Two years ago, Auburn was coming off an impressive 48-10 victory at Arkansas that clinched the Tigers a bowl bid, and things were looking up for Hugh Freeze and the program after three straight wins.
Little-known New Mexico State was coming to the Plains the following Saturday for what was assumed to be a blowout victory for Auburn against the Aggies.
Diego Pavia had other plans, and New Mexico State celebrated a 31-10 victory in Jordan-Hare Stadium in front of a stunned Auburn crowd. He's been a thorn in the Tigers' side ever since, and he will try to make life miserable for Auburn's defense on Saturday as No. 16 Vanderbilt hosts the Tigers.
“We have faced some really talented quarterbacks this year, for sure, and Diego (Pavia) will be another one of those," Auburn interim head coach DJ Durkin said. "I think he is unique in what he does and what his skill set is. I don’t think you can really mimic and say he reminds you of another guy. We’ll obviously take bits and pieces from game plans and things that have worked, but there’s also some things we have to do differently and do in a better way, in a different way in order to try to contain him and slow them down.”
In that game in 2023, Pavia threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns, keeping plays alive by scrambling and having his way with the Tigers. Last year in the same setting, and now with the Commodores, Pavia wasn't as good, but still didn't make any mistakes, completing 9-of-22 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
It was the third straight year in which Pavia had led his team to a victory over a Hugh Freeze-coached team. He won't get the chance for a fourth as Freeze was fired following last week's loss to Kentucky, but those, like Keldric Faulk, knows what makes Pavia so difficult to defend.
“The biggest challenge is that when he gets out of the pocket, he’s still looking downfield for another throw,” Faulk said. “It’s really just going to try to maintain and contain that quarterback. We want to try to keep him inside the pocket and put pressure on as much as we can.”
If the Tigers need a blueprint on how to slow Pavia down, they can take it from Vanderbilt's loss to Texas last Saturday. The Longhorns kept the Vanderbilt quarterback in check for three quarters before the Commodores made a fourth-quarter comeback. Despite their effort, Texas still allowed Pavia to throw for 365 yards and three touchdowns.
Keyron Crawford has higher goals for Auburn's defense.
“Shut him down. It’s as simple as that,” Crawford said. “We plan on stopping the run, affecting the quarterback, getting after him. Hits definitely will add up. So we just plan on taking a win.”