Pavia passes, runs for TDs, No. 12 Vanderbilt beats rival No. 18 Tennessee for 1st 10-win season

By Canadian Press on November 29, 2025.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Diego Pavia threw for 268 yards and a touchdown and ran for 165 yards and another score to lead No. 12 Vanderbilt to a 45-24 win over No. 18 Tennessee on Saturday.

Vanderbilt secured its first 10-win season with its highest-scoring game against Tennessee since 1923.

“This is one for the record books,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said. “First 10-win team in program history.”

Sedrick Alexander rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns and Vanderbilt (10-2, 6-2 SEC, No. 14 CFP) generated 582 yards of total offense against its in-state rival while keeping its hopes for a berth in the College Football Playoff alive.

“It’s a great story in college football,” Lea said of his team’s bid for the playoff berth. “To do anything other than allow these guys to compete for it all would be an injustice to the work they’ve done.”

“Well, a lot of people thought I was a fool (being confident in his team against the Vols),” said Pavia. “But, all it takes is faith, and I feel He gave me a vision. He gave me a platform. It felt good to come in and back it up.”

Joey Aguilar threw for 299 yards and a TD for the Volunteers (8-4, 4-4, No. 19 CFP). DeSean Bishop had 97 rushing yards and two scores.

“An extremely disappointing second half led to an extremely disappointing ultimate result,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “The (defensive) performance here tonight was not anywhere near the standard for Tennessee football.”

The game was tied at 21 at halftime before Alexander scored from 5 yards out midway through the third quarter. The Commodores held the ball for the first 6 minutes, 35 seconds of the third quarter. After a three-and-out by the Vandy defense, Pavia broke free for a 24-yard TD run that gave the Commodores a comfortable lead.

“We went out there a little slow (in the third quarter),” Aguilar said. “You only have so many opportunities. You’ve gotta take advantage of them.”

The takeaway

Vanderbilt: The win over Tennessee will put some pressure on the CFP committee. Most of the projections have had Vandy missing out when it comes to one of the coveted spots. But a win over the No. 18 team in the country should grab some attention. Vandy has a great story and a star in Diego Pavia — all the elements for a step up to the next level.

Tennessee: Ending the regular season with a loss to Vanderbilt is never a good thing for the Vols. They no longer have an opportunity to have another 10-win season. Losing at home against an in-state rival carries a deflating tone into the offseason.

Facts and figures

Earlier this week, when word got out about Florida’s interest in Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea as its next head coach, the Commodores responded by signing him to a six-year extension. … Aguilar threw for over 200 yards in his 12th straight game. He has over 3,300 passing yards this season, moving past Peyton Manning for No. 4 on Tennessee’s all-time single-season list.

Up next

Vanderbilt and Tennessee will play their next games in the postseason.

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Al Lesar, The Associated Press