What Auburn football said about Cam Coleman's overtime-forcing sequence against Vanderbilt
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NASHVILLE, TN — When Auburn football needed a game-saving spark, it turned to a freak of nature who made the impossible look commonplace.
If it wasn’t for Cam Coleman, the Tigers wouldn’t have had their overtime chance against No. 16 Vanderbilt on Saturday, Nov. 8. Like it has for much of the season, Auburn eventually lost, 45-38 in the extra period, but it looked doomed for defeat in regulation until Coleman reset the table.
With 5:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, Ashton Daniels did what any quarterback with such a weapon in his arsenal should, floating a pass into the left corner of the end zone. It was far from perfect. Vanderbilt defensive back Martel Height had his back to the play and he, like anyone watching, expressed disbelief afterward when the officials signaled touchdown.
Coleman stuck out his left hand and brought in the ball like he and it were magnetized. Auburn‘s offense stayed on the field for a two-point attempt. It went to the same player, on the same side of the end zone, and he made the same play, albeit with his right hand, over the same defender. Tie ball game.
“Telepathic,” Coleman said of the sequence. “It was just telepathic.”
Despite the result, it was a significant night for Auburn’s offense. It posted a season best in total yards and passing yards. It also had Coleman and fellow receiver Eric Singleton Jr. combining for 245 receiving yards and a touchdown each. That was part of interim head coach DJ Durkin’s game plan, and to Auburn’s largest point total in SEC play.
“I said earlier in the week, it’s not what you do but it’s how you do it and who is doing it,” Durkin said. “We figured we could fix those two things. That was our focus mainly, just how we’re doing things and who is doing it.”
Auburn again turned to Coleman for what would be its final crucial moment. On fourth-and-7 with the result on the line, Daniels had another heave to Coleman. This time, the sophomore was double covered, but according to the quarterback, that didn’t matter.
“He’s one of the freakiest athletes I’ve ever been around in my life,” Daniels said. “He’s a special, special player, and after those two catches, three catches that he had — those crazy, crazy catches — you have to give your best player a chance to go up and get the ball, regardless of who’s around him, who’s covering him.”
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: What Auburn football said about Cam Coleman forcing OT vs. Vanderbilt
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