Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia drew a lot of comparisons to Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel after Pavia led the Commodores to a shocking 40-35 upset over the then-No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide.
He caught the attention of Manziel himself.
‘Sitting there watching the whole thing play out… feels like 2012 for me,’ Manziel told Pavia, surprising him during an interview on ESPN.
In 2012, Manziel jumped onto the national scene and won the Heisman trophy after leading the Texas A&M Aggies to a 29–24 victory over the No. 1 Crimson Tide, recording 345 total yards and two touchdowns in the upset. On Saturday, Pavia led Vanderbilt to an upset on their own and completed 16-of-20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to 20 carries for 56 yards. It marked Vanderbilt’s first victory over Alabama since 1984.
Pavia said Manziel is his favorite quarterback, adding that they ‘have a lot of the same play style.’
‘I think we bring the same electric mentality to the football field,’ Pavia said. ‘We both are big believers in ourself and I feel like — I haven’t got the chance to talk to Johnny (Manziel) yet — but we’re wired different. We’ll do anything to win.’
Pavia didn’t have to wait much longer to talk to his idol. Manziel joined the broadcast, prompting Pavia to smile and exclaim, ‘Oh (expletive)!’ Manziel was equally complimentary of Pavia, saying, ‘Man, what an awesome game. So fun to watch. I couldn’t be happier for you… I appreciate you showing me a lot of love and I hope I get the chance to come on here and show the same thing.’
Pavia invited Manziel out to a Vanderbilt game — ‘We’re electric down here’ — and Manziel accepted: ‘I’m going to try to come make it out and see you guys in Nashville. We guys have been on a heck of a run this season.’
Manziel gave some final words of advice ahead of Vanderbilt’s matchup against Kentucky on Saturday: ‘Use that momentum that you guys have this past week and have fun.’
