Vanderbilt Pulls Off Miracle Comeback Against NC State
The Commodores trailed by 17 points but found a wild way to win in the final seconds at home.
The Vanderbilt Commodores scored one of the most surprising wins of the college football season on Saturday. They trailed the North Carolina State Wolfpack by 17 points early in the game. But Vanderbilt never gave up, and in the final seconds, their defense made an incredible play to win 35–31 at FirstBank Stadium.
NC State came out strong and built a big lead in the first quarter. Running back Will Wilson got things started with a 38-yard touchdown run on the very first drive. Quarterback CJ Bailey then threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Jackson. By early in the second quarter, NC State had added a field goal to make the score 17–0.
Vanderbilt slowly started to fight back. Wide receiver Junior Sherrill caught a 12-yard touchdown pass before halftime to give his team some hope. The two teams then traded touchdowns in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. With just over a minute left, NC State still led by three points and looked in control.
Things got even worse for Vanderbilt when NC State intercepted a pass near their own 16-yard line. That seemed to end any chance of a Commodores comeback. With the ball and the lead, NC State just needed to run out the clock to win the game.
But with only six seconds left, something went badly wrong for NC State. Quarterback CJ Bailey was supposed to take the snap and fall down to let time run out. Instead, he got confused and ended up scrambling in his own end zone. The Vanderbilt defense rushed in, knocked the ball loose, and sophomore cornerback Cayden Daniels grabbed the fumble for a touchdown to win the game.
The referees reviewed the play to make sure the call was correct, and the ruling stood. Vanderbilt had won in the most shocking way possible and improved to 3–0 on the season. NC State dropped to 1–2 after blowing a 17-point lead.
Junior wide receiver Sherrill had a huge day for Vanderbilt, finishing with 108 yards and two touchdowns on six catches. Quarterback Jared Curtis threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns, though he also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. NC State's Bailey now faces tough questions heading into next week's home game against Appalachian State.
The defense pounced on him, forced a fumble, and recovered the ball for an epic walk-off win, 35-31.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. What was the score at the end of the game?
2. Who recovered the fumble in the end zone to win the game for Vanderbilt?
3. How many passing yards did Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis finish with?