Diego Pavia punks LSU on fourth down, caps drive with walk-in TD
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Diego Pavia is running the LSU defense ragged.
The star Vanderbilt quarterback converted an outrageous fourth down play with less then 4 minutes remaining in the third quarter to keep a drive alive in a 3-point game, then celebrated in the endzone with Vanderbilt Army ROTC members minutes later after walking in for a score.
Pavia’s score put No. 17 Vanderbilt up 31-21 on No. 10 LSU as the clock ticked under 30 seconds to play in the third.
Pavia’s score came on a first-and-10 play from the LSU 21. LSU blitzed a corner off the boundary and Vanderbilt’s left tackle was slow to pick up the free man. But Pavia immediately felt the pressure and climbed up into the pocket before taking off on his own.
LSU had no one home to cut off Pavia’s path to 6.
But the real magic came 4 plays prior.
Facing a fourth-and-1 from its own side of the 50, Vanderbilt opted to roll the dice. It looked like an RPO for Pavia, who pulled the ball and rolled to his right but was immediately corralled by LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn.
Pavia quickly put the brakes on and started to retreat back toward his own 30-yard line. Off-balance, Pavia fired a pass back across the field to a wide-open Makhilyn Young, who picked up 10 yards and moved the chains.
Vanderbilt is looking for its first win over a top-10 opponent since beating Alabama at home last season.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
