end, Alabama was moving the ball at will. One more possession might’ve been all it needed to turn the tide and leave Music City with a win.
The running game might have chewed the clock out, but Vanderbilt also knew the best times to attack downfield, and it was this that helped the ‘Dores score 40 points against a top-five team for the first time in program history. No play was bigger than Pavia’s 36-yard touchdown strike to Junior Sherill on a fourth-and-short at the end of the third quarter.
Beyond the dominant ball control and methodical picking apart of an inexperienced Alabama secondary, Vanderbilt was sharp and disciplined all evening. The Commodores entered their bye week having been one of the most penalized teams in the SEC — their 81 penalty yards per game ranked second-worst in the SEC behind only Ole Miss. Lea emphasized that his team needed to work on this during his press conference last week, and they certainly did.
Vanderbilt committed just three penalties (20 yards) compared to Alabama’s six flags (57 yards). Lea straight-up outcoached Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer in nearly every aspect of the game on Saturday.
Seafood Stowers
This section has been brewing for a few weeks.
Everyone knows those seafood towers they serve at buffets and fancy fish restaurants. They’re a luxury that few places have, and to me, the best that fine seafood dining has to offer. That’s exactly what Eli Stowers offers to this Vanderbilt Football team.
“I have real, genuine love for Eli [Stowers]. He’s changed my life,” Pavia said postgame. “He’s a good kid. He’s the top tight end in the NFL draft this year. He should be going first round if you guys go look at the film and what he does. [He’s] the most unguardable piece in the country.”
Pavia’s completely right: Stowers is a nightmare to match up against. He checks in at 6-foot-4 — not abnormal for a tight end — but he moves like he’s 6-foot-flat. He’s a tight end with the speed and agility of a slightly oversized wide receiver. What does that mean for opposing defenses? Well, he’s too big (235 pounds) for cornerbacks and safeties, but his speed makes it nearly impossible for linebackers to keep up with him.
The junior, who transferred over from New Mexico State with Pavia, put his array of skills on full display last night. Stowers made 6 catches for 113 yards, the most by a Vanderbilt pass-catcher this season. Every time Vanderbilt needed an offensive spark, he was there.
He flashed his speed on 31 and 33-yard pitch-and-catches up the middle of the field, blazing past the front of Alabama’s defense to find space in the secondary. He flexed his strength on a ridiculous third down when he fended off a would-be tackler and extended the ball over the first-down marker to keep a drive moving.
This isn’t Stowers’ breakout — he already arrived against Georgia State (9 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown) and Missouri (7 catches for 57 yards). Last night was just him proving that he can do it on the biggest stage against the best athletes.
Vanderbilt’s been in desperate need of a consistent, downfield receiving threat since Lea’s arrival. Certain players have shown potential, but no one (looking at you, Will Sheppard) has ever performed like this against the best teams in the SEC. The 113 yards were not just the most in his Vanderbilt career; they were the most in Stowers’ entire career.
Pavia and Stowers’ closeness cannot be overstated. Football is a team sport, and no two players should ever receive all the credit for a win, but this duo’s chemistry is a large reason that Vanderbilt is where it is right now.
It’ll be business as usual starting this week for Vanderbilt Football. It moves onto its next challenge when away in Lexington for a rivalry match with the Kentucky Wildcats at 6:45 p.m. CDT on Oct. 12.
For now, though, let’s enjoy the rest of the weekend. It’s been a wild 24 hours on West End. There’s nothing left to do but relax, kick back and, oh, maybe keep an eye on the new AP Top 25 Poll being released at 1 p.m. CDT on Sunday.
