'He has some Houdini in him': South Carolina defense prepares for dual-threat tendencies of Diego Pavia

South Carolina’s defense is all too familiar with facing off against dual-threat quarterbacks this season.

Just under one month ago, the Gamecocks traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on Jalen Milroe, a signal caller in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race at the time. South Carolina limited his play-making abilities overall, holding him to 235 yards of offense and forcing two turnovers. He did, however, account for three total touchdowns, two of which came on the ground.

As recent as last week, the Gamecocks came toe-to-toe with Marcel Reed, a freshman quarterback from Texas A&M. Reed finished his road trip to Columbia with similar numbers – 252 yards of offense, one touchdown and one interception.

[GamecockCentral FLASH SALE: $1 for the first week, then half-price for a year]

South Carolina’s recent string of opposing dual-threat quarterbacks will not end this upcoming Saturday, though. When the team heads to Nashville, it will face off against Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, who has become one of the best stories of this college football season. But he’s more than just a fairy tale story – he’s a legitimate threat in the air and on the ground, according to the Gamecocks’ coaches.

“He’s a baller,” offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “You talk about a guy that brings energy to his team. One of the qualities you talk about for a quarterback is, ‘Can he make everyone around him better?’ Obviously, this guy does that at a high level.”

Pavia took a unique path to eventually claiming the starting quarterback job at Vanderbilt. He began his college football career at the New Mexico Military Institute, a school that competes in the NJCAA. Pavia led his team to a NJCAA National Championship in his final year there before transferring to New Mexico State ahead of the 2022 season.

It was there that he continued to pick up accolades. After his first year with the Aggies, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl. Pavia went on to be named Conference USA’s Offensive Player of the Year the following season. He then decided to transfer a second time this past offseason, opting to play SEC football with Vanderbilt.

[See the Gamecock discussion on The Insiders Forum!]

Head coach Shane Beamer said he first became aware of Pavia’s game last year when New Mexico State pulled off an upset victory on the road against Auburn during the second-to-last week of the regular season. Beamer familiarized himself with the Commodores’ offense as a whole this past June, when South Carolina conducted in-depth scouting reports for some teams on its 2024 schedule.

Beamer added that Vanderbilt’s season-opening win over Virginia Tech, a team projected to be in the ACC title race, was a “wake up call.” But Pavia firmly placed himself on Beamer’s radar when the Commodores upset then-No. 1 Alabama 40-35 on Oct. 5.

That night, Pavia completed 16 of his 20 pass attempts for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He added 56 rushing yards on 20 carries.

“I would say everyone, when they beat Alabama, you’re like, ‘Okay, better pay attention to this guy. There’s something to him,'” Beamer said. “You could see that in the post-game interview he did with Alyssa Lang after the game – just his passion and competitive spirit. And it’s very evident when you watch him on tape how they feed off his energy.”

[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Missouri football game]

Clayton White said his strategy for containing Pavia is similar to others implemented for dual-threat quarterbacks South Carolina has faced. The Gamecocks will need to be strong with their tackles and minimize Pavia’s ability to make explosive plays, White said.

“He has some Houdini in him, so we got to do a great job of embracing tackles with him. And make sure we’re smart, and we have other guys through the ball containing and keep him in the pocket,” White said.

White said South Carolina’s defense recognizes the difference-making ability Pavia posses and the potential difficulties that come with it. But he added that the Gamecocks are up for the challenge.

“You have to do a really good job of understanding who’s the main piece of the puzzle and understanding that he’s a playmaker that can beat you with their feet and their arm,” White said. “He’s been leading the way for those guys, and our guys understand the challenges. We got to do a great job on Saturday.”

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!