Vanderbilt keeps playoff hopes alive with 'proof of concept' win over Missouri

Wearing a “2Turnt” hat and silver chains around his neck, Diego Pavia took in the moment on the podium for a second before taking questions. The Vanderbilt quarterback didn’t have the Heisman moment he may have been looking for against Missouri, but across the nation Saturday, the Commodores were on full display.

Among the highlights of the day for Vanderbilt: The first appearance on College GameDay in 17 years, beating Missouri and extending the program’s best start in 80 years, maintaining its status as a top contender in the College Football Playoff race and hosting five-star Georgia quarterback commit Jared Curtis on a visit. It’s the first time Vanderbilt has won seven games before November since 1915.

Pavia has played a role in all that happening, along with head coach Clark Lea. But on the microphone, where he’s become infamous for his viral comments, the quarterback talked about the teammates who put Vanderbilt in the position to win.

“We’re a bunch of misfits,” Pavia described Vanderbilt’s team following the 17-10 win. “A lot of guys are repping it on their shirt. … A lot of our O-line is filled with FCS and Conference USA guys who were slept on. I feel like we all got that chip on our shoulder.”

Pavia is the former New Mexico State quarterback who has helped bring the spotlight to the program in the last two seasons. Then there’s running back Makhilyn Young, who ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run, a former teammate of Pavia’s at NMSU who sat out last season. FAU transfer safety CJ Heard set up the winning drive for Vanderbilt, ripping the ball from a Missouri running back’s hands to force a fumble

But for all the feel-good stories Vanderbilt has created over the last 12 months and the clips Pavia has created for social media, the Commodores are legit. They found a way to win despite a season-low 265 yards of total offense. Their defense slowed down Ahmad Hardy, the SEC’s best rusher, holding him to just 97 yards on 20 carries. Missouri lost quarterback Beau Pribula to an ankle injury, with true freshman Matt Zollers stepping into the game.

The Vanderbilt brand was on full display. And the CFP hype is only getting more real.

“There’s limitless potential,” Lea said. “We’ve worked really hard to care about this, a lot before anyone else has, but what we’ve built can be sustained. … It’s important on a day where our program was celebrated that we recognize, too, that there are things we need to do to keep pushing forward. There are a lot of really good players who are paying attention to what we’re doing.

“… Before we had anything else, we had a heartbeat here. And now we’ve got a proof of concept.”

Lea’s name will be one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel in the coming months. He’s built Vanderbilt into a legitimate SEC program, posting a 14-7 mark over the last two seasons. But the former Vanderbilt fullback believes he can keep building on the West End.

On a Saturday when Alabama needed a last-second touchdown to escape South Carolina, Ole Miss won at Oklahoma and Texas held on for an overtime win at Mississippi State, Vanderbilt emerged with a win. It was a complete game, with a Missouri Hail Mary falling a yard short of a touchdown.

For the first time in school history, Vanderbilt has wins against three AP Top 25 teams. But the story does not appear to be ending here. The Commodores have a path to the CFP with remaining games against Texas, Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Saturday wasn’t a flashy win. But it was a win that could make the difference come Selection Sunday in December.

“Championship teams, you know, go through games like this,” Pavia said. “It’s just how you prevail.”

Before Vanderbilt walked over to FirstBank Stadium on Saturday, Lea talked to his team about the importance of the Missouri matchup. He admitted in his postgame press conference that he was honest with his team about how much winning Saturday could mean down the line.

That message was echoed in the locker room pregame. Young, the running back who has rushed for 171 yards the last two weeks, gave a glimpse of the intensity.

“Coach Lea said, ‘Don’t leave this locker room if you ain’t trying to win this mother—,'” Young said. “He didn’t say that verbatim. But that’s what I heard.”

For Pavia, every goal he talked about this offseason is still attainable. The quarterback talked about winning championships at SEC media days; Vanderbilt is in a prime position for a CFP run.

Despite not having consistency on the offensive side of the ball — going three-and-out three times — Pavia found a way to a win. The Commodores will do that over the final four-game stretch of the season. But the belief is high that Vanderbilt can finish the year with the goals that it entered with.

That would come with some more history-making. They’ve never won an SEC title. The last unclaimed national title was in 1922. And the program has never produced a Heisman Trophy finalist.

“Hell yeah, I believe this,” Diego Pavia said when asked about his Heisman candidacy. “We just got to keep winning football games.”