close
close
  • Sun. Oct 27th, 2024
    • '
    Vanderbilt football, Diego Pavia is legit despite loss to Texas
    News

    Vanderbilt football, Diego Pavia is legit despite loss to Texas

    author
    2 minutes, 21 seconds Read

    Vanderbilt football and Diego Pavia competed to the finish with No. 6 Texas on Saturday.

    The Commodores (5-3, 2-2 SEC) nearly picked up their second big win of the season, but fell just short. Vanderbilt cut the Longhorns' lead to one touchdown in the third quarter and stayed that way for most of the fourth quarter.

    The Commodores cut the lead to three points in the final minute, although Texas (7-1, 3-1) recovered the onside kick to secure the 27-24 victory.

    This was a game that made Texas uncomfortable, and Vanderbilt can be proud of it despite the loss.

    Here are our overreactions from the game:

    Vanderbilt football is real, even without a win over Texas

    Vanderbilt is technically still alive in the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff contention. After LSU and Texas A&M finish their game Saturday night, all but one team will be coming off a conference loss. It's not impossible to imagine a two-loss SEC team still finishing in the top two.

    Still, it's unlikely the Commodores will hear their name called in Sunday's playoff selection. But that's okay. Vanderbilt is still in a much better position and can compete with teams like Texas. The Commodores' season has already been a success and they have firmly established themselves as a team that no opponent can ignore.

    THE PAVIA FAMILY Diego Pavia's family shares QB's exciting Vanderbilt football season with him

    Clark Lea's aggressive fourth-down calls were the right moves

    In the third quarter, Vanderbilt opted for a fourth-and-7 at the Texas 35-yard line instead of attempting a long field goal. Brock Taylor can score reliably from this distance, but coach Clark Lea opted for an aggressive approach instead. The decision worked out, as Vanderbilt drew a pass interference penalty and later scored a touchdown on fourth-and-3.

    Later in the fourth quarter, the Commodores attempted a four-and-2 at their own 35 yards and Pavia's pass was intercepted. Although this decision ultimately didn't work out for Vanderbilt, it was still ultimately the right decision.

    The Commodores are used to succeeding as underdogs, and aggressive calls like these must remain part of Vanderbilt's identity.

    Brock Taylor makes the case for Vanderbilt's best kicker ever

    Just before halftime, Vanderbilt drove to the Texas 36-yard line. For many kickers, the resulting 54-yarder would be a difficult task. But not for Brock Taylor. Taylor easily hit the kick, his fifth of the season over 50 yards.

    No other Commodores kicker has made five 50-yard field goals in their career, let alone in the same season. That gives Taylor good reasons to be Vanderbilt's best kicker ever, even if this is his first season after redshirting in 2023.

    Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.

    Similar Posts

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *