Diego Pavia turns into Diego Football
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Carlos Leon-Trejo, Contributor
- October 7, 2024
Diego Pavia turns into Diego Football
The party started early Saturday for Diego Pavia and his family, setting the stage for the biggest victory in Vanderbilt football history. With many wearing Pavia jerseys and Cowboy hats, 68 of the Vanderbilt quarterback’s relatives descended from Albuquerque, N.M.
They set up a DJ at their large tailgate outside First Bank Stadium in Nashville and set the festive tone for the day. The Pavias aren’t rich. They are from Albuquerque’s modest South Valley, the poor side of town.
But they’re loud and supportive. They’re confident and proud. And on a glorious Saturday evening Diego Pavia gave them all a moment to remember forever. The graduate transfer from New Mexico State led unranked Vanderbilt to a 40-35 upset over No. 1 Alabama. Afterward, the Commodores’ fans rushed to the field along with Pavia’s relatives.
“It’s amazing,” Pavia said told the Nashville media after the game. “I think the total number was 68. They all came out from Albuquerque, N.M. It takes a lot of money. A lot of people there aren’t rich. They come from the poor South Valley.
“That’s where I’m homegrown. I’m just super thankful to them. I feel like they were in my corner tonight. They sit right behind us. Just motivators. They allowed me to be myself, and I feel like at home, literally at home, just play backyard football when I step out there.”
Diego Pavia replicates Johnny Football
Pavia grew up a fan of Texas A&M great Johnny Manziel, who solidified his status with an upset over Alabama 12 years ago. Diego Pavia patterned his game after the former Heisman Trophy winner. On Saturday he delivered some Diego Football magic of his own.
Pavia led Vanderbilt to the upset of the 2024 college football season, beating No. 1 Alabama 40-35 at home Saturday night. It was the first time Vanderbilt ever defeated the No. 1 team in the country.
The Mexican American Pavia handed Alabama it’s first loss to an unranked team since Cuban American Zach Calzada led Texas A&M over Alabama in 2021.
“Johnny Football, in his video he says he’s nothing to play with,” Pavia said. “I feel the same way about myself. Just every time I step on the field I feel like I’m the best player on the field every single time. I just gotta keep showing up. It’s God’s timing.”
Pavia completed 16 of 20 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns. He also rushed for 56 yards on 20 carries.
Nor surprisingly, Pavia leads Our Esquina’s weekly recap of the top Latino performers in college football. As he has done often over the last two seasons, Diego Pavis is Our Esquina’s Latino Player of the Week for Week 6.
Junior tight end Josh Cuevas had two catches for 22 yards for Alabama in the loss.
Fernando Carmona Jr. helps Hogs
Pavia wasn’t the only Latino who played a crucial role in a major upset Saturday. Fernando Carmona Jr. opened some huge holes to help Arkansas upset No. 4 Tennessee.
Oklahoma State sophomore quarterback Garret Rangel performed well off the bench. He completed 4 of 5 passes for 75 yards in the 38-14 loss to West Virginia. Sebastian Castro had one of the few highlights for Iowa against Ohio State. The senior from Chicago had a crucial interception in the first half.
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Castro finished with six tackles (three solo) and one tackle for a loss in the 35-7 loss. Sophomore defensive back Joenel Aguero had one tackle for No. 5 Georgia in the 31-13 victory over Auburn.
Logan Loya scored UCLA’s lone touchdown in a 27-11 loss to Penn State. The senior from Garden Grove, Calif., had six catches for 57 yards. Senior linebacker Kain Medrano had four tackles for UCLA in the loss.
Sophomore linebacker Tony Rojas led Penn State with a season-high eight tackles against the Bruins.
Trebor Peña helps Syracuse upset UNLV
Trebor Peña had eight catches for 67 yards to help Syracuse beat UNLV 44-41 in overtime. Michigan State defensive back Nikai Martinez had seven tackles in a 31-10 loss to Oregon. True freshman defensive back Peyton Woodyard had a career-high two tackles for No. 6 Oregon.
NC State receiver Kevin Concepcion had six catches for 22 yards in a 34-30 loss to Wake Forest. Concepcion has 31 receptions for 244 yards and four touchdowns so far this season. East Carolina junior quarterback Jake Garcia completed six of eight passes for 111 yards and an interception in a 55-24 loss against the Charlotte 49ers.
South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez threw for 292 yards and completed 21 of 35 passes with two touchdowns and an interception in a 18-16 loss against Arkansas State. Lopez had a 75-yard completion to wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett.
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos threw for 254 yards and completed 22 of 30 passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Eagles fell 24-14 against the Cavaliers.
Miami denies Fernando Mendoza, Cal
Miami native Fernando Mendoza almost led Cal to an upset over No. 8 Miami. He threw for 285 yards and completed 11 of 22 passes with two touchdowns and an interception. After taking a 25-point lead in the third quarter, the Golden Bears fell short in a 39-38 loss against Miami.
Sophomore Miami linebacker Raul Aguirre Jr. finished with four tackles (three solo) and one assist. Hurricanes running back Damien Martinez rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown in Miami’s rally.
Kicker Andres Borregales accounted for seven points against the Golden Bears. Borregales went 4-for-4 in extra points and scored a 46-yard field goal. Junior tight end Elijah Arroyo contributed to the comeback. He had three receptions for 14 yards and the go-ahead touchdown.
Xavier Restrepo was a force against Cal. The 5-foot-10, 198-pounder caught a pass from quarterback Cam Ward for 77 yards which allowed Arroyo to score a touchdown to gain the lead late over the Golden Bears. Restrepo had seven receptions for 163 yards.
Cover photo courtesy Vanderbilt Football/X.
Carlos Leon-Trejo
Contributor
Carlos Leon-Trejo is a co-host on the Bring on the Blitz! podcast on the Our Esquina network. A graduate of the University of Houston-Victoria, Leon-Trejo teaches fifth grade math and science in Houston ISD.
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