The past week has been a whirlwind.
It’s been a whirlwind for fans, who stormed the field at FirstBank Stadium, tore down the field goal post in the south end zone and paraded across the city with it following Vanderbilt’s 40-35 upset over Alabama. Those same fans then had to sit through segments of radio and talk shows and listen to so-called “analysts” bash the Crimson Tide for a terrible loss without ever offering the Commodores the credit they deserved.
It’s been a whirlwind for the administrators inside Vanderbilt’s athletic complex, McGugin Center, who have done everything possible to capitalize on Saturday night’s events. From selling pieces of the goalpost to game-worn jerseys to game balls and more. Who can blame them? Moments like last weekend only come once every sesquicentennial. All in all, Vanderbilt Athletics generated nearly half a million dollars in five days.
More than anything else, though, it’s been a whirlwind for the team itself. Players and coaches alike have appeared on talk shows, news segments, podcasts and more in the aftermath of their internet-breaking upset. Diego Pavia has become the darling of social media through his filter (or lack thereof, I should say) during interviews. He made appearances on national television every day this week, highlighted by an unexpected cameo from his idol, Johnny Manziel, on ESPN.
All eyes have been on Pavia and the rest of the Commodores since Saturday’s game, and rightfully so. The momentum in Nashville is palpable, not just on Vanderbilt’s campus but nationally. For the first time in years, the Black and Gold were a genuine topic of conversation on ESPN’s College Gameday. Some of the biggest names in college football —- Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, etc. — had nothing but good things to say about Vanderbilt.
Knowing all of this, it would’ve been easy for the ‘Dores to sleepwalk into Week Seven. To let the attention get to their heads and slack off in the week leading up to their clash with Kentucky. It happened against Georgia State in Week Three. Many expected a similar result this week.
That didn’t happen.
“vAnDy iS diStRacTed” pic.twitter.com/bHA37aemnM
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) October 13, 2024
Wide awake, Vanderbilt marched into Kroger Field with a 97-yard touchdown drive on its opening possession. The Commodores never trailed in this game, winning 20-13 and proving to anyone who wasn’t already on the Black and Gold-colored bandwagon that they deserve respect.
“I’m inspired by the way they play for one another in a world that’s become defined by transaction,” head coach Clark Lea said after the game. “They’re interested in being a part of something bigger than themselves.”
There’s a lot of love in Vanderbilt’s locker room, and if it isn’t clear on the sideline and in press conferences, it’s clear on social media.
#OntotheNEXT #AnchorDown !! pic.twitter.com/RxyU76zfMF
— Randon Fontenette (@randonfontenet3) October 13, 2024
That love extends beyond just the team. The city of Nashville and Commodore Nation is rallying behind Vanderbilt in a way that hasn’t happened in many, many years.
Heartburn
Unsurprisingly, with that love comes heartaches. Fans might have developed heart issues while watching this game for a number of reasons.
The most obvious of these reasons was Miles Capers’ injury in the second quarter, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about it.
Capers was poised for a breakout sophomore season in 2022 before he tore his ACL in fall camp. He missed the entirety of that season and returned in 2023, but it wasn’t until this fall that he really got his legs back under him, finally looking like he was ready to become a star again. Operating as the razor of Vanderbilt’s defense, the senior has made an immediate impact with 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks, as well as a fumble forced on Alabama’s Jalen Milroe to help ice the game for Vanderbilt last week.
Watching him go down with an apparent head injury tonight was hard to watch. For an extended period of time, every single person in Kroger Field — along with all of those tuning in from afar — held their breath as he was loaded onto a stretcher and carried to an ambulance. It was later announced that he was in stable condition in the hospital, and he eventually even returned to Vanderbilt’s sideline during the fourth quarter. It might be some time until he sees the field in uniform again, but considering how bad the initial response was, it feels like Capers and the Commodores dodged a bullet.
And that doesn’t even consider Pavia’s injury — more on that later.
Beyond scary injuries, these heart issues matriculate because of how close Vanderbilt plays all of its opponents — five of its six contests in 2024 have come down to the last possession of the game. We might be watching the development of the Cardiac Commodores in real-time.
This week, the heartburn manifested starting at the 8:47 mark of the fourth quarter when Brock Taylor put Vanderbilt up 13 points with a 50-yard field goal. The Wildcats had gone over 30 minutes without any points when Demie Sumo-Karngbaye rushed for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff completed just one pass in the third quarter (for 2 yards), and Vanderbilt’s defense had seemingly figured out Kentucky’s offense.
Up two scores with about half a quarter remaining and all of the momentum, Vanderbilt was in the driver’s seat and seemed as though it would cruise to a win. However, that’s not the Commodores M.O. Vandagriff looked unstoppable on a 6-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took all of 1:45 and brought Kentucky back to life. Pavia secured one first down before taking a sack, forcing Jesse Mirco to punt the ball back to a raring-to-go Kentucky offense.
Lea’s defense (with some serious help from an undisciplined group of Wildcats) held strong in the game’s waning moments, forcing a turnover on downs to clinch the game.
It might not have been a smooth ride, but Vanderbilt won its second-straight SEC game, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
The best thing since sliced bread
This one is pretty literal: Pavia is the best thing (for Vanderbilt) since sliced bread. Each week, he further cements his legacy in Nashville, and Saturday evening was no different. He came out firing with 14 and 31-yard rushes on Vanderbilt’s opening drive before evading multiple pass-rushers and finding AJ Newberry for a 20-yard touchdown strike. The Commodores never relinquished their lead after that.
What made this game so special was the adversity that Pavia dealt with throughout its course. He threw his first interception of the season early in the second quarter, ending what seemed like a promising drive. Capers then went down with his injury, visibly impacting Vanderbilt’s morale. (How could it not?) Pavia stayed calm and composed and led the ‘Dores through adversity to get them a touchdown at the end of the first half, this time finding Richie Hoskins for a 14-yard score.
A scary night got even scarier on the opening drive of the third quarter when Vanderbilt worked the ball all the way into Kentucky territory. Pavia’s legs got twisted around when he was tackled on a designed quarterback run and was forced to exit the game with a right knee injury. Nate Johnson finished the drive out, and Vanderbilt kicked a field goal to take a two-score lead, but all eyes were on Pavia. Football is a team sport, and the Black and Gold boast a talented squad, but everyone knows Pavia is the engine that makes Vanderbilt’s offense run.
Within five minutes, he was out of the tent and running around.
“There’s no way [I wasn’t coming back in],” Pavia said postgame. “You look at Jerry Kill, what he’s done for us? I will not quit on that guy. I don’t care if I’ve got a broken arm, broke anything. I do this for Jerry Kill.”
The only snap that Pavia missed in this game was the one immediately following his injury. He was clearly hobbled throughout the rest of the game, even limping back into the medical tent before a TV timeout at one point, but it didn’t matter. Like Pavia said, there was no way he would miss this game. You wouldn’t have even known that he got hurt on his 28-yard run to put Vanderbilt in field goal range at the start of the fourth quarter: He’s just that tough. Don’t believe me? Take it from Lea’s postgame press conference.
“Short of an amputation, I think that [Pavia’s] playing,” Lea said. “He’s tough.”
There might not be a single player in the country that fits into Vanderbilt’s program better than Pavia. He’s a scrappy underdog who walks around with a massive chip on his shoulder and will do whatever it takes to win, including sacrificing his body.
I’ll let Gunnar Hansen’s postgame words wrap this section up.
“Diego Pavia for Heisman, man,” Hansen said.
Back for thirds
Tim Beck is a genius.
Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator runs his scheme to perfection, and the wins keep rolling in because of it.
Beck’s offense isn’t the type to take the top off opposing defenses. You aren’t going to peel back the stats and find an ultra-explosive offense. You will find an offense that knows its identity and executes its game plan every single week. Every play call is made with intention.
Sometimes, the intention isn’t about getting up the field as fast as possible. Sometimes, it’s about putting yourself in the best position to succeed on later downs, and no group knows that better than Vanderbilt’s coaching staff. The name of the game is staying in front of the sticks on first and second down, making third down conversions a much less daunting task. In his last two games, Beck has done just that.
Vanderbilt went 12-for-18 on third downs against Alabama, a night-and-day number compared to its measly 4-for-14 against Missouri in September. A 66% conversion rate on third downs is a ridiculous stat against any team, but doing it against the No. 1 team in the country is nothing short of amazing.
Beck took that success on third down to Lexington, Kentucky, against one of the nation’s top defenses. Kentucky held its most recent SEC opponents — Georgia and Ole Miss — to 13 and 17 points, respectively. The Wildcats rank towards the top of the SEC in yards per game (244) and points per game (13.4) allowed. By all accounts, they have a better defense than the Crimson Tide.
And Vanderbilt still converted 8-of-13 third downs, 61.5%. In case it isn’t clear how impressive that is — Miami leads all of FBS with a 59.02% third-down conversion rate. Not to mention that Kentucky allows just 3.8 third-down conversions per game, No. 14 in the nation.
Vanderbilt didn’t dominate this game like it did against Alabama. It barely won the time of possession battle (34:35 to 25:25) thanks to a dominant performance in the middle of the second half. It netted less yardage (288 to 322) than Kentucky, took more sacks (1 to 3) and ran fewer plays (55 to 57).
But the Cardiac Commodores were clutch when they needed to be. Every time a big third down came around, Beck had a masterful play call drawn up. It wasn’t a pretty win, but Vanderbilt was the more disciplined team all game, and the final score reflects that.
This is business as usual for the Black and Gold, though. Saturday night marked Lea’s fourth SEC victory. Coincidentally, half of those victories have come as two-touchdown underdogs on the road against Kentucky (2022), and the fourth-year head coach is undefeated at Kroger Field.
Vanderbilt, now 2-1 in SEC play, has a conference record of above .500 for the first time since Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012.
“We’re not surprised to be here,” Lea said after the game.
