Diego Pavia reveals trash talk by Alabama before upset: Said they would 'treat us like we are an FCS team'

On Saturday, Vanderbilt defeated No. 1 Alabama 40-35 for the Commodores’ first win over an AP No. 1 opponent in program history. During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia reflected on the jaw-dropping victory.

“At the beginning of the game, I go out there as a captain, go out there to the coin toss,” Pavia recalled. “They were talking crazy. They thought they were gonna come in here and treat us like we are an FCS team, and we’re like, ‘What? You must not know.’ Like, ‘Alright, we’re gonna see.’

“They’re laughing, talking like — I can’t say it on the show because I can’t curse — but yeah, they were talking crazy. So when they said we’re taking the ball, they’re kicking off, we didn’t even shake their hands after. We just took off to the sideline.”

When Pavia came back out on the field, he made Alabama eat its words. In the win, Pavia completed 16-of-his-20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception. Pavia’s arm wasn’t his only threat. The fifth-year QB also recorded 56 rushing yards in the triumph.

Of course, Diego Pavia wasn’t the only one who had a standout showing against the Crimson Tide. Vanderbilt’s defense squeezed two turnovers out of the Crimson Tide, including a pivotal interception from quarterback Jalen Milroe.

While viewers across the nation were left in awe of the final score, Pavia claims the Commodores never doubted they could defeat Alabama.

“We had a feeling from the start,” Pavia said. “We just say it’s any given Saturday. CJ Taylor actually said in his interview a lot of people are going to be surprised at the outcome. I think he said it last Wednesday. And, that’s just the reality of it. It’s any given Saturday. And we just came out and it was, who’s better that Saturday? And, we were.”

Whether Vanderbilt fans had similar faith or not, they celebrated all the same. After the game, the Commodores faithful carried a goalpost out of the stadium and tossed it into the Cumberland River. Then, they marched into downtown Nashville to celebrate.

They weren’t the only ones.

“We were over there,” Pavia said with a smile. “We just hung out. Had a good time. We had a great time with the whole team and I’m just super excited going into this week against Kentucky.”

Vanderbilt will square off against Kentucky at 7:45 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will air live on the SEC Network.