Vanderbilt wins in stunning fashion after NC State QB CJ Bailey fumbles in end zone with 1 second left

When Vanderbilt freshman quarterback Jared Curtis threw a red-zone interception with 64 seconds remaining in Saturday's game against North Carolina State, the narrative seemed to be set.

It appeared as though the tantalizing former five-star prospect simply made too many mistakes in his first career start, with the last of those errors seemingly spoiling the comeback he was orchestrating. After all, at the time of Curtis' ill-advised toss, Vanderbilt was trailing by just three points and could have tied the game with a field goal.

Advertisement

Then, inexplicably, the story changed. Curtis was bailed out by another signal-caller, NC State's CJ Bailey, who also played hot potato with the game's fate in its waning moments.

While aiming to surrender a safety that would kill the clock but not cost the Wolfpack the game, Bailey lost hold of the ball in the end zone. Vanderbilt's Miles Capers jarred the rock loose, and Cayden Daniels recovered it for the game-winning touchdown with one tick left.

FirstBank Stadium was in disbelief; so was everyone else watching across the country. The 35-31 win for Vanderbilt, which somehow covered as a three-point favorite after going down 17 points to NC State (1-2) in both the first and second half, reflected the undying spirit of the Commodores (3-0), according to a relieved Clark Lea.

"We talk about every blade of grass on defense, and, literally, that's every blade of grass," the sixth-year Vanderbilt head coach said in his postgame, on-field SEC Network interview.

"I think you've got to credit North Carolina State. They played the better football today, but we had enough at the end there to get it close and to put pressure on them, and it was going to take every second of the clock.

"So I'm proud of the resilience of my team."

The Wolfpack scored on three of their first four possessions, as Dave Doeren's team staked itself to a 17-0 lead that lasted until the Commodores finally scored with 12 seconds before halftime.

Advertisement

Unfortunately for Bailey, his day will be remembered for his last-second gaffe. That mishap understandably overshadowed an otherwise impressive performance from the junior. The 6-foot-6 dual threat totaled 310 yards of offense, picking up 35 on the ground and 275 in the air. He fired a trio of touchdown passes against one pick. All three of those scores were hauled in by wide receiver Keenan Jackson. He had nine catches and 102 receiving yards.

Whereas Bailey stormed out to a promising start, Curtis was slow out of the blocks, turning heads for opposite reasons.

After splitting time with senior Blaze Berlowitz, who started the first two games of the season, Curtis earned the nod this week. Curtis, the Rivals industry ranking's No. 3 overall prospect in the 2026 class, heaved a first-quarter interception that was essentially an arm punt. On Vanderbilt's next drive, in the second quarter, he coughed up the ball. The one-time Georgia commit faked a sweep handoff and surged forward on a keeper before fumbling.

It wasn't until late in the first half that Curtis started to find his groove. Eventually, the explosives arrived. Curtis finished with 277 yards on 20-of-34 passing, with three touchdowns, two interceptions and 64 rushing yards to his name.

Advertisement

The Commodores enjoyed four runs of 10-plus yards, and Curtis was responsible for two of them. Plus, he completed three passes that went for at least 33 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown strike to wideout Junior Sherrill that made it a 31-28 game with 6:18 to go. Sherrill wound up with two touchdown grabs and 108 receiving yards on six receptions.

Despite its early lead, NC State never really rested on its laurels. The Wolfpack moved the sticks on three fourth downs and attempted five such conversions. Doeren's decision to opt for an intentional safety was somewhat audacious as well.

It backfired, much to the shock and delight of Vanderbilt.

Click here to read article