AUSTIN, Texas — As college football’s regular season enters its final month, the Vanderbilt Commodores have every intention of making what is already a remarkable year for their program into something perhaps unforgettable.
A shot at both the Southeastern Conference championship and a College Football Playoff berth are still easily within sight for the ninth-ranked Commodores. Such things are new in Nashville, but quarterback Diego Pavia and this group of Commodores have changed the goals and the very idea of what’s possible for Vanderbilt, so often stuck in the cellar of the SEC standings.
Beat No. 20 Texas (6-2, 3-1) on Saturday in Austin, and Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1) will continue its climb toward the highest AP ranking in school history — No. 7 during the 1937 season.
“We’ve played to a level that’s put us in a position to play in some really exciting games,” said fifth-year head coach Clark Lea, a Nashville native and former fullback for the Commodores. “And obviously this one is incredibly meaningful for so many reasons … and it gives us a chance to keep aiming towards our long-term goals.”
Pavia has emerged as a Heisman Trophy contender and leads the second-highest scoring offense in the SEC, with the Commodores’ average of 38.38 points per game trailing only Tennessee’s 45.63. Now the sixth-year senior will face one of the best defenses in the country, with the Longhorns having allowed an average of 14.63 points per game.
“The quarterback is the tip of the spear,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said of Pavia, who has completed 68.8% of his passes while compiling 1,698 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions and leads Vanderbilt in rushing this season with 458 yards on 85 carries (5.4 average) with five touchdowns.
“He makes plays at critical moments when they need to have it,” Sarkisian added. “All the praise he’s getting is well deserved.”
The Commodores have an average of 6.2 yards per rush, third best in the nation, but Texas has allowed just 2.41 yards per carry. The task of tracking Pavia falls to Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and edge rusher Colin Simmons, a pair of preseason All-Americans who have combined for 9.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss this year.
Texas kicked off in late August with playoff and championship expectations heaped upon it as well after reaching the CFP semifinals the past two seasons. The Longhorns were the preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 15 with quarterback Arch Manning the betting favorite for the Heisman, but Texas was unranked after a ragged 3-2 start that included subpar performances by its first-year starter behind center, and the national title talk disappeared.
Three straight wins by Texas, including two in overtime, have rescued hopes for the season.
“We have four games left,” Sarkisian said. “If we can handle our business, we have as good of an opportunity as anybody to play in the SEC championship game and be part of the College Football Playoff.
Manning spent the week in concussion protocol after being injured in the overtime period in last week’s victory over Mississippi State, but the redshirt sophomore returned to practice Wednesday and was no longer listed on the SEC’s injury report Friday, so he is set to start against Vanderbilt.
Well before he suffered the concussion, Manning had been taking a beating behind a rebuilt offensive line that has struggled in pass protection. Texas has allowed 18 sacks, and Manning has often been on the run to avoid more. Vanderbilt’s defense ranks fourth nationally in most tackles for loss, so the Longhorns could be tested again in that regard.
The breakout player of October for Texas was punt returner Ryan Niblett, who has dabbled at wide receiver and running back and even had a brief stint at defensive back during spring practices. He’s been electric as a punt returner over the past three games with a 38-yard average and second-half touchdowns of 75 yards against Oklahoma and 79 yards against Mississippi State.
Niblett was a track standout in high school, when he ran the 100-meter dash in 10.41 seconds.
“The punt returner is dynamic,” Lea said. “We’ve got to really have some answers for that.”