Diego Pavia’s courageous, mobile play broke Alabama and brought Vanderbilt football back to life

The key ingredients for the biggest unrest since 2007 came from Las Cruces, New Mexico.

This offseason, Vanderbilt hired former New Mexico State offensive coordinator Tim Beck and transferred its quarterback Diego Pavia from the Aggies to the Commodores. A Vanderbilt team that was 2-10 in 2023 needed an influx of talent, and they looked to New Mexico State to find it.

It really seems like Vanderbilt has found the spark.

Vanderbilt defeated No. 1 Alabama 40-35 in Nashville for the biggest win in program history, and the fusion of minds between Beck and Pavia was the biggest reason for their offensive explosion. Over two years of constant growth for both the coordinator and QB, leading to the biggest moment of both of their lives.

With Beck as their coordinator, Vanderbilt has moved more to a gun-based offense, with Pavia’s legs being the difference maker. The DNA of every major upset where Alabama found itself on the wrong side was a mobile threat at QB, who played absolutely crazy against the Tide. Pavia had the best game of his career for this, going 16-for-20 for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the air while adding 56 yards on the ground to propel the Commodores to victory.

Vanderbilt was incredible on third down, going 12/18 and Pavia was the main reason why. So many plays against the Crimson Tide, with Pavia beating the Tide downfield with aggressive throws and runs to beat Alabama’s aggressive defense. Throws like this touchdown that stunned the Crimson Tide and showed the insane confidence Beck has in Pavia.

Beck was in his bag with calls like this shovel pass that served Pavia perfectly:

Pavia was great on Saturday, a testament to the success of the transfer portal and why college football is one of the best sports in the world. The offense is really fun and they have a QB that can beat anyone, including the Crimson Tide.

And it all came from a small school in Las Cruces.