NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Diego Pavia threw for 160 yards and a score and ran for 86 yards and two more touchdowns as No. 17 Vanderbilt beat 10th-ranked LSU 31-24 on Saturday to improve to 6-1 for the first time in 75 years.
Pavia, who entered the game with odds of 150-1 to win the Heisman Trophy at ESPN BET, capped his 21-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter by striking a Heisman pose in the end zone.
Vanderbilt, which matched its best start since opening 6-1 in 1950, beat LSU for the first time since 1990. This was only the fourth meeting since 1947 with both schools ranked in the AP poll. The Commodores, who became bowl eligible with the win, also snapped a 10-game skid to LSU.
"Ultimately we have a lot of season left, and we're going to celebrate this win," Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. "I think we've earned the right to celebrate it. But this game won't define our season. And there's a lot more for this team to accomplish."
Pavia has had a passing or rushing touchdown in 25 straight games -- the second-longest active streak in FBS behind FSU's Tommy Castellanos (27). He now has 13 wins as the Vanderbilt starting quarterback. Before Pavia's arrival, the Commodores had 12 wins total from 2019 to 2023.
"You can't watch him play and not realize what a game changer he is," Lea said. "There are a lot of good players. There's only a handful to me that can take a game over, and he's one of those."
The Commodores earned their second win against a top-15 ranked opponent this season -- a first in program history. The 31 points was the third most in program history against a top-10 opponent.
The Tigers (5-2, 2-2) had some big plays, with Garrett Nussmeier throwing for 225 yards and two TDs, including a 62-yarder to Zavion Thomas. Caden Durham also had a 51-yard run down to the Vandy 2 before the Commodores forced LSU to settle for one of four field goal attempts.
"We had opportunities, we didn't cash in on them," LSU coach Brian Kelly said.
It wasn't enough against a Vanderbilt offense that came in seventh in the nation averaging 43.2 points. The Commodores scored the most points LSU has given up this season with its defense ranked fifth in the country and allowing just 11.8 points a game.
Vanderbilt punted only twice, both times in the fourth quarter.
LSU's best chance came after the first Vandy punt when it was trailing 31-24 with 8:55 left. Zaylin Wood sacked Nussmeier on the first play. LSU had to punt the ball back three plays later and never threatened after that.
The Tigers struggled to run against a Commodores defense that came in ranked 16th nationally. LSU settled for too many field goals by Damian Ramos, who made kicks of 48, 42 and 23 yards. He missed a 52-yarder.
After the final second ticked off, Vanderbilt started the celebration by playing "Callin' Baton Rouge" on the stadium speakers while safely protecting both goalposts. The Commodores host No. 16 Missouri next week, while LSU visits No. 4 Texas A&M.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.