For a few weeks, Vanderbilt football could legitimately talk about itself as a contender for the SEC title and the College Football Playoff.
While the Commodores aren’t eliminated from SEC title game contention, leaving the playoff still a possibility, Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2 SEC) already has three losses, one of which came to Georgia State, making an at-large bid fairly unlikely.
To most people, even Saturday’s 27-24 loss to No. 6 Texas, would be seen as a success. Not to the Commodores, though.
“I’ve got a disappointed team,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “I think it’s important that … we allow for time for this to hurt, as my team expected to win that game, and to come up short is unfortunate.”
There are no moral victories anymore for the Commodores. Not after already beating Virginia Tech and Alabama. Not after putting themselves in position to clinch bowl eligibility earlier than the program ever has. A program accustomed to viewing 6-6 as a successful season isn’t satisfied with a loss that came down to an unsuccessful onside kick, even to a team like the Longhorns (7-1, 3-1).
There were a few uncharacteristic mistakes in the game. Vanderbilt had three turnovers, more than doubling its total the entire season. That included two Diego Pavia interceptions and a Sedrick Alexander fumble. The defense gave up six passing plays of 20 yards or more.
Pavia is an exceptional competitor, and he showed that when he led Vanderbilt down the field on a touchdown drive with less than two minutes to go down 10. He gave the Commodores a chance to have the game come down to an onside kick.
“It sucks, I hate losing more than I love winning and it’s a bad feeling,” Pavia said. “Everyone’s wanting more in the locker room, that’s a positive thing.”
That mindset, more than anything, is the reason Vanderbilt is a legitimate threat to any team it plays. Although the College Football Playoff is likely out of the picture, the Commodores could still get their first 10-win season by winning out. They will play a blockbuster matchup with Tennessee at the end of the regular season with a chance to spoil their rival’s own playoff hopes.
“Same old Vandy” is a frequent refrain among fans, referring to the team’s historical propensity for shooting itself in the foot. Same old Vandy would celebrate a loss like this to Texas and the fact that it came so close to a second marquee victory. This version of Vanderbilt will not.
“We have a good team that has to play a certain way to win, and we’re interested in winning, so we’re not interested in coming up just short,” Lea said. ” … I got no question about their competitive spirit. I have such affection for this team. … This is a special group of people, and it’s a special group of competitors. And as a coach, you just want to lift them up in these moments, because there’s so many things that we can do to find the margins in that game.”
Had Vanderbilt truly gone from 2-10 to the College Football Playoff in one year, it would have been an unprecedented outcome. To expect that from the Commodores would have been unrealistic, even though they continue to expect it of themselves. But with their new “no moral victories” mentality, those wins should come more often than not.
PAVIA FAMILYDiego Pavia’s family is living QB’s thrill ride of a Vanderbilt football season right along with him
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
