It was Diego Pavia’s world, and Vanderbilt-Kentucky was just living in it. The November 22 clash started with a Senior Day tribute for Vanderbilt quarterback Pavia. But as the game heated up, Clark Lea had to step in and dial down his QB’s fire. Ironically, the same coach who wanted the night to belong to Pavia ended up playing crowd control.

On November 22, mid-game, Pete Nakos shared a clip from the live-streaming. The caption read, “”Diego, no.” Clark Lea shuts down Diego Pavia going back in the game. (via ESPN).” We could only lip-read Lea, who faced towards the camera, trying his level best to convince Pavia to slow down. However, the quarterback was hard to keep away from the gridiron. But what was the hoopla all about that served Pavia-Lea’s sideline argument as a surprise?

Vanderbilt blitzed out to a 45-3 stranglehold by the end of the third, putting up a heroic contest at FirstBank Stadium. With the game iced, Lea yanked Pavia and the starters. The quarterback instantly flipped into “put me back in” mode. Definitely, Pavia did not love the decision. He protested immediately, trying to negotiate a late-game return. Lea’s reaction? The head coach chuckled for a second and hit him with a friendly-but-firm “no.”

Pavia did end up getting his wish. Lea relented and let him lead the first fourth-quarter drive. Two plays in, he fired an interception and was immediately pulled again. Can’t blame the quarterback for being revved to the ceiling after torching Auburn for 377 total yards in a 45-38 overtime thriller vs. Auburn. Well, we knew this game was supposed to be a Pavia highlight.

Pavia’s 2024 ruling bought him a bonus year of eligibility in 2025, but he’s made it clear 2026 won’t happen. A postseason encore? Only if the Commodores storm into the playoffs with two more wins and a 10-2 record. So fans treated Saturday as Pavia’s farewell home game. 

“These seniors deserve to have a stadium filled with Vanderbilt fans. It’s not totally eliminated that we could play a home playoff game, but this could be the last chance you get to see Diego Pavia at FirstBank Stadium,” Lea said gleefully. The quarterback had already picked up the buzz in the Heisman race. However, his hype had taken a backseat. 

The Heisman Trophy official dropped their Week 10 Heisman Fan Vote Leadership board on X on October 30. Ty Simpson grabbed the crown at 27.3%, but the eyebrow-raiser was Pavia finishing seventh at 2.7%, trailing the fan-favorite longshot, Kansei Matsuzawa. This might have been shocking for the Vanderbilt quarterback to accept. After all, Matsuzawa, the Japanese soccer kid who accidentally discovered American football on TV, taught himself the craft through YouTube. As both Pavia and Vanderbilt hit new records, the Heisman talk can be back at the fold. 

Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia both rewrote the record books against Kentucky

Lea’s boys sealed a 45-17 victory on Saturday, November 22. However, their latest win tastes sweeter for two more reasons. As Outkick founder and analyst Clay Travis tweeted, “Congrats to Vanderbilt on a nine-win football regular season for the first time since 1915.” It’s also the first Kentucky loss in Nashville since 2015. Pavia also had a big role to play in making the game day memorable.

Pavia turned the Kentucky game into his personal record-setting showcase. He fired for 484 yards and five touchdowns on a near-flawless 33-of-39 outing, overtaking Whit Taylor’s 1981 single-game passing standard of 464 yards.

As if the passing clinic wasn’t enough, Pavia got busy on the ground, too. He ran for 48 yards and punched in another score. It marked his second five-TD showcase of the year, and it extended his streak of three-plus passing touchdowns to three games and counting, Texas, Auburn, and Kentucky.

Diego Pavia’s deep-shot accuracy has been a roller coaster this year, but Pavia was laser-locked versus the Wildcats. He uncorked a gorgeous 71-yard touchdown to Tre Richardson, then doubled down with a nearly identical 56-yard missile to the same target. Tennessee is the last test. Let’s see if Pavia can drive Vandy straight into the postseason.