The name Diego Pavia has been talked about ad nauseam in Auburn, Ala., and for good reason.

Pavia, alongside Jerry Kill and Eli Stowers, led New Mexico State to a 21 point win over Auburn just under a year ago.

With the way that game unfolded, the Tigers are anxious to get another crack at the now-Vanderbilt quarterback.

“I’m happy we get to play him again,” said defensive end Keldric Faulk. “We did not play our best ball against him last year. He’s a great player. He is the face of that offense, face of that team. He’s what makes their offense do what it does. He’s going to be a great challenge for us this week, especially up front.”

So what is it that makes Pavia such a massive threat? It's his dual-threat ability.

On the season, Pavia has rushed for 537 yards, which ranks top-10 among all quarterbacks in the country.

“He's a threat,” said Keyron Crawford. “Like, he's different, but he's also a threat. He can run. He can pass. He's very accurate, but I know he likes to scramble down the middle. We're scheming him up pretty well.”

Earlier in the season, the Tigers had issues with mobile quarterbacks, specifically Devon Dampier and Taylen Green in back-to-back weeks against New Mexico and Arkansas.

The following week, the Tigers faced another mobile quarterback in Michael Hawkins, and after a long touchdown run on the opening drive, he was mostly kept in check on the ground.

The reason for that? The insertion of Demarcus Riddick who played as a quarterback spy.

It’s a role the freshman embraces and will likely play against the Commodores and Pavia.

“I always joke with him that he’s the perfect QB spy,” said linebacker Eugene Asante about Riddick. “He’s the best QB spy in the country. He’s doing a great job in that role and embraces that role. He says ‘Gene, I’m excited to go out there and spy the quarterback. Nobody is outrunning me.’ I said ‘just continue to go out there and prove yourself and try to make plays.’”

It’ll be easier said than done, but the Tigers know what they need to do to attempt to shut down Pavia and Vanderbilt’s run-heavy offense.

“We've got to contain him and keep him in the pocket,’ said Isaiah Raikes. “We can't let him extend plays with his legs. The longer the play goes, the better it gets for him, because it gives chances for his receivers to get open. We've gotta keep him in the pocket. We want him to throw it inside the pocket.”