No. 18 Vanderbilt Football took on Utah State in its final nonconference matchup of the 2025 season. In what could have been an easy matchup to overlook — especially with conference opponents Alabama and LSU coming up — the Commodores did not fall victim to the classic trap game. The Black and Gold went punch-for-punch with Utah State in the first half, taking the lead with just 1:20 left in the second quarter. A dominant third quarter — where the ‘Dores held Utah State to just 15 yards of offense while putting up 185 of their own — was the difference maker. Ultimately, the Commodores took a knee on the final play, winning 55-35 to improve to 5-0 on the season for the first time since 2008.
Junior Sherrill and Diego Pavia had record nights en route to the Commodores’ win. Sherrill caught a career-high three touchdowns in the first half, tying the most first-half touchdowns by a Commodore since Earl Bennett caught four in 2005. Pavia also amassed 400 total yards of offense, the first time a Commodore has done so since 2016 — when Kyle Shurmur had 405 total yards against Tennessee.
The defense was able to recover and have an impressive night, despite the 40 yards of defensive penalties charged against them in the first half. Bryce Cowan and Vanzale Hinton each recorded a forced fumble, while Kolbey Taylor recovered his first fumble of the season. Graduate student Marlen Sewell, who has been with Vanderbilt since the beginning, recorded a season-high seven tackles on the day as well.
With their performance, the Commodores continue to rewrite the history books, scoring 50+ points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1915. Let that sink in. Vanderbilt is embracing and executing on its motto of going 1-0 each week, and it doesn’t look like they are stopping anytime soon.
New York bagel
Pavia has been stellar so far this season and that was only reaffirmed yesterday. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native finished his day completing 23 of his 34 passes for 321 yards and 5 passing touchdowns, all while accumulating 79 rushing yards with a score. These bring his season total — through five games — to 1,211 yards, 13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions to gain the third highest quarterback ranking in the nation (88.4).
Pavia was in complete control of his offense, finding Junior Sherrill for three first-half touchdowns, all of which were over 15 yards in length. The signature creativity and quickness on the ground that Pavia is known for were not absent, though. Pavia was still able to scramble to extend plays and take off on designed runs, including a 33-yard pickup to put his team within field goal range with just 15 seconds left in the half. He continued that momentum in the second half, extending Vanderbilt’s scoring to eight drives. The last of those eight scoring drives was a 53-yard touchdown pass to find Richie Hoskins on the left sideline.
Anyone who thinks that Pavia is not a serious Heisman contender — at least thus far in the season — is grossly mistaken. He has transformed his game this past offseason, and, while his stats aren’t mind-blowing, it is evident in his performances. When Pavia first came to Vanderbilt, there were a lot of questions about his ability to hang in the toughest conference of college football. His playmaking abilities and mental grittiness were certainly there but other aspects, including his size and arm strength, weighed heavily in many pundits’ minds. And I’ll give it to them. At times last season, Vanderbilt’s offense felt very one-dimensional: Pavia was constantly scrambling, and the majority of his throws were smaller slant routes. He did not seem to have a ton of confidence in his ability to make deep throws, either.
This season, though, it is hard to find an issue with Pavia’s play. He is much more composed in the pocket, and his runs feel more intentional than desperate acts to extend plays. He can both slow down and speed up the offense while he is routinely finding receivers on big throws downfield. Pavia is truly one of the nation’s best dual-threat quarterbacks.
This is not the same scrappy undersized quarterback that shocked the world against then-No. 1 Alabama in 2024; this is a continually evolving quarterback that is proving game in and game out he can win against the nation’s best. If Pavia can sustain his current success, it is not wild to say that in December, he might be grabbing a New York Bagel in the morning of the Heisman Trophy ceremony. I know this is a tall prediction but high expectations only seem to make Pavia better.
Trench toast
Henry gave a lot of credit to the defensive line in last week’s Commodore Brunch, and deservedly so. This week, however, it is time to recognize the work on the other side of the trenches: the offensive line. The reason that Pavia and the rest of Vanderbilt’s offense have been so efficient is because of the offensive line creating the time and space for them to do so. Vanderbilt found success in advancing the ball on the ground yesterday, netting 222 rushing yards.
The offensive line room has, perhaps, the least continuity from last year of any position group on the team with the loss of major players, including Gunnar Hansen, Steven Hubbard, Steven Losoya and Xavier Castillo, after the 2024 season. Vanderbilt, though, did a great job of bringing in high-impact transfers, such as Bryce Henderson, Jordan White and Isaia Glass, to supplement the existing talent like Chase Mitchell and Cade McConnell. Now, their output has increased.
“I don’t think you can talk about [Pavia] without first talking about how our offensive line is playing,” Lea said. “They are creating time and space for him in the pocket, which has given him room and routes to escape.”
Last year, the ‘Dores averaged 3.8 yards per rush and 1.1 yards before contact with 178.6 passing yards per game. Vanderbilt’s output has improved in every category this year, sitting at 6.3 yards per rush and 4.0 yards before contact with 258.5 passing yards per game. These statistical increases are a direct reflection of how good its offensive line has been early in the season. Expect Vanderbilt’s offense to be a direct reflection of its offensive line, which will likely only improve as the relatively new unit gets more reps together.
Special sauce
The Commodores’ special teams unit, which has seen limited game time in the past few contests, certainly proved its worth on Saturday afternoon. Before the Utah State game, Brock Taylor had attempted just three field goals (all of which he made), with the biggest coming against South Carolina from 51 yards. On Saturday, he kicked two field goals, with a long of 46 yards, including one while time was running out in the second quarter. Taylor’s stellar leg often falls under the radar but is something that will always benefit Vanderbilt moving forward. He has now made 16-straight field goal attempts, a streak stretching all the way back to Week 4 of last season. Having a kicker who can reliably put points on the board is never a given — as recent weeks in college football have shown us.
Not only did Vanderbilt’s kicking unit shine yesterday but so did its punt return teams. The Black and Gold had 49 punt return yards yesterday, including a 41-yard return by Tre Richardson in the first quarter. On the opposing side, Vanderbilt’s defense held Utah State to no punt return yards and 42 kick return yards.
The success of the special teams unit is unsurprising, with ESPN ranking them the No. 1 special teams group in the nation last year. Still, though, special teams can often be the difference maker and is often indicative of the completeness of a team. Yesterday’s performance indicated that the Commodores’ special teams units are ready for SEC play.
The Commodores are playing solid football, but they are not satisfied with their progress so far. From the very beginning, this group has said they want to win a national championship. While many onlookers simply laughed off Vanderbilt and its aspirations, they are proving week in and week out that they are serious about everything they have said. The ‘Dores went 1-0 this week, but they will be back to work tomorrow. Will they be able to extend that record to 6-0? We can only wait and see.
Vanderbilt will return to action against Alabama on Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
