It’s been a fun couple of college football Saturdays for Vanderbilt football.
Last week, the Commodores beat then-No. 24 Kentucky on the road for their first SEC win since 2019. It was a victory that made head coach Clark Lea emotional.
Saturday, Vanderbilt had a different reason to celebrate. The Commodores took a lead in the second quarter against visiting Florida after their long snapper scored a touchdown.
I can’t believe I just wrote that. But yes, you read that correctly.
One more time: A long snapper scored a touchdown for the Vanderbilt Commodores to give them a lead over the Florida Gators.
WESLEY. SCHELLING. LONG SNAPPER. TOUCHDOWN!#AnchorDown | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/bOxpe0YlMY
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) November 19, 2022
A scoring play that was as wild and chaotic as this one deserves a closer look. We have to commend Wesley Schelling for his incredible effort on this one-of-a-kind play.
this angle tho … 👀🤯#AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/bNcGRs2sC2
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) November 19, 2022
Believe it or not, this is exactly what a lot of special teams coordinators want out of their long snappers in modern college football. For a lot of punt formations, the long snapper often serves as the third gunner. After the ball is snapped, he’s sprinting down the field to not only help in coverage but also to be one of the first responders around the returner.
Georgia special teams quality control coach Kirk Benedict — then the special teams coordinator at Duke – told me in 2019:
“We call our long snapper the third gunner. So, he’s got to be down there making an effect on the return. If he’s not, our goal is to have a guy who can impact their scheme in some way. He’s either drawing an extra defender, or he’s down there in the returner’s face.”
Of course, the long snapper isn’t going to force or recover a fumble on every punt, but it’s ideal that they’re in a position to make a play if needed. Saturday, Schelling was in the right place at the right time, and it paid off in a big way for Vandy.
UPDATE: Vanderbilt is on a two-game win streak after beating Florida, 31-24.
Feature image courtesy of ESPN.
