Vanderbilt LB hurdles Auburn line to block field goal

Vanderbilt couldn't pull off the upset over No. 9 Auburn in a 23-16 loss Saturday afternoon, but the play of the day went to the Commodores.

With 1:45 left in regulation and the Tigers leading by a touchdown, the field goal unit was on the field for a 35-attempt to give Auburn a two-possession lead. Sensing the urgency in needing to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard, Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham perfectly timed the snap, leaped high over the middle of Auburn's line and got both hands on the kick for an emphatic block.

That's a whole lot of athleticism bottled up in the 6-4, 230-pound Bednarik Award candidate. The play gave the Commodores offense one more chance at tying the game in the two-minute offense, but the drive ended abruptly with an interception.