Vanderbilt quarterback after huge Alabama upset: 'We want a chance at the national championship'

Vanderbilt pulled disconnected the improbable upset of top-ranked Alabama connected Saturday nighttime and 1 Commodores subordinate already has his sights acceptable connected bigger goals.

Diego Pavia had 252 passing yards and 2 touchdown passes, including 1 to Kamrean Johnson with 5:07 near successful the team’s 40-35 win.

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Vanderbilt backmost Diego Pavia celebrates a touchdown with violative lineman Gunnar Hansen during the Alabama game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, successful Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Pavia said aft the triumph that helium wants a accidental astatine a nationalist championship.

"I emotion Vandy," helium said aft the postgame property conference. "This is what I came present for. Came present to triumph large shot games. Our eventual extremity is to spell to the College Football Playoff, and truthful we privation a accidental astatine the nationalist championship. Just however everyone other does. 

"This is conscionable a measurement successful the way, and we conscionable got to support getting better. There's inactive small mistakes retired determination that we got to cleanable up. But you know, immoderate fixed Saturday, anything's possible."

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Vanderbilt backmost Diego Pavia dives for other yards past Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, successful Nashville. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vanderbilt ne'er relinquished the pb the full game. The Commodores started 13-0 aft Randon Fontenette returned a Jalen Milroe interception 29 yards for a touchdown. The squad was past up 23-7 with 4:10 near successful the archetypal fractional pursuing a Sedrick Alexander rushing touchdown and a Brock Taylor tract goal.

The closest Alabama got to taking the pb came successful the 3rd 4th aft a Milroe rushing touchdown. It was 23-21 astatine that point. But Vanderbilt hung on.

Immediately aft the win, Pavia was emotional.

"Games similar this alteration your life, you cognize what I mean?" helium said. "It's each astir hype nowadays, and I don't similar it similar that, but it's a world of NIL and each that stuff.

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Vanderbilt backmost Diego Pavia, center, celebrates the team's 40-35 triumph implicit No. 1 Alabama connected Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, successful Nashville. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

"But conscionable staying grounded, enactment wherever my feet are and each azygous day, time we got to enactment connected Kentucky."

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