Game 12: No. 7/8 Tennessee (9-2, 5-2 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (6-5, 3-4 SEC)
When: Saturday, Nov. 30 • 11 a.m. CT
Where: FirstBank Stadium • Nashville, Tenn.
Watch: ABC (Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor)
Listen: 102.5 The Game (Andrew Allegretta, Norman Jordan and Kevin Ingram)
NEXT UP
• Vanderbilt hosts in-state rival Tennessee on Saturday to close out the regular season. With Tennessee coming in at No. 7 in the AP Top 25, the game will mark Vanderbilt’s eighth this season against a team either ranked or receiving votes in the poll.
• Tennessee will be Vandy’s fourth top-10 opponent. The Dores fell to No. 7 Missouri in overtime, beat top-ranked Alabama and fell to No. 5 Texas by three points.
• The Commodores will be looking for their first win in the series since 2018. Vanderbilt is going to a bowl game for the first time since the 2018 season and is looking for one more victory in its final game to finish above the .500 mark for the first time since 2013.
LAST TIME OUT
• Vanderbilt was defeated 24-17 at LSU on Saturday.
• Diego Pavia hit Quincy Skinner Jr. for a 63-yard touchdown on Vandy’s first offensive play of the game. Vandy had not scored on its first offensive play since Sept. 15, 2012 vs. Presbyterian.
• Randon Fontenette registered 10 total tackles, a career high.
• Jesse Mirco had a punt of 50 yards or more for the fifth consecutive games. Mirco also ran for nine yards to convert a fourth down, his third career rushing attempt and second-longest career run.
• After making a 47-yard field goal, Brock Taylor is 10-for-10 on field goals in the last seven games. His 17 makes this fall is the second most by a Commodore in a season.
• Vandy’s defense has recorded a sack in 10 of 11 games this season. The special teams unit has downed a punt inside the opponent‘s 10-yard line in eight straight games.
DOMINANT DIEGO
• Diego Pavia’s 16 passing touchdowns is seventh in the SEC, top-50 in FBS. The 16 touchdowns are tied for sixth most by a Commodore in a season. On the ground, Pavia has led the team in rushing six times this fall.
• Pavia is responsible for 136 points this fall, sixth-most in the SEC and 42nd in FBS. His 245.5 yards of total offense per game ranks eighth in the SEC.
• Pavia ranks ninth in the SEC with 671 rushing yards, most among quarterbacks.
• He has been named one of 16 semifinalists for the 88th Annual Maxwell Award, as well as one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award.
• His performance in the win over top-ranked Alabama on Oct. 5 landed him SEC Offensive Player of the Week. He was also named the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week and the Maxwell Award Player of the Week.
• Pavia piloted a deadly efficient offense in 2023 while leading New Mexico State to 10 wins. He ranked among the top-35 in FBS in passing touchdowns, points, passing yards per attempt and passing efficiency last season. In addition, Pavia ranked fifth among FBS quarterbacks in Pro Football Focus’ Elusive Rating.
SPECIAL PLAYS, SPECIAL PLAYERS
• Vanderbilt is first in the SEC and seventh in FBS with 16.2 yards per punt return.
• Vanderbilt’s special teams efficiency of 72.8 ranks second among FBS programs according to ESPN’s FPI.
• Jesse Mirco is averaging 47.8 yards per punt on the season, best in the SEC and third in FBS.
• Mirco was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week (Nov. 4) after averaging 52.9 yards on a career-high eight punts at Auburn.
• Brock Taylor drilled a program-record 57-yard field goal at Missouri on Sept. 21. Taylor has five makes of 50 or more yards this season, making him the first player on record to accomplish the feat at Vanderbilt.
• Taylor has been named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season. His 17 field goals are second-most by a Commodore in a season.
• In the win over Alcorn State, Martel Hight became the first Dore with 100-plus punt return yards since Jonathan Krause on Nov. 24, 2012 at Wake Forest (110 yards). Hight’s punt return for a touchdown was the first since Krause’s in that contest.
• Hight is now the first Commodore to have 100-plus punt return yards in a season since the 2019 campaign, reaching the mark in just two games.
BOWL SEASON ON DECK
• Vanderbilt will learn its bowl destination on Sunday, Dec. 8, in conjunction with an announcement from the Southeastern Conference.
• Fans can sign-up today to signify their interest in receiving more information regarding tickets and other events around the Commodores’ bowl destination
