He made what could go down as the season's signature play.
The 6-foot-5, 365-pound mammoth defensive tackle pushed aside the Tennessee line with ease, stuck his arm up and batted down Daniel Lincoln's game-winning field goal attempt.
Please, someone reserve the big fella a seat Dec. 12 in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation.
About two-thirds of the way through the season, Alabama's Terrence Cody belongs on the shortlist for the award that goes to the "most outstanding college football player in the United States."
Despite that official definition from the Heisman Web site, everyone knows the criteria for the winner are much more specific.
In Heisman voter language, "most outstanding" can be loosely translated to "best veteran quarterback -- maybe running back -- with preseason name recognition on a double-digit win team that has a storied history and is consistently on national TV."
Or something like that.
In reality, the award goes to the signature player of a given college football season.
I'm fascinated by the Heisman and the voting for the award. I'm not sure why -- maybe I'm just a sucker for the history behind it.
And in a year like this, what I'd love to see happen is an off-the-wall selection.
Unfortunately, most voters don't pay attention enough to be able to select anybody but the quarterback for a top-five team.
Selecting the most visible players -- it's the easy way out.
We entered the 2009 season thinking we'd see one of the greatest Heisman races ever. Last year's finalists Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy were supposed to own the season, battling both for the Heisman and the national title.
Well, Bradford, the defending Heisman winner, injured his shoulder and has been shelved for the rest of the season.
Tebow and McCoy lead undefeated squads, but neither has put up the kind of numbers expected of them.
Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen and Alabama tailback Mark Ingram are both solid candidates as well, but maybe this year should be different.
After 2008's offensive explosion, '09 has been a year for defense.
Maybe it should also be a year for a defender to win arguably the most prestigious individual trophy in American sports.
It doesn't have to be Cody. Nebraska tackle Ndamukong Suh -- who, amazingly, leads the Cornhuskers in tackles with 44 -- is a worthy candidate, as are Tennessee safety Eric Berry and USC safety Taylor Mays.
But, in this year of defense, the Crimson Tide boasts arguably the most dominant unit.
That dominance all starts up front with Cody.
His complete lack of stats -- 17 tackles, five tackles for loss -- don't come close to telling the story.
The 365-pounder clogs the line of scrimmage, takes up multiple blockers and frees up room for fellow stars like Rolando McClain to make plays.
Oh, he also saved a potential national title when he blocked the Volunteers' field goal Saturday -- that was block No. 2 on the day for Cody, by the way.
Sure seems like a signature play by a signature player.
If things keep going like they have the rest of the season, voters should set aside the typical process.
Don't take the easy way out and hand the vote over to Tebow or McCoy unless they absolutely deserve it.
Believe or not, it's entirely possible the "most outstanding" player plays defense.
Matt Brown is a senior majoring in journalism and is the Collegian's football editor. His e-mail address is mdb5082@psu.edu.
