Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia outperformed Heisman hopeful Jalen Milroe on Saturday night in a historic upset of No. 1 Alabama he says could impact his career.
“Games like this change your life, you know what I mean?” Pavia said on the field after the 40-35 win. “It’s all about hype nowadays, and I don’t like it like that, but it’s a reality of NIL and all that stuff.
“But just staying grounded, stay where my feet are and every single day, tomorrow we got to work on Kentucky.”
Saturday night victory marked the first time Vanderbilt defeated a team ranked in the top five of the AP poll. Alabama had earned the No. 1 ranking after upsetting Georgia last week.
Vanderbilt had previously gone 0-60 against top-five opponents, according to SportRadar and the Associated Press’ Teresa M. Walker. The Commodores also had not defeated Alabama, at any ranking, since 1984.
That all changed in part because of Pavia, who joined Vanderbilt ahead of the 2024 season as a graduate transfer.
After beginning his college career with three JUCO seasons at the New Mexico Military Institute, Pavia spent two years with New Mexico State before arriving in Nashville.
Pavia opened his first SEC season by passing for 721 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions through four games while leading the Commodores to wins over Virginia Tech and Alcorn State.
He was similarly accurate in the biggest win of his career over Alabama, connecting on 16 of 20 pass attempts for 252 yards, two touchdowns and no picks.
Pavia also added 56 yards on 20 carries, including the eight-yard first down run that kept the ball in Vanderbilt’s possession with just over a minute left on the clock and allowed the Commodores to seal the upset victory.
This is not the first time Pavia has led his team to an upset. He drew national attention last November when he passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns to lead New Mexico State to its first win over an SEC opponent with a 31-10 upset of Auburn.
Pavia and the Commodores will return to action next Saturday as Vanderbilt hits the road to seek their second SEC victory of the season at Kentucky.
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