Diego Pavia tried to maintain a dead-pan expression when asked about a rematch with Alabama in the aftermath of a 55-35 victory against Utah State on Sept. 27. He smiled, but not too much. Maybe not enough.
"Tuscaloosa will be a good, fun time," Pavia said. "I've never played there. I think a few of the guys have been there, but this is what you come to the SEC for — big games like this, so we'll be real excited to go down there and check them out."
No. 16 Vanderbilt (5-0, 1-0 SEC) faces No. 10 Alabama (4-1, 1-0 SEC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. ESPN's "College GameDay" is in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the 3:30 p.m. ET game on ABC.
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A few hours after Pavia made those remarks, Johnny Manziel – the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner – added an extra layer of hype. Manziel said he had dinner with Pavia.
"They hungry," Manziel told "Nightcap" co-hosts Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on Saturday. "Guess what? I'm going to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday. I'm on the Vandy sideline. I'm wearing a Pavia jersey."
Will Pavia – who leads the SEC with a 186.2 passer rating – do what Manziel couldn't do? That is, lead Vanderbilt past Alabama for the second straight season. This is the most intriguing storyline in Week 6 – perhaps even better than the prime-time matchup between No. 3 Miami and No. 18 Florida State. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea did his best to hold down the hype at a Tuesday press conference.
"What's special is the opportunity to go play against Alabama," Lea said. "We don't control who shows up, who doesn't show up, who pays attention, who doesn't pay attention. We're going to be excited about that opportunity."
Comparing Diego Pavia, Johnny Manziel starts against Alabama
Manziel led No. 15 Texas A&M to a 29-24 victory against No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 10, 2012. Manziel finished 24 of 31 for 253 passing yards and two TDs with 18 carries for 92 yards in a 29-24 upset that launched the "Johnny Football" Heisman Trophy campaign.
November 10, 2012: Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) leads #15 Texas A&M to a 29-24 upset over #1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. pic.twitter.com/2CkqOPQHH8
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) November 10, 2023
Pavia finished 16 of 20 for 252 passing yards, two TDs with 20 carries for 56 yards in a 40-35 victory against No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 5, 2024. It was the Commodores' first victory in the series since 1984. Vanderbilt finished 7-6 – its first winning season since 2013.
"This game became important a year ago because that team was 2-2 and had kind of lost a little bit of that early momentum and needed to regain it," Lea said.
| PLAYER | ATT | COMP | YDS | TDS | INT | RUSH YDS | TD |
| Manziel | 24 | 31 | 253 | 2 | 0 | 92 | 0 |
| Pavia | 16 | 20 | 252 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 0 |
Those statistics are almost identical, and it's cranked up the interest for the sequel.
Will Alabama be Diego Pavia's 'Manziel moment?'
Pavia has a proven track record in his second season at his last two places. He led New Mexico Military to a 12-1 record and junior college national championship in 2021. Pavia was asked if this Vanderbilt team has a similar makeup as that team.
"Same exact vibes, same exact haircut," Pavia said while laughing. "I'm just kidding. I was a little bit more bald back then. We retained a lot of talent in JUCO that second year, because it was a COVID year. Same thing here, we retained a lot of talent."
Pavia led New Mexico State to a 10-win season and Conference USA championship appearance in 2023. Now, the opportunity to vault Vanderbilt into the SEC championship conversation exists.
Pavia has become a symbol of college football upheaval on and off the field. On Nov. 10, 2024, Pavia filed a lawsuit against the NCAA that argued his junior college seasons should not count against NCAA eligibility. On the field, he has a traditional SEC doormat in the 12-team College Football Playoff hunt.
He is nowhere near as polarizing as Manziel, however.
Manziel served a two-quarter suspension in the 2013 season opener against Rice after allegations he received payment for autographs. From there, the "Money Manziel" persona took off, heading into the rematch against the Crimson Tide. For some, Manziel was the counter-culture hero college football needed. Is Pavia that guy now?
Who is the last QB to beat Alabama two years in a row?
Ole Miss beat the Crimson Tide in 2014 and 2015, but Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly each started in one of those games.
LSU beat Alabama in back-to-back seasons in 2010-11 with the combination of Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, but Jefferson started one game and Lee started the other. Auburn's Brandon Cox beat Alabama three straight times in the Iron Bowl from 2005-07 – the final game in Nick Saban's first season at Alabama.
Manziel had that opportunity on Sept. 14, 2013 when No. 6 Texas A&M met No. 1 Alabama at Kyle Field. The Crimson Tide won 49-42 in an amazing back-and-forth game where Manziel totaled 464 passing yards, five TDs, two interceptions and 98 rushing yards.
Alabama won, but Manziel delivered, too.
This sequel has some of those elements. Alabama is a double-digit favorite under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer. Vanderbilt ranks fourth in the FBS with 49 points per game. Pavia compiled 1,211 passing yards, 13 TDs and three interceptions with 294 rushing yards and two TDs. Pavia ranks 14th in the FBS in total offense with 301 yards per game. He also knows the key to success against the Crimson Tide.
"I can't turn the ball over when we just got a turnover," Pavia said. "That got us last year against Tennessee."
Alabama is coming off a 24-21 victory against No. 12 Georgia, and quarterback Ty Simpson is good, too. He has 1,138 passing yards, 11 TDs and no interceptions.
"We want to create as many chances as we can for Diego and the offense, and we feel like that would position us to get the result we want," Lea said.
Will Vanderbilt upset Alabama again?
There are all kinds of historical factoids being thrown around. It's the first ranked matchup since Nov. 25, 1937, when No. 4 Alabama beat No. 12 Vanderbilt 9-7. The Commodores can beat the Crimson Tide for the first time in consecutive seasons since 1955-56 – two years before Bear Bryant arrived at Alabama. Lea was asked about that, too.
"We don't pay a lot of attention to that," Lea said. "We're creating our own history here. That's how we see it."
That does not mean Lea does not respect Alabama. He was the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame in 2020, when the Irish lost 31-14 to No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Lea made light of a question that nobody believed Vanderbilt could win this game last season.
"To be clear, this room as it sits right now with you guys?" Lea asked while making a circle with his hands.
Pavia will be the key here, and even with Manziel on the sideline, this game has a different kind of significance. Manziel was taking aim at the Saban machine at Alabama – and the Crimson Tide won the national championship after losing that first game to the Aggies. Pavia has a chance to give Alabama a second loss in a crowded SEC race where as many as five teams could make the College Football Playoff.
MORE: Projecting the College Football Playoff after Week 5
A victory here, and Vanderbilt will be just as established as everybody else in that race. Pavia could emerge as the Heisman Trophy favorite. Pavia said, "We're TTG — that stands for trained to go."
This game isn't about all that history. It's about a chance for Vanderbilt to validate what Lea has been building for five years.
"It's been misunderstood outside, but it's been kind of methodically and consistently built from within," Lea said. "That's also why I feel like it has a chance to sustain."