Vanderbilt Commodores Star Sees Another Rise in Stock with Latest Win
The Vanderbilt Commodores have been one of the most surprising teams in college football with their success this year.
While the defense has played a big part in that to this point, another big piece of that success has been transfer senior quarterback Diego Pavia.
Pavia has brought a level of quarterback play that is not usually seen in Nashville, particularly a dual threat as dangerous as the senior.
It may be the dawning of a new era for Vanderbilt and fourth-year head coach Clark Lea, potentially marking the new direction the program goes in when looking for a quarterback.
Pavia has played so well this year that he has continuously risen up the ranks of quarterbacks across the country as he continues to make a name for himself each and every Saturday.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report released their latest rendition of their quarterback power rankings on Wednesday, and after having Pavia ranked 18th last week, the junior has now jumped into the top 15, landing in the 13th spot.
"Pavia has been a difference-maker under center at Vanderbilt after transferring from New Mexico State," writes Reuter, "the dual-threat standout led the Commodores to a 17-7 victory on the road against Auburn on Saturday, throwing a pair of touchdown passes. With that, Vanderbilt is bowl-eligible for the first time since 2018, and up to No. 24 in the latest AP poll."
While Saturday's victory can be credited to Vandy's powerful defense, Pavia was able to perform in his own right when it came time to score.
Pavia threw for 143 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions Saturday on 9-of-22 passing and added 26 yards on the ground across 12 attempts.
While it was one of the worst showings from the quarterback this year, it was still enough to get the job done and help the Commodores complete what many have considered to be an upset.
For the season, Pavia has thrown for 1,667 yards with 15 touchdowns to only three interceptions on 127 of 205 passing, while adding 563 yards on the ground with four rushing touchdowns on 146 attempts.
Pavia may not have a future as a quarterback in the NFL, but at the collegiate level, he has shown time and time again that he is more than capable of leading a team to victory, now doing so with multiple different programs.
The rest of the year will be difficult for Vandy and Pavia as the toughest part of their schedule is still yet to come, but it has still been a year to remember nonetheless.
