Clark Lea and Diego Pavia Reveal Surprising Secrets Behind Vanderbilt’s Historic Football Surge

Can you imagine a college football season where Vanderbilt not only hosts ESPN’s “College Gameday” for the first time in nearly twenty years but also rides that spotlight straight to a 7-1 record? Well, the Commodores did just that Saturday night, squeezing out a gritty 17-10 win over Missouri that’s making fans—and skeptics—sit up and take notice. It wasn’t a stroll in the park, mind you; it took a clutch late-game touchdown from Heisman hopeful Diego Pavia to seal the deal, proving this team isn’t just about flash—they’ve got grit, guts, and the kind of resilience that coach Clark Lea preaches. So, is Vanderbilt’s best start in 84 years signaling the rise of a new powerhouse, or just a tantalizing flash in the SEC pan? Either way, the Commodores are making a trip to the college football playoffs look less like a pipe dream and more like a real possibility. LEARN MORE

On Saturday evening, the Vanderbilt Commodores kept the good times rolling with a 17-10 home win over the Missouri Tigers to push their record to an impressive 7-1 on the 2025 college football season. After hosting ESPN’s “College Gameday” for the first time in nearly two decades, Vanderbilt football held up its end of the bargain on Saturday, holding on for another victory and continuing to make a trip to the college football playoff look like a legitimate possibility.

Things were not always easy on Saturday for the Commodores against Missouri, as they needed a late touchdown from quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Diego Pavia to put them up by a score late.

However, head coach Clark Lea knows that those kinds of situations build resilience for a team moving forward.

“We’re not getting where we want to go if we don’t find ways to win games like this tonight,” said Lea, per ESPN, via the Associated Press. “I thought a great moment for us to step up. And we did.”

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

“We could’ve had a cleaner finish to this game, but we finished,” Lea added.

A big win for Vanderbilt football

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (2) celebrates following the game between Vanderbilt University and Louisiana State University at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. — Nicole Hester/ The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Vanderbilt football program was expected to be a decent team this year following their upstart 2024 season, which included a shocking home win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. While Vanderbilt wasn’t quite able to make it two in a row against their friends from Tuscaloosa this year, they’ve still put together a mightily impressive season so far in 2025, picking up three wins over AP Top 25 ranked teams so far, including Saturday’s win over Missouri.

Vanderbilt still has an outsider’s chance of making it to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta as well as a legitimate shot at competing for the college football playoff, although things won’t get any easier from here for the Commodores, with a trip to Texas to face the Longhorns looming next week.

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