This weekend in college football marks a major inflection point for Vanderbilt, as they travel to Tuscaloosa to try to defend one of the biggest wins in the recent history of its program. One year ago, the Commodores triumphed over Alabama in a 40-35 upset, a seismic SEC victory led largely by quarterback Diego Pavia, who exudes an enormous level of confidence as he prepares to try and beat Bama again.
In a story by On3, Pavia set his team’s expectations for their matchup with Alabama, going so far as to say that the game “won’t be close” if Vanderbilt plays its brand of football
“I don’t know what they’re doing, I just focus on us, but I know we’ve got to bring it, that’s for sure,” Pavia said. “The crowd, I think, is going to be a big factor in the game. But we just gotta play within the white lines. If we do that, if we play our game, it won’t be close.”
There is some cause for Pavia to be as confident in his team as he is, as Vanderbilt has gotten off to a 5-0 start featuring wins over Virginia Tech and South Carolina with Pavia playing at a level that has put him in the early conversation for the Heisman Trophy. However, Alabama got off the mat after a Week 1 loss to Florida State, and the Tide enter their game against Vanderbilt as heavy favorites following their win over Georgia a week ago.
At least part of Pavia’s confidence in Vandy’s chances against Bama comes from the fact that former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel now has his ear. Manziel has become friendly with Pavia since moving to Nashville, and he will be in attendance as Pavia tries to double up on wins over Alabama, exceeding Manziel’s famous road upset of the Crimson Tide as quarterback for Texas A&M.
“I beat [Alabama] once. Diego’s got a chance to beat them twice,” Manziel told On3. “That’s the kind of s–t they build statues for.”
