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The Auburn Tigers host the Vanderbilt Commodores in SEC football action this Saturday. It will represent the ‘Dores first trip to The Plains since 2016.
That being said, starting signal caller Diego Pavia is quite familiar with Jordan-Hare Stadium. He bested the Tigers on their home field just last season as a member of a different team!
Before arriving to Vanderbilt, Pavia suited up for New Mexico State. He led the Group of Five program to a 10-win season in 2023, with one of those victories coming against his upcoming opponent.
The Aggies embarrassed Auburn 31-10 last November to snap a three-game Tiger winning streak. Pavia threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Auburn hasn’t forgotten!
They’re out for revenge with Diego Pavia returning as a Commodore.
@nextroundlive Auburn had a heartbreaking loss to New Mexico State in their first year with Hugh Freeze at the helm and they’ll face the guy who ran that offense this upcoming weekend. Diego Pavia and Jerry Kill made the move to Vanderbilt this offseason and pulled off a historic upset vs Alabama and only last to Texas by 3 this past weekend. Pavia and Kill will be in Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday as Auburn returns home after their first SEC win of the season. Here’s what Eugene Asante and Keldric Faulk had to say about the rematch… #auburnfootball #vanderbiltfootball #diegopavia #collegefootball #cfb #auburn #vanderbilt ♬ original sound – The Next Round
“I know he’s not with the same team,” said Auburn defender Eugene Asante. “But he was at the helm… You don’t forget anything that transpired… I don’t forget and I’m gonna make sure this team doesn’t forget.”
Keldric Faulk echoed those sentiments, saying that he’s glad he gets the opportunity to face Pavia again.
“We did not play our best ball against him last year,” Faulk noted. “He’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
Hugh Freeze is tired of playing Diego Pavia!
While Auburn players expressed excitement, their head coach voiced frustration with seeing Pavia on his schedule for a third time. Freeze previously fell to New Mexico State while coaching Liberty before losing last year with the Tigers.
“I’m sick of seeing that QB.”
-Hugh Freeze
He’ll look to avoid going 0-3 against Pavia all-time, though the task may be even more difficult this time around.
The Vanderbilt roster should represent a considerable upgrade in talent to what Pavia had to work with at New Mexico State, even if Hugh Freeze doesn’t think so.
This is a Commodores squad that’s already beaten Alabama and hung tough with Texas last week.
Diego Pavia’s been a major reason for Vanderbilt’s success in 2024. He’ll hope to stay undefeated against Hugh Freeze and Auburn when he takes the field on Saturday.