AUBURN | Derick Hall seemed to be everywhere on Saturday against Missouri. The Auburn EDGE rusher had a big game against the Tigers, recording six tackles, three tackles for a loss, two sacks and an interception, earning him the honor of being named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
For Hall, though, this isn't an individual achievement.
"That's a unit award. Honestly. Because it's not only about me, it's about this team," he said Monday.
The interception in the first quarter was Auburn's first turnover of the 2022 season after three games in which the Tigers finished -8 in turnover margin. Grabbing a tipped ball from the hands of teammate Nehemiah Pritchett, Hall showed some moves and returned the ball 19 yards to the Missouri 24-yard line. Five plays later, Auburn had a 14-0 lead after a Tank Bigsby rushing touchdown.
Staying humble, Hall said it was the play of his teammates that helped him create so much chaos on Saturday.
"The defense, going back and watching the film, they put me in a great position to be able to make the plays and routine plays that I did," he said.
After showing his versatility after the pick, one would wonder if Hall would call for more carries to show off even more, even if he is a defensive stalwart for the team. However, that's definitely not in the plans.
"Honestly, it was great to be able to have that, but you know, my job is to be able to defend and keep teams from scoring," Hall said. "So that's what I'm worried about. I mean, if I'm blessed enough to get another one, hopefully, I could take that one to the house, but it was a great opportunity."
But Hall is staying team-centric, knowing that it takes all 11 players to work in unison to make this defense as good as possible.
"I've done a few interviews today, and a lot of people ask about me, but it's not so much about me," he said. "It's all the guys on the defensive side of the ball that put me in position to be successful by doing their job as well ... So I would just like to give a shout-out to my whole entire defense."
