Vanderbilt called a timeout with 9:39 remaining in the fourth quarter against Kentucky, but it wasn’t to strategize or give players a much-needed rest. It was a final curtain call for Diego Pavia, who exited the field for likely the last time at FirstBank Stadium.
Pavia promptly hugged coaches Clark Lea and Jerry Kill as he put his hands together in the shape of a heart for his thousands of adoring fans. The crowd began to chant “Pavia, Pavia, Pavia,” as the graduate quarterback left the field with tears seemingly in his eyes.
I can’t even begin to describe what it was like witnessing this heartfelt moment for Vanderbilt nation. Very seldom in sports do we see a player be honored with a standing ovation as he leaves his home field for a final time. But that sums up what Pavia has done for Vanderbilt Football. A man who has given his all for the program was given the final celebration he deserved — a storybook ending to an incredible ride at FirstBank Stadium.
Pavia didn’t just go out with a good game; he went out with easily his best performance in a Vanderbilt uniform. The New Mexico native threw for 484 yards and 5 touchdowns on an 85% completion rate — setting the program single-game record for passing yards. He led Vanderbilt to a comfortable 45-17 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats to improve to 9-2 on the season and just one win shy of its best-ever regular season finish.
There’s only word to describe the Commodores’ performance on Saturday: fearless.
Vanderbilt dominated in every facet of this contest, holding Kentucky to just 31 rushing yards while totaling over 600 yards of offense. They snuffed out all of the Wildcats’ offensive schemes and seemingly moved the ball at will. The Commodores put an early field goal on the board in the first quarter and did not look back.
It was a fitting end to Pavia’s legendary career at Vanderbilt, and fans who came to the game on Saturday will forever be able to say they witnessed a piece of Vanderbilt history. But Pavia and the Commodores still have everything they want out in front of them. While Vanderbilt will more than likely not return home, even if they were to make the College Football Playoff, Pavia and Co. are still looking to lay it all out on the line in their final game — especially as they take the trek over to Neyland Stadium to take on the Volunteers in a week.
That prized berth to the most prestigious of postseason accomplishments is still very much alive, and Vanderbilt made its case on Saturday night for why it is deserving of receiving an at-large bid to the College Football Playoff.
Now, let’s dive into this week’s Thanksgiving menu.
Turkey time
I’d be remiss if I didn’t begin this brunch with Pavia. He certainly deserves it for the masterclass he gave fans on Saturday night, carving up Kentucky’s secondary like a turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
Aside from the poignant touch of him breaking the program’s single game passing yards record on his Senior Day and likely final game in FirstBank Stadium, Pavia completed the best game I’ve ever seen him play in a Vanderbilt uniform. For that matter, I think it’s fair to say it was the best-ever performance by a Vanderbilt quarterback in history.
Pavia flashed his supreme arm talent from the start of this game. He connected on a 71-yard touchdown reception to Tre Richardson, hurling the ball almost 50 yards in the air to hit Richardson perfectly in stride. The graduate quarterback’s ball placement was simply phenomenal all game, as showcased by his beautiful fade pass to receiver Junior Sherrill for a touchdown in the third quarter.
While he didn’t use his legs as much as in past games, he didn’t need to as his arm was so deadly. He still rushed for 48 yards, though, bringing his total offensive yards to 532. Pavia seemed to have hit a flow state out there on the field, as offensive coordinator Tim Beck let Pavia air it out with no hesitancy. This was evident when Pavia hit Junior Sherrill for a 32-yard reception before finding Richie Hoskins on the very next play for a 32-yard touchdown grab at the end of the third quarter. The drive lasted 31 seconds, and Pavia proved a new level of explosivity for Vanderbilt’s offense.
Keep in mind, Pavia also did all this despite being benched early in the fourth quarter. If he had stayed in, his stats could have been even more impressive.
As the end of the season nears, everyone’s eyes are turned to who may win the Heisman in December — or at least be one of the four invited to New York for the ceremony. Pavia certainly made his claim stronger after a performance like this against an SEC-caliber defense, as he now sits in a tie for third in the odds, only behind frontrunners Fernando Mendoza and Julian Sayin.
Pavia may have just secured his ticket to New York after this performance — what would be an incredible end to an already historic college career.
Lea certainly believes he did.
“In my mind, he’s the best player in the country and deserves to be in the Heisman conversation,” Lea said postgame.
Stuffing
Vanderbilt’s defensive line and linebackers stuffed up just about every single possible rushing lane on Saturday night. It was an incredible performance by defensive coordinator Steve Gregory’s defense, as his front gave up just 31 rushing yards on 19 attempts, putting Kentucky’s average rush at just 1.6 yards per carry. The Wildcats’ longest run was only nine yards, as Vanderbilt’s unrelenting run defense smothered any hopes of them establishing the ground game.
Those stats are dominating, but it’s even more impressive when given context on who Vanderbilt was facing on the ground. Two highly efficient running backs, Seth McGowan and Dante Dowdell, are the two-headed monster that usually make up the bread and butter of Kentucky’s offense. Coming into this matchup, this duo averaged a combined 160 rushing yards per game; Vanderbilt allowed them to run for just 32 yards — a combined season-low for the pair.
The Commodores have struggled in their past two games to stop the run. Against Auburn, they gave up 210 rushing yards, as Jeremiah Cobb broke through for 115 yards on the day. Against Texas, lead back Tre Wisner ran for 75 yards while averaging just over four yards per carry.
In Lea’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, he emphasized the need for his defense to be better.
“It [hasn’t been] the calls, it’s [been] organization,” Lea said at his weekly press conference. “[During the bye week] we focused on communication [and] tightening our process. We don’t get reloaded plays on Saturdays, so I want to see less reloaded plays in practice. I want to see us get it right the first time.”
That emphasis on tightening up the process clearly paid off, as Vanderbilt prevented Kentucky’s two-headed monster from gaining any momentum. The Commodores accumulated seven tackles for loss on the night, only two of which were noted as sacks. It forced the Wildcats to live or die by the passing game with freshman quarterback Cutter Boley, who only threw for 93 yards through three quarters.
Granted, he did pick up some big chunk yardage in garbage time, but Lea had already put in an assortment of backups for Senior Day. It’s unfair to include those 191 passing yards in the fourth quarter in an evaluation of Vanderbilt’s defensive performance.
Lea and Gregory got what they wanted from the defense on Saturday, and more. The bye week had these defensive units rested and ready to fight.
Dessert Tre
Much like Pavia, Richardson is an underdog. The Division II transfer from Washburn wasn’t exactly highly rated out of high school or even in the transfer portal, but he certainly proved his worth on Saturday against Kentucky.
The junior racked up 159 receiving yards off just 6 catches for an average of 26.5 yards per catch. He also added three receiving touchdowns — two of which were on go-routes where he beat his corner — and caught 75% of his targets.
If that’s not a legacy game, I don’t know what is.
Richardson embodies all that Vanderbilt has lacked in past years: explosivity. He’s got the speed to blow by any of the SEC’s best defensive backs, adding yet another element to Beck’s offensive schemes. This was evident when he blew by his corner for a 71-yard touchdown reception for the Commodores to go up 10-0. His shiftiness on the edge also allowed him to find the end zone on a play where he motioned in the backfield and rammed into the pylon for the touchdown.
Combine him with ultra-reliable options like Eli Stowers, Cole Spence and Sherrill, and Vanderbilt has itself quite the pass-catching group. Granted, Pavia’s perfectly placed balls are certainly helping them, but the Commodores’ air attack is finally taking shape as one of the best in the country.
One of the final chapters of the Pavia saga will be written next weekend as the Commodores roll into Knoxville to play in-state rival Tennessee. If Vanderbilt wins, it strengthens its case to be in the College Football Playoff. If it loses, it will head to a bowl game with no shot of winning a national championship. Tensions will be high as the Volunteers will try to play the spoiler.
No matter the outcome of this upcoming final regular season game, Pavia certainly gave it his all in his final game on West End.
No one can take that away from him.
Vanderbilt plays Tennessee at Neyland Stadium on Nov. 29, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CST.
