Pavia’s Six Touchdowns Power No. 18 Vanderbilt Past Utah State, 55–35

George Walker IV/AP

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 27, 2025) — Diego Pavia turned in a historic performance Saturday, throwing five touchdown passes and rushing for another as No. 18 Vanderbilt pulled away from Utah State for a 55–35 victory. Pavia completed 26 of 34 passes for 321 yards and added 79 yards on the ground, becoming just the second Commodore quarterback since 1996 to account for six total touchdowns in a game. His five passing scores tied a program single-game record shared by Johnny McCrary (2014), Jay Cutler (2005) and Bill Wade (1950).

“He’s a really good football player and today was his day,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said. “I’m happy for him.” The win pushed Vanderbilt to 5–0 for the first time since 2008, continuing a season-opening surge that has the Commodores writing new pages in the SEC record book.

Sherrill Steps Up

Wide receiver Junior Sherrill had the best game of his young career, catching three of Pavia’s touchdown passes while racking up 91 receiving yards. It marked the first multi-touchdown performance of his career.

“When you’ve got really talented people between the ears, you’re a dangerous team,” Pavia said. “We’ve got to keep building on it.”

Eli Stowers and Richie Hoskins also hauled in touchdowns, while running back Makhilyn Young added a rushing score. Kicker Brock Taylor chipped in with two field goals.

Defense Adjusts

While Utah State (3–2) kept pace early—scoring three first-half touchdowns and holding the lead twice—the Commodores’ defense stiffened after halftime. Vanderbilt sacked Aggies quarterback Bryson Barnes three times, forced seven hurries, and held Utah State to just 15 total yards in the third quarter.

Barnes finished with 161 passing yards and three touchdowns, keeping the Aggies within striking distance until the Commodores pulled away.

“My preparation of our team didn’t allow us to play as consistently and cleanly enough to take it right to the end,” Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Vanderbilt earned the win.”

Penalties Still a Concern

Despite the offensive fireworks, Vanderbilt struggled with discipline. The Commodores committed 91 yards in penalties, including 55 in the first half.

“We’ll address the ones that we need to play better through,” Lea said. “Obviously, today it didn’t hurt us, but it will moving forward. We need to clean our game up a little bit.”

Historic Start

Vanderbilt has now scored 30 or more points in each of its first five games for the first time since 1915. The Commodores’ 245 points through five weeks are the most in school history during the SEC era, ranking ninth all-time for points scored in a five-game stretch by any SEC program.

Up Next

• Utah State: Visits Hawaii on Oct. 11.

• Vanderbilt: Travels to No. 17 Alabama on Saturday in a key SEC showdown.