Vanderbilt Battles Alabama Until the End, Earning Respect With Diego Pavia

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - There was nothing but respect shown between Vanderbilt and Alabama players following the final play of their battle in Tuscaloosa on Saturday afternoon.

A sign of the times, fans were on the edge of their seats up until the fourth quarter of this battle between Top-25 teams that came down the final few minutes of regulation. You shouldn’t expect anything less from this Vanderbilt squad led by Diego Pavia, who will most assuredly take the blame for what transpired on the field.

Last year, Alabama might have thought a loss to Vandy was a fluke. But tonight, the Tide knew they had just competed in a battle.

"I don't know about a morale victory, I don't even know what it is," Diego Pavia said postgame.

There was a moment in this game where it looked as though the 'Dores were about to take a 14-point lead, which would have left the fans inside Bryant Denny Stadium in utter disbelief.

But thanks to a fumble by its leader, Vanderbilt found itself hanging onto the lead before it finally evaporated.

Though Vandy did prove it belonged in games like these, no matter what fans try to take away from the 30-14 loss to Alabama.

For nearly two hours, fans clad in Crimson were scared that somehow this pesky Vanderbilt squad was going to pull off what would've been the upset win. At the end of the game, there were more sighs of relief coming from the stands, than even pure jubilation.

All week, Vanderbilt players told you they weren’t scared of playing in Tuscaloosa, and even though it was tame compared to other games, there was plenty of juice for Diego Pavia and the Commodores.

Diego Pavia Did Not Run From The Challenge, But Alabama Too Good

There were just too many mistakes for this Vanderbilt team, even though the defense was holding up down the stretch inside the red zone.

But, they stayed within one possession until the very end, which is still not good enough for coach Clark Lea. Why? Because Vanderbilt had a legit shot to win this football game, and for that reason alone, we've seen this squad grow over the past two years.

"We don't like the feeling, but we earned the feeling," Clark Lea said postgame. "The plays were out there to be made. We'll learn from it and move on from it."

Don't lie. There were a lot of you reading this who thought Alabama was going to run right by the Commodores, without looking twice.

"I think we're gonna be fine. The turnovers are what killed our red zone performance. We gotta be smart with the ball," Clark Lead mentioned.

Right now, this is a football team that is still looking for an identity, which is ok, especially coming off a loss on the road to Alabama. There is nothing about this loss that will define the Vanderbilt season.

"I hope he gets an NFL job and takes me with him," Diego Pavia said about Clark Lea postgame.

The 'Dores will continue moving forward, and I can promise you this football team will win a few more games than they aren’t supposed to this season. And, they will do it with Diego Pavia at quarterback, who has been in this spot before.

If anything, he's continuing to earn the respect of opponents. No matter how much he is talking, whether pregame or during the game, he doesn't apologize. He owns up.

"Man, am I glad Diego Pavia is our quarterback," Clark Lea noted postgame.

We are looking at an Alabama football team that has the opportunity to contend for the SEC title, and subsequently, the college football playoff.

But at the same time, this is a Vanderbilt team that is continuing to grow, and that should scare a number of future opponents down the road.

Tonight, the game might have been lost. But, respect was certainly earned.

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