Who is Matt Clark? That's a question a lot of Auburn fans have been asking lately. Out of nowhere, Clark appeared just before last year's game with Ball State. Special teams coach Eddie Gran calls Clark a "kicking specialist". I'll second that.
If you watched Saturday's game with Washington State you undoubtedly were impressed with the way Clark put the ball in the back of the end zone on kick-offs. In fact, seven of his kicks went for touchbacks. How good is he? Last year he averaged 62.5 yards per kick-off and had 26 touchbacks; that's second best in the SEC. Don't be surprised to see Clark come on the field this season to attempt longer field goals. That's his specialty.
We're all familiar with John Vaughn and Kody Bliss. But what about Clark? His story is something out of the movies. Clark walked on at Auburn twice was cut and finally found his way back again. Where did he come from? The Auburn intramural fields. Give an assist to Tigers Quarterback Brandon Cox for helping Clark find his way back to the football field.
In the link above, Huntsville Times columnist Phillip Marshall writes about the strange journey Clark took in becoming a Tiger.




