Sept. 17, 2011
One of the most talked about plays from Vanderbilt’s 30-7 win over Ole Miss was the Commodores’ execution of the Statue of Liberty, which led to the first touchdown of the game.
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by Brandon Barca (Archive) Twitter updates @brandonbarca |
On second-and-14 in the second quarter, quarterback Larry Smith faked a quick pass and then handed the ball off behind his back to tailback Zac Stacy, who raced 26 yards into the Rebels’ red zone. Two plays later, Smith finished the series with a 19-yard scamper to give the Commodores a 7-0 lead.
Stacy told reporters that it was the first time he’s ever run the Statue of Liberty in a game. “We were able to execute it and it was just another big play for us,” Stacy said.
Head Coach James Franklin has repeatedly preached the importance of being aggressive on offense and taking risks. The trick play worked to perfection and provided an early spark in the Commodores’ largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent since 1971.
“We’ve been practicing it in the spring as well as preseason camp and finally got a chance to run it,” Smith added. “The offensive line opened up an excellent hole for Zac and he made a good run.”
Watch the highlight and read Twitter reaction to the play below:
@mattmosley: “Coolest play of the day so far comes from Vandy-Ole Miss. Behind-the-back statue of liberty puts Commodores in great shape.”
@SEC_Chuck: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Statue of Liberty play ran in person before…Vandy just did it to perfection”
@anchorofgold: “Achievement unlocked: Statue of liberty.”
@EricSan: “Vandy just ran the Statue of Liberty play. Cool, and it worked.”
@reid_harris: “WOW. Incredible statue of liberty style draw for a huge Zac Stacy gain. I’ve never seen a handoff quite like that one”
@astratton01: “Nice statue of liberty play I drew that up once in the yard. Touchdown #VU defense looks good.”
@noahbutler1: “Vandy ran the statue of liberty!!!!”
@RoxPond: “Vandy with a statue of liberty? Oh yes. #razzledazzle #whyilovecollegefootball”
@blakemurchison: “Did #Vanderbilt just pull off a statue of liberty play? Yes, they did. Man, that was cool.”
@DuCree25: “That statue of liberty play was supa nasty!”
@cthlhu: “@jamesfranklinvu just pulled a Statue of Liberty play! Go Vandy! I’m loving this…”
@roomerholmes:“RAZZLE DAZZLE VANDY. looked like a statue of liberty. gonna make top plays on Sportscenter FO SHO”
