Dave Portnoy built his brand on chaos. His blunt, no-filter takes regularly spark backstage tension and on-air moments that feel more like heated debates than polished commentary. So, right now, FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff crew is on site for the Vanderbilt vs Texas game, but Portnoy’s notably absent. He was doing his duty in Columbus, Ohio, for the Buckeyes and the Penn State contest. Despite his absence, the jabs are already flying his way.

The Barstool Sports founder was completely sold on Vanderbilt pulling off a win, riding high on their historic 7-1 run and tough defense. But the 24-10 halftime scoreline told a different story. That’s exactly why Mark Ingram II didn’t leave any stone unturned to troll Portnoy in his absence. “Dave is part of the reason why this love fest is over,” Ingram said. “You keep betting on Vandy. Keep betting on Diego Pavia. This love fest is over, Dave. You don’t know ball … I know ball.” But Dave, being Dave, he kept on swining.

Dave Portnoy posted that clip on X, writing, “There should be a moratorium on attacking me when I’m not on set.” It’s like an ongoing war for Portnoy. Now this isn’t Portnoy’s first stint supporting the Commodores.

Two weeks back, Dave Portnoy put his money where his mouth was and dropped a hefty $205,000 bet on Vanderbilt beating LSU. He even said if he had a million bucks in the account, he’d bet the whole thing on Vandy. But as a matter of fact, Portnoy wasn’t wrong then. The Commodores won 31-24 against the Tigers. His confidence in the Commodores is practically based on their current run.

Against Texas, they came in with a 7-1 record, fresh off beating Mizzou. Their offense is second in the SEC for scoring with 43.2 points per game and fifth in total yards gained per game. But that stat line is largely due to dual-threat QB, Diego Pavia, who leads the offense with 1,409 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, and a 71.4% completion percentage. That’s awesome, no doubt. But the rhythm is quite disrupted against Texas.

Guess what? The Longhorns snagged a very important 34-31 win against the Commodores in the fourth quarter. Texas QB, Arch Manning, completed 25 out of 33 passes for 328 yards and 3 TDs. Looks like the QB magic is finally falling into place. On the other side, Diego Pavia had accumulated 27 of 38 passes for 365 yards and 3 TDs. He even contributed to the ground game, leading the Vanderbilt RB room with 43 yards on 14 carries. But nothing fell into place as the Longhorns snagged their 4th home win of this season against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Austin sleeps peacefully tonight

Texas secured a 34-31 victory over a top-10 Vanderbilt team. This performance proved their resilience and reignited playoff hopes after earlier disappointments. Texas’ start was dominant, setting the tone early and building a big lead thanks to Arch Manning. However, the number definitely doesn’t tell the full story. Right from the first snap, Texas sent a message.

Manning connected with wide receiver Ryan Wingo on a lightning-fast 75-yard touchdown on the opening play. They followed that explosive start with a 17-0 lead that put Vanderbilt in catch-up mode almost immediately. Texas played with the confidence of a team ranked No. 1 early in the season, even after dropping to No. 20 by this game. Their defense was another key factor, especially against the run.

Texas ranks third in the country in run defense. Thus, the secondary unit sincerely stopped Diego Pavia. The Longhorns allowed only 81 rushing yards on the ground and forced stops at crucial moments. Vanderbilt surely fought back hard. Their offense scored twice in the final four minutes. That’s why the score got so tight at the very end. But the win was a necessary boost for Texas, which had struggled with consistency on offense all season.