Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason relives LB Zach Cunningham’s field-goal block vs. Auburn
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Auburn only narrowly managed to hold off the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, picking up a 23-16 victory.
Late in the game, LB Zach Cunningham made an outstanding play on an Auburn field-goal attempt, leaping over the long snapper and blocking the Tigers’ kick.
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said during Wednesday’s SEC Media Presser that he was stunned by Cunningham’s athleticism, but wished the Commodores could have tied the game on the play.
“I was excited to see him get over the top, I just wished we could have scooped and scored,” he said. “He’s the best defensive player in the SEC. He’s an All-American — there’s no doubt about that.”
Mason said he’d never seen Cunningham doing anything like that before, but the star linebacker had asked about the rules before the play.
“He hasn’t done it in practice before,” Mason said. “He’s asked about the rules (to make sure it was legal). The opportunity came up and he went with it, you have to trust your players. You scheme as best as you can but sometimes players rise above the X’s and O’s and that’s what happened there.”
Vanderbilt travels to Columbia this weekend to take on the Missouri Tigers. The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Central time and can be seen on the SEC Network.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
