Vanderbilt redshirt junior linebacker Zach Cunningham leads the Southeastern Conference with 109 tackles, and he also has 16.5 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries.
Cunningham's fourth-and-1 stop of Isaiah McKenzie helped preserve a 17-16 win at Georgia, and he nearly led the Commodores to an upset of Auburn with an acrobatic block of a Daniel Carlson field-goal attempt. With the Commodores set to host Tennessee this weekend, the Butkus Award finalist was a guest Tuesday of "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 FM.
Q: Which play is sticking with you most, the fourth-down stop of McKenzie or the blocked field goal at Auburn?
A: "I would probably say the jump to block the field goal. I hear about that almost every day."
Q: Was last Saturday night's 38-17 win over Ole Miss the most complete game Vanderbilt has played since you've been there?
A: "I would definitely say that's the most complete game we've played. The biggest thing that I saw out there was all the executing we were doing and how we were continuing to fight throughout the whole game. We fought each and every quarter, and we just came out in that second half and continued to execute."
Q: What concerns you most about the Vols right now and the way they're piling up yards and points?
A: "Concerns? I don't have any concerns. I would just say the main thing we're focused on is that they have a quarterback who can do a lot of running. We have to play 11-man football with everybody focused on their job."
Q: How tough was living with last year's 53-28 loss at Tennessee during the offseason?
A: "It definitely stuck with us, and I know it stuck with me. That was one game where we just didn't give our best."
Q: How much improvement have you seen each week in your offense this season?
A: "It's been a growing process for the offense, and being able to see them execute and compete at the level they have been and are capable of definitely gives the defense energy and momentum. It makes us want to fight for them as much as they're fighting for us."
Q: With the way Tennessee has been playing, a lot of people think this will be a shootout. What do you say to that line of thinking?
A: "I'm going to plan on doing something about that. We'll just have to wait until game day to see how it turns out."
Q: You're a Birmingham-area kid. How did you wind up at Vanderbilt and not at Alabama or Auburn?
A: "Alabama wanted me to grayshirt, and when it came down to Auburn and Vanderbilt, I just fell in love with the Vanderbilt environment. Auburn had offered me, but I just fell in love with the environment here on my visit."
Q: You signed with James Franklin, so how has the transition with Derek Mason been?
A: "It's definitely been a growing process, especially from the first two years when Coach Mason was here. We've had to grow and mature as a team, and I think everybody has bought into the process."
Q: You're getting national recognition each week and have an NFL draft decision to make, so how do you stay focused?
A: "For me, it's not really that hard. We try to go 1-0 every week, and we see who's ahead of us this week with this Tennessee team. We're all focused."
Q: You had 19 tackles at Georgia. Can you get 20 this week?
A: "I hope so!"
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.