Johnny Manziel Makes His Opinion on Vanderbilt Star Diego Pavia Extremely Clear After Alabama Upset
A new college football star is in the making following the Vanderbilt Commodores’ historic upset win over the previously No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 6. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia put himself on the national stage after leading the Commodores to their first win against the Tide since 1984. Vanderbilt went 2-10 last season before signing Pavia out of New Mexico State. He spent two seasons with the Aggies after walking-on at New Mexico Military Institute where he led the Broncos to a JUCO national championship. Pavia’s dual-threat ability and fearlessness is a subtle reminder of former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, who Pavia paid homage to earlier this season. Manziel has certainly taken notice of Pavia following the 40-35 win over Alabama. “(Diego Pavia) plays with a lot of fire and a lot of tenacity, ” Manziel told Action Network. “This was a performance for the ages.”
Manziel took college football by storm in 2012 when he led Texas A&M to an upset over then No. 1 Alabama and head coach Nick Saban. That performance is eerily similar to Pavia’s showing last Saturday in Nashville.
“(Pavia) came out and played absolutely fearless,” Manziel said. “When they needed a play, they went to him and he made some really big time throws, was able to evade some rushers, and really put this Vanderbilt team on his back.”
Pavia, a fifth-year senior, completed 16-of-20 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns to no interceptions against the Tide. He also added 56 yards on 20 carries on the ground.
“I’m going to reach out to Pavia this week,” Manziel said. “I definitely gave him a follow on Twitter and Instagram after I saw the game and saw how much he was paying homage to me and showing me some love.” Pavia embraced his own comparison to Manziel earlier in the year after upsetting Virginia Tech in the season opener. “I feel like I’m more of a comparison to Johnny Football,” he said. “That’s who I am.”
Pavia and the Commodores are just two wins away from tying their best win total in the last six seasons (5). There will be plenty of other upset opportunities with matchups against No. 1 Texas, No. 13 LSU and No. 8 Tennessee left on the slate. Vanderbilt (3-2) will first travel to Kentucky (3-2) in Week 7
