This past Friday, Vanderbilt defeated Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl, 35–27. The win snapped a three-game losing streak which resulted in a winning season record (7-6) for the first time since 2013. First bowl victory since 2014.
While the final score may indicate a close game, frankly, it wasn’t really that close on the field. The rain soaked victory helped the Commodores to cap off a memorable season that was full of notable moments.
(Birmingham Bowl Champs📸: BirminghamBowl.com)
This season saw many highs … wins over ranked Virginia Tech to open the season, a historic victory over then #1 ranked Alabama, first victory at Auburn, and full student section at home games. After tearing down the goal post against Bama, the students marching it down lower Broadway with police escort will be forever etched in our minds. There were also a few lows, most notably the loss at Georgia State. Yes, they finished their season at 3-9.
During his four years as Vanderbilt’s head football coach Clark Lea had some successes, but not as frequent as he or the Vanderbilt community would have liked. A few nice SEC wins, but with a ten-game losing streak to end the 2023 season, that was one to build upon, then to forget.
Heading into the 2024 season, some were whispering that this was a make or break season for Coach Lea. Historically, most Vanderbilt coaches have not lasted more than a few seasons as their win/loss records typically indicate it was time for a change. The homegrown former VU fullback’s coaching won/loss ledger showed more losses than wins. He was in desperate need for a game changing player to join his roster.
Then arrived a new QB from New Mexico State named Diego Pavia. At 5’10”(ish), in street clothes he certainly did not look the part. However, he dismantled Auburn on the Plains in 2023, so maybe he had something in him. While many will claim (but only few knew), that when Pavia stepped on campus earlier this year the Vanderbilt football program was in for a shocking change. Pavia Mania was about to hit Jess Neely in a big way.
However, let's step back a moment before giving flowers to Pavia.
Historic changes have been ongoing for three years on campus. Under the leadership of Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Athletics Director Candice Lee, the Vandy United campaign has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to benefit Vanderbilt University. Many new buildings are around campus (Towers RIP), including upgrades of almost all of the sports facilities have been completed or planned to start construction. The football stadium is still in the middle of a major overhaul / update and hopefully will be finished before next football season. These updates have been exciting for recruits and alums.
A year ago when it was announced that New Mexico State coaches Tim Beck and Jerry Kill were joining the Vanderbilt staff, those outside McGugin raised their eyebrows. (New Mexico State, really?) Then, when some of Pavia’s Aggie teammates also signed with the Commodores, it was no longer just a passing curiosity about what was going on. Momentum was building within the program. Lea was cooking up something special.
Once the Dores kicked off against Virginia Tech to start the season, it was evident this was a different team. An exciting OT against a top 25 ranked team is always a big deal. Something different. A spark. A leader. A magic man. Diego Pavia.
Pavia’s route from southern Albuquerque, New Mexico to JUCO to NMS to Nashville is now well documented. Even more so now that he has been granted an additional year at Vanderbilt from a recent court ruling where he sued the NCAA for more eligibility.**
Pavia’s ability to escape and create while on the go to make the big play was evident from the opening game. As the season progressed, he just seemed to get better and more creative. No matter how many hits he took in a game, #2 just seemed to be able to bounce back up and get stronger. Never in doubt, some of his runs and a few of his passes have been game changing. (His fourth down heave to Sherrill for six against Bama will forever be ingrained in my mind.) He is just a winner in every sense of the word.
The Pavia Effect has impacted the entire team, program, and the fan base. He may be the most confident athlete I’ve ever met or watched play in any sport. His play and appeal galvanized the Vanderbilt student body, and the alums who follow the team. We should all have his will to win and toughness.
“The biggest complement I can pay him, and I speak on behalf of the team when I say this, when the ball is in his hands you’re never out of the fight," Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said.
With this change in program culture and newfound confidence, gone were the same results that we have seen too often on the field during the past couple of seasons (ugh, ETSU loss😒). Did you watch the Bama game when both sides of the ball pushed Bama players back play after play? When Pavia got the ball back with four minutes to go in the game, they never gave the ball back to Bama. Not going to lie, watching that victory formation at the game’s end brought a little tear. 40 years!
There’s no one more happy than I for Clark Lea. His single-minded focus and dedication for the Vanderbilt program is finally showing through. Good for him! Good for all of us! His critics have said that he is not emotional enough on the sidelines or that he hasn’t been able to recruit the big-time athletes. Both of these criticisms can go away now. Scoreboard.
Whether this success and confidence will remain sustainable for the program is yet to be seen. I think it’s here to stay. This is a new era in Vanderbilt football. This is a team to be reckoned with. This is a team that has swagger. It’s turnt! I like what’s going on on Jess Neely Drive.
The Sports Guy
*Whether you’ve been a fan of the program your entire life or just a short time, statements have not come often. Welcome to the clerb!
** As of this writing, the lawsuit is still pending.
