Vanderbilt, Diego Pavia silence Neyland, get historic 10th win | Estes

KNOXVILLE – Rapid reaction from Vanderbilt football’s 45-24 win over rival Tennessee on Nov. 29 at Neyland Stadium:

Talking Points

• The biggest win of Vanderbilt’s historic regular season was the final one. And this shootout victory for Diego Pavia and company in a chilly, noisy Neyland Stadium might be remembered as the biggest victory in program history. The Commodores (10-2) secured their first-ever 10-win season while keeping College Football Playoff hopes alive by beating the favored Vols, who dropped to 8-4.

• What’s next for Vandy in the postseason is unclear, but nonetheless, it can celebrate beating an in-state rival that has had its number. This was Clark Lea’s first win over Josh Heupel’s Tennessee in five seasons at Vanderbilt football, and it was no fluke. The Commodores outgained the Vols, 582 yards to 382, and scored on their first four possessions after halftime to break open a game that’d been tied at intermission.

• As has been the case so often in his two seasons at Vanderbilt, Pavia was the difference-maker. He rebounded from a pair of early interceptions to throw for 253 yards, run for 159 yards and lead a Commodores offense that ended up outperforming his counterpart Joey Aguilar's Vols offense. On a day in which both defenses were bound to have trouble against good offenses, Tennessee’s defense ultimately had more problems stopping Vandy than the other way around. For the Commodores, this was their most successful defensive effort yet against Heupel's Vols in Lea's five attempts.

• Aguilar had his moments, though, finding Chris Brazzell for a 52-yard touchdown pass as the Vols reached the end zone on three of their first five drives of the game. As the third quarter turned to the fourth quarter, however, Tennessee trailed by 10 points and had a 15-play drive end in a field goal after Vols receiver Mike Matthews dropped a possible touchdown pass on third down.

Where the game turned

Late in the first half, Tennessee had Vandy stopped on a third down near the goal line when Jalen McMurray was flagged for roughing Pavia. It was a four-point penalty. On the next play, the Commodores scored a TD to make it 21-21 at halftime, and the Vols wouldn't lead again.

Vandy’s first two possessions of the second half burned 11:46 while putting the Commodores up 31-21. Then, later, with Vandy leading 31-24, Pavia found Eli Stowers for a huge 14-yard completion on third-and-6. On the next play, Pavia ran 24 yards into the end zone and struck a Heisman pose.

Key number

1 – Number of times Vanderbilt punted in this game, compared to four for Tennessee.

What I liked

For the second year in a row, one of our state’s SEC teams visited the other one with realistic hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff with a win. How many states can say that?

This time, it was Vanderbilt’s experience to cherish.

And yet …

Tennessee will look back on this season as a missed opportunity. One wonders how far this team – which lost three times at Neyland – could’ve gone if a few plays had fallen the other way and the defense stayed healthier to better support a strong offense.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at [email protected] and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football, Diego Pavia beat rival Tennessee in Neyland Stadium