Eli Drinkwitz on facing Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia: ‘He’s a magician back there’
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Eli Drinkwitz always says exactly what’s on his mind, whether it’s about his own team or sometimes the team he’s going to be facing on that particular Saturday.
In Tuesday’s case, during his session with reporters, the Mizzou head coach had a specific take on Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who his defense will be trying like crazy to chase down when the 15th-ranked Tigers and 10th-ranked Commodores clash at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. It’ll be a matchup in Nashville of SEC teams in the midst of breakout seasons, and it’ll be a challenge for Drinkwitz’s defense to corral the quarterback who’s in the midst of his own breakout.
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Sure, Pavia was good last season in his first year at Vandy, throwing for 2,293 yards with 20 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. But he’s taken it to another level in 2025, raising his completion percentage from 59.4 to 70.5. Pavia has already thrown for 1,569 yards and 15 TDs, and he continues to be a menace to defenses with his legs. Pavia has run for 438 yards this fall after rushing for 800 yards even in 2024, and Drinkwitz knows that dual-threat ability will make containing him that much more difficult on Saturday afternoon.
Mizzou has already faced a few mobile quarterbacks this season, but Drinkwitz put Pavia on another level.
“I don’t know that any of them are as good at the improvisation as Diego,” Eli Drinkwitz told reporters on Tuesday. “That stuff is hard to replicate, and I think he’s the best that I’ve seen doing that. He’s a magician back there.”
On Saturday, Drinkwitz and his defense will try to at least put that magic act on hold a little while trying to get a huge road victory in the SEC.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
