Vanderbilt Star Ready for 'Life or Death' Rivalry Game Against Tennessee
Saturday's rivalry game for Vanderbilt has a bit more juice behind it than usual.
While the Commodores are always aiming to upset their in-state rivals, the gap between their program and Tennessee has been huge in recent years.
In fact, since 2018, which was the last time Vanderbilt beat Tennessee, the Commodores have been outscored by a score of 219-72.
But this time around, with six wins and an upset against then-top-ranked Alabama under their belt, Vanderbilt is feeling like they can pull off another huge victory by beating Tennessee and potentially knocking them out of the College Football Playoff.
For that to happen, they need their star quarterback Diego Pavia to perform well.
He's been a complete gamechanger for this program since he transferred in from New Mexico State, giving the Commodores a duel-threat quarterback who has boosted this offense to the point where they are actually competing against top teams in the SEC.
Pavia has progressively gotten more and more banged up as the season has worn on, causing his effectiveness to take a hit during the latter stages of the year, but with one game remaining against an archrival, he's ready to put his stamp on this series.
"I feel like it's the same as the New Mexico State UNM rivalry. Like it's life or death, so that's how I see it, that's how I approach it," he said per Aria Gerson of The Tennessean.
That's exactly the type of mentality Vanderbilt needs heading into this matchup.
Known for his fiery personality, Pavia made headlines when he was at New Mexico State for breaking into the practice facility of New Mexico and peeing on their logo before that rivalry clash.
He may be new to the feelings in this rivalry, but others on the coaching staff and team know how much it means.
"Growing up in Tennessee, you see a lot of orange. You don't really see a lot of black. It means a lot to me because I came here, I knew the opportunity that would come where I got to play against Tennessee both in Nashville and the stadium down there. Growing up, everyone talks about Tennessee this, Tennessee that," safety CJ Taylor said.
Pavia reportedly spoke with the secondary player about this rivalry to get a better sense of what he's dealing with, and with an opportunity to make a major statement during his first year with the program, the star quarterback will be looking to put his stamp on things.
