Diego Pavia had a historic outing against the Kentucky Wildcats. The Vanderbilt quarterback dominated the game in a way that will be remembered for a long time. However, despite doing everything right, he didn’t get all the footage that he deserved.
As Pavia was on a dream run, going 33 of 39 for 484 yards with five touchdowns, ESPN was too concerned with showing his mother, Antoinette Padilla, on screen. After every successful play, the cameras panned to Padilla to show how she was celebrating.
In fairness, Padilla has become a celebrity, especially in the Vanderbilt football circle. She is well known among fans; she provides great support to not just her son but the program every time they take the field. However, some believe that a line needs to be drawn.
On a recent episode of Nonstop, Kirk Herbstreit’s co-host, Joey Galloway, expressed his growing frustration over the trend. Galloway wondered if there were cameras focusing on Pavia’s mother throughout the games.
“Not saying it gets on my nerves just asking a question,” Galloway said. “Is there a cameraman that sits there the entire game?”
Galloway’s frustration is understandable. For football purists, anything that doesn’t focus on the game or players is a distraction and is unnecessary. But Galloway isn’t completely against the cameras focusing on Padilla after every major play, which was evident in the request he made to Herbstreit.
He asked Herbstreit if he could put in a request with the broadcasters regarding the same. When asked if he wanted this to stop, Galloway said:
“Not every play. I love the story, I love the family, it’s great. Not all the time.”
“Not saying it gets on my nerves just asking a question” 🤣 ~ @Joey_Galloway #nonstop pic.twitter.com/k14U5hMC7A
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 24, 2025
There are many who would co-sign this request. While they might not be in the majority, there’s a strong section of football fans who just want to watch the game.
Diego Pavia Broke 44-Year-Old Record
The Commodores won their second consecutive game, ninth overall, and maintained the unbeaten home game streak. On the historic outing, Pavia added 48 additional rushing yards and broke the school’s 44-year-old record.
With his 33 out of 39 pass attempts for 484 yards, Pavia surpassed the single-game passing record, previously held by Whit Taylor in 1981. This performance added a lot of value to his Heisman contention.
As of now, with 2,924 passing yards, 661 rushing yards, 34 total touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, Pavia is fifth in the Heisman race, ranked by NBC Sports’ Vaughn Dalzell. He is behind Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, Aggies’ Marcel Reed, Buckeyes’ Julian Sayin, and Hoosiers’ Fernando Mendoza.
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