Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had already pulled off one upset this season when he compared himself to former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. After pulling off another, the shocker of the season on Saturday against No. 1 Alabama, the former Heisman Trophy winner sees it, too.
"The guy plays with a lot of fire and a lot of tenacity," said Manziel during his weekly appearance on Action Network's BBOC YouTube channel. "That's something that I see resembles a lot of my game and how I played."
Pavia made headlines in September after leading the Commodores to an upset of Virginia Tech, saying during his postgame press conference that he had heard a Hokies defender trash talking him by calling him "a poor man's Trace McSorley" in reference to the former Penn State quarterback who played from 2015-2018. Pavia later took his comments a step further during an appearance on SEC Network.
"I had to show them what I do. I feel like I'm more of a comparison to Johnny Football. That's who I am," Pavia said.
As one of the few people who knows what it takes to beat No. 1 Alabama, Manziel's perspective is unique. In 2012, he famously went into Tuscaloosa, Ala., in Week 10 and led Texas A&M to a 29-24 win over No. 1 Alabama. The performance cemented the redshirt freshman as the Heisman Trophy favorite, an award he ultimately won.
"This was a performance for the ages," Manziel said. "[Pavia] came out and played absolutely fearless. When they needed a play, they went to him and he made some really big time throws, was able to evade some rushers, and really put this Vanderbilt team on his back."
Manziel and BBOC host Collin Wilson broke down arguably the most important play of the game, a 4th-and-1 from the Alabama 36-yard line late in the third quarter in which Pavia did his best Manziel impersonation and hit a critical throw to give the Commodores a two-possession lead.
"I think the thing he does best is after he comes off the play fake, just putting air under the ball so [Vanderbilt wide receiver Junior] Sherrill can run and go grab this ball," Manziel said. "I think it's an unbelievable throw to give him enough air under it to let him go out and run and grab it. And then it was an unbelievable catch, too."
Vanderbilt, which was picked to finish last in the SEC in the preseason poll, is now 3-2 and 1-1 in conference play. After its shocking win, it has to turn around and travel to Lexington, Ky., to play against Kentucky and its stout defense that is allowing just 13.4 points per game.
"I know after we left Tuscaloosa and beat the No. 1 team in the country, you just feel like you can play and you can beat anybody," Manziel said. "Now, is every game going to be different in its own right? Sure. But this game has to give you a lot of confidence in your guys and in your offense. It's not like they went out there and won the game 21-20 or anything. They put up 40 points against a really good Alabama defense. So you have to be able to go through the rest of the season knowing that and having the mindset that you can score on anybody."
Pavia's path to the college football spotlight he found on Saturday was anything but straightforward. He started his career at New Mexico Military Institute before committing to New Mexico State, where he played the last two years. He transferred to Vanderbilt for the start of this season alongside his coach at New Mexico State, Jerry Kill, who joined the Commodores as an offensive advisor.
Manziel was unfamiliar with Pavia's game until Saturday, but has definitely taken notice, and wants to give the Vanderbilt quarterback his props.
"I'm going to reach out to him this week," Manziel said. "I definitely gave him a follow on Twitter and Instagram after I saw the game and saw how much he was paying homage to me and showing me some love."
Johnny Manziel appears weekly on Action Network's BBOC YouTube channel, with Johnny's Intangibles releasing every Monday and Johnny's Scramble Drill releasing every Friday. He also appears on BBOC Live, which airs every Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. ET on the BBOC YouTube channel and the Action App.
