Bryan Longwell Trolls Auburn with 'Merry Christmas' Text Screenshot After Vandy Win
Nov 2, 2024
NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 26: Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker Bryan Longwell (4) during the game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Texas Longhorns on October 26, 2024 at FirstbBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
After the Vanderbilt Commodores' 17-7 victory over Auburn on Saturday, Vandy linebacker Bryan Longwell reminded the Tigers of what they missed out on.
Longwell shared a text message he received at nearly six in the morning on Christmas Day in 2022, informing the former Lipscomb Academy student that the Tigers would not be signing him.
"Sorry buddy we're not going to sign a HS LB in this class more than likely," the text read. "You're a great player with a bright future! Hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas!"
The 227-pound Nashville native clearly went into Saturday's game with a chip on his shoulder as he recorded four solo tackles against the Tigers.
In his second season with Vanderbilt, Longwell has recorded an impressive 56 total tackles with 1.5 sacks and one interception.
Longwell and the bowl-eligible Commodores will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks next Saturday.
Video: Johnny Manziel Surprises Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia After Upset Win vs. Alabama
Oct 9, 2024
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 5: Diego Pavia #2 of the Vanderbilt Commodores is interviewed by Alyssa Lang after his win against the Alabama Crimson Tide at FirstBank Stadium on October 5, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
Johnny Manziel knows a thing or two about pulling off a prime-time upset against a top-ranked Alabama team, having done so back in 2012 during his time at Texas A&M.
So it was only fitting that Manziel surprised Diego Pavia—who helped orchestrate Vanderbilt's shocking defeat of Alabama this past weekend—during an appearance on ESPN's College Football Live Wednesday:
Diego Pavia's favorite QB, Johnny Manziel, surprised the Vandy QB to congratulate him on the big win over Bama 👏 pic.twitter.com/1oZeuoQtVM
"Man, what an awesome game," Manziel said. "So fun to watch, bro. Couldn't be happier for you. Sitting there watching the whole thing play out, has to feel like maybe 2012 for me. Appreciate you showing me a lot of love. I hope I get the chance to come on here and show you the same thing."
Pavia threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the win, adding 56 rushing yards. Those numbers were eerily similar to Manziel's stat line in his own win against Alabama—253 yards and two touchdowns through the air, 92 yards on the ground.
"I'm gonna try to make it out and come see you guys in Nashville for sure, man," Manziel said when Pavia told him he hoped to see him at a Vandy game this season. "You guys have been on a heck of a run this season. Hopefully you're able to continue that on."
Vanderbilt to Auction Pieces of Goal Post, Pylons, More from Alabama Upset Win
Oct 7, 2024
NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 05: Vanderbilt Commodores fans march the goal posts around the field following a game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide, October 5, 2024 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Vanderbilt is currently auctioning off items from Saturday's shocking 40-35 upset win over the previously top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
Among the items available include 4- and 8-inch pieces of the goalposts (both of which are now sold out) and personalized helmets, game balls and pylons.
The helmet, pylons and footballs on auction are available to be signed by Vandy head coach Clark Lea upon request,
The 4-inch goalposts sold for $1,005, while the 8-inch goalposts sold for $4,035. The current sale price for the helmet is $7,290, the current price for two of the pylons is $1,000, the third pylon is $920 and the fourth is $880. Two of the game balls are currently going for $2,675, while the other two are going for $2750.
SCENES AT VANDY AS NO. 1 GOES DOWN!
VANDERBILT SHOCKS THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WORLD WITH ITS FIRST WIN OVER BAMA IN 40 YEARS! pic.twitter.com/Rzumabs75E
Vanderbilt's upset over Alabama was a legendary win for the program, which before Saturday had never defeated a No. 1 team and was 0-60 in its history against teams ranked in the top five in the Associated Press Poll.
"This is the dream, right here," Lea told reporters after the historic victory. "And for the next 12 hours, I'm going to enjoy the dream. We've got more ahead of us, but this is what Vanderbilt football needs to be about: big wins on big stages. We're going to go get some more."
Usually not a fan of fans storming the field, but go nuts, Vanderbilt ⚓️
Meanwhile, the loss dropped Alabama from first in the nation to No. 7.
"We're going to find out really how much we care about each other and what it looks like moving forward," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters. "We've been tested in different ways, really, a lot of the games here this season, and this is a different type of test now in our response."
Vanderbilt, Arkansas Fined by SEC for Field-Stormings After Alabama, Tennessee Upsets
Oct 6, 2024
NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 05: Vanderbilt Commodores fans storm the field following a game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide, October 5, 2024 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A pair of historic wins led to hefty fines for Vanderbilt and Arkansas.
The Commodores knocked off then-No. 1 Alabama on Saturday while Arkansas took down then-No. 4 Tennessee. Those colossal upsets led to fans storming the field at their respective venues.
Per The Athletic's Seth Emerson, the field-stormings resulted in a $100,000 fine for Vanderbilt and a $250,000 fine for Arkansas. The Commodores were first-time violators while the Razorbacks are second-time offenders—their other offense being a court storming after a win over Duke basketball in 2023.
The fines will be paid to Alabama and Tennessee, respectively.
The SEC adopted new penalties at its spring meetings in 2023, one of which increased the fines for field and court-stormings. In the past, a first violation would result in a $50,000 fine, a second would mean a $100,000 fine and a third offense would incur a $250,000 fine.
The new fines are $100,000, $250,000 and $500,000, respectively, meaning Arkansas will owe half a million dollars if its fans storm the field again.
If there was ever an appropriate time to storm the field for Vanderbilt and Arkansas, it was on Saturday.
The 40-35 win for the Commodores was their first win over an AP top-five team ever, snapping a 60-game losing streak. The Razorbacks' 19-14 win over the Vols marked their first win over an AP top-five team since 2007, when Arkansas knocked off No. 1 LSU. Arkansas had lost 18 straight against top-five opponents before Saturday.
Saturday was also the first time two top-five teams from the same conference lost on the same regular-season weekend since 2012 and the first time since 2004 that two top-five teams lost to unranked opponents on the same day.
With momentum from Saturday's wins, Vanderbilt and Arkansas will look to submit themselves as more than just middle-tier SEC teams. The Commodores will take on Kentucky next week while the Razorbacks will be idle before facing LSU the following week.
Video: Vanderbilt Fans Tear Down Goal Posts, Celebrate After Upset vs. No. 1 Alabama
Oct 6, 2024
NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 05: Vanderbilt Commodores fans carry the goal posts around the field following a game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide, October 5, 2024 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The unranked Vanderbilt Commodores pulled off a stunning upset, defeating the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 40-35 on Saturday.
The Commodores (3-2) handed the Crimson Tide (4-1) its first loss of season at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, and the fans did not disappoint as it celebrated the franchise's first ever victory over a No. 1 ranked team.
In a post-game celebration, Commodores fans and the student section delivered as they tore down a goalpost and paraded it down Broadway Street before throwing it into the Cumberland River, nearly three miles away, according to The Tennessean's Austin Curtright.
Vanderbilt's offense rushed for 166 yards, significantly outpacing Alabama's offense on the ground, which managed only half that amount. The Commodores totaled 418 yards overall.
Commodores starting quarterback Diego Pavia completed 16 of his 20 pass attempts, throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
Next Saturday, Vanderbilt will face the Kentucky Wildcats as they aim to continue their Cinderella story.
Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia on Upset of Alabama: 'Games Like This Change Your Life'
Oct 6, 2024
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 5: Diego Pavia #2 Vanderbilt Commodores runs the ball the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half at FirstBank Stadium on October 5, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia outperformed Heisman hopeful Jalen Milroe on Saturday night in a historic upset of No. 1 Alabama he says could impact his career.
"Games like this change your life, you know what I mean?" Pavia said on the field after the 40-35 win. "It's all about hype nowadays, and I don't like it like that, but it's a reality of NIL and all that stuff.
"But just staying grounded, stay where my feet are and every single day, tomorrow we got to work on Kentucky."
Saturday night victory marked the first time Vanderbilt defeated a team ranked in the top five of the AP poll. Alabama had earned the No. 1 ranking after upsetting Georgia last week.
Vanderbilt had previously gone 0-60 against top-five opponents, according to SportRadar and the Associated Press' Teresa M. Walker. The Commodores also had not defeated Alabama, at any ranking, since 1984.
That all changed in part because of Pavia, who joined Vanderbilt ahead of the 2024 season as a graduate transfer.
After beginning his college career with three JUCO seasons at the New Mexico Military Institute, Pavia spent two years with New Mexico State before arriving in Nashville.
Pavia opened his first SEC season by passing for 721 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions through four games while leading the Commodores to wins over Virginia Tech and Alcorn State.
He was similarly accurate in the biggest win of his career over Alabama, connecting on 16 of 20 pass attempts for 252 yards, two touchdowns and no picks.
Pavia also added 56 yards on 20 carries, including the eight-yard first down run that kept the ball in Vanderbilt's possession with just over a minute left on the clock and allowed the Commodores to seal the upset victory.
This is not the first time Pavia has led his team to an upset. He drew national attention last November when he passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns to lead New Mexico State to its first win over an SEC opponent with a 31-10 upset of Auburn.
Pavia and the Commodores will return to action next Saturday as Vanderbilt hits the road to seek their second SEC victory of the season at Kentucky.
Nick Saban Shades Vanderbilt, Says Program Has Only SEC Stadium 'Not Hard to Play' At
Sep 20, 2024
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 7: former University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban is honored with a ceremony dedicating the field in his name during the halftime break between the Alabama Crimson Tide and South Florida Bulls at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 7, 2024 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)
Nick Saban may be retired, but the former Alabama head coach didn't hesitate to throw some shade at a former conference opponent.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Saban said he felt during his time with the Crimson Tide that Vanderbilt was the easiest environment to play in among SEC teams.
"The only place you're going to play in the SEC that's not hard to play, Vanderbilt. When you play at Vanderbilt, you have more fans there than they have, and that's no disrespect to them, it's the truth," Saban said (h/t Steve Samra of On3.com).
Vanderbilt plays at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. The team announced that it had a sellout for its home opener against Virginia Tech in Week 1 with 28,934 fans in attendance. The Commodores defeated the Hokies 34-27 in overtime and followed that up with a 55-0 win at home against Alcorn State before suffering their first loss last week on the road against Georgia State.
Still, Nashville is a popular tourist destination, and Saban said he felt there were more Alabama supporters than Vanderbilt fans in attendance when the Crimson Tide would visit. He also explained that other SEC schools presented tougher atmospheres.
"We're at LSU and we go right down the field when Tua [Tagovailoa] is playing and we get down on the 20-yard-line, where the student section is, we got four straight false starts," Saban said. "The players are all going, shaking their heads like, 'I can't hear, I can't hear,' so it forces you to go on silent. Huge disadvantage, because the defensive line can watch the ball, the offensive line has to watch the ball, so you have no advantage in cadence, and it's — you're sitting there saying, 'This is tough.' When we played at Tennessee a couple of years ago and got beat up there, that was about as wild as a situation as you're ever going to get in."
Vanderbilt and Alabama will meet on Oct. 5, so perhaps the Commodores will use Saban's jab as motivation to earn their first win against the Crimson Tide since 1984.
Vanderbilt Gets 5 1st-Place Votes in SEC Preseason CFB Poll; Predicted Last Overall
Jul 21, 2023
NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 03: The Vanderbilt Commodores star logo at midfield of Dudley Field prior to a game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and LSU Tigers, October 3, 2020 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Vanderbilt Commodores have never before won 10 games in a season. Some media members are predicting that will change in 2023.
In a preseason poll published Friday by the SEC, eight media members selected Vanderbilt football to win the 2023 SEC Eastern Division, and five voted for the Commodores to finish as SEC champions.
The majority of voters chose Vanderbilt to finish last in the division.
Georgia was the clear favorite, with 265 first-place votes to win the Eastern Division (2,011 total points) and 181 to win the conference. The SEC noted that only nine of the 31 champions predicted by this poll have gone on to win the conference title.
No Commodores made it onto the 2023 Preseason Media Days All-SEC Team.
After suffering the program's first winless season against all-SEC opponents in 2020, Vanderbilt has gone 7-17 (2-10, 5-7) in two campaigns under under coach Clark Lea.
During SEC media days in 2022, Lea told reporters that "in time Vanderbilt football will be the best program in the country."
The Commodores are at least step closer to that bold claim after encouraging 2022 campaigns from Vanderbilt players including quarterback AJ Swann, who finished with 1,274 passing yards; wide receiver Will Sheppard, who ranked fourth in SEC with 5.0 receptions per game; and linebacker CJ Taylor, who recorded 59 tackles, including 7.0 for loss, in 12 games.
Even if Vanderbilt is still widely expected to finish at the bottom of the SEC Eastern Division next season, Swann, Sheppard and Taylor's performances were enough to convince at least a few media members that the 2023 Commodores are on their way to their first SEC title.
Anfernee Orji NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Vanderbilt LB
Mar 28, 2023
NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 18: Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker Anfernee Orji (0) during the game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Vanderbilt Commodores at on September 18, 2021 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 230
HAND: 10¼"
ARM: 32"
WINGSPAN: 78¾"
40-YARD DASH: 4.53
3-CONE: 7.0
SHUTTLE: 4.43
VERTICAL: 38.5"
BROAD: 10'2"
POSITIVES
– Against the run, he can use his quickness to make offensive linemen miss and is good at taking on blocks with a flipper.
– Has good leverage at the point of attack.
– Fast when coming downhill and reads the running back's path well versus zone runs to make plays near the line of scrimmage when the back bounces.
– Impressive eye discipline in zone coverage to locate threats and take them away and/or help teammates in coverage.
– Decent at reading the quarterback's eyes to anticipate throws.
– Can carry tight ends down the field.
– Good acceleration to click and close and can deliver a blow.
NEGATIVES
– When he has to take on blocks one-on-one and with his hands, he lacks the strength to hold up at the point of attack against offensive linemen. Gets stuck and struggles to escape.
– Lacks power when coming downhill as a blitzer to displace offensive linemen and/or get penetration.
– Versus pin-and-pull runs, he has a habit of fitting to the inside of the pin block instead of the outside, and he lacks the strength to fight back against pressure.
– Struggles to tackle in space. He either doesn't know when to break down and ends up running by or lunges and doesn't bring his feet with him.
– Will get boxed out and lose at the catch point against bigger tight ends. Subpar ball skills don't help here either.
– 2022 Honors: Team Captain, Second-Team All-SEC (Phil Steele), led SEC with 9.0 tackles per game, led Vanderbilt in tackles for the third year in a row
– Brother, Alston, played linebacker at Vanderbilt; and brother, Alex, is a quarterback at Michigan
OVERALL
At Vanderbilt, Anfernee Orji played strong safety for the first two years of his career before switching to linebacker. His background as a defensive back shows up via his instincts in coverage, as he's able to find threats and recognize passing concepts. He's also a good athlete for the position who can click and close in a hurry.
Against the run, Orji can be effective when he uses his quickness and a good flipper technique to defeat blocks but struggles when he has to use his hands and hold up at the point of attack. He also misses frequently when trying to tackle in space, which will be an issue against outside runs.
The Commodore is a good Day 3 target for a zone-heavy team looking for an off-ball linebacker who has the potential to grow into a well-rounded player. He's still relatively new to the position, and a lot of his issues can be fixed by spending time in an NFL training program. He also has experience playing special teams, which is a bonus.
GRADE: 5.9 (Backup or Draftable/Rounds 6-7Backup/Draftable — Rounds 6-7)
