Vanderbilt spent nearly the entire afternoon chasing NC State. Then, with the Wolfpack trying to escape Nashville with a 31-28 win, the Commodores turned one desperate final snap into the wildest finish of the weekend.
NC State quarterback CJ Bailey was attempting to run out the clock, or take a safety, when Vanderbilt defensive end Miles Capers punched the ball loose. Cornerback Cayden Daniels recovered it in the end zone with one second remaining, giving the Commodores a 35-31 victory Saturday at FirstBank Stadium.
That final swing erased a game that had belonged to the Wolfpack for long stretches. NC State jumped ahead 14-0, carried a 17-7 lead into halftime and pushed the margin back to 24-7 in the third quarter. Vanderbilt answered with three consecutive touchdown drives, including a 43-yard scoring pass that made it a three-point game early in the fourth.
NC State responded with a 75-yard drive, capped by another Bailey-to-Keenan Jackson touchdown, and appeared to have the win secured after Brody Barnhardt intercepted Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis near the goal line with about a minute left. Instead, the Wolfpack could not finish the job. A fourth-down stop gave Vanderbilt one last chance, and the final defensive stand became the winning score.
Vanderbilt moved to 3-0, while NC State fell to 1-2. For the Commodores, it was a comeback. For the Wolfpack, it was 59 minutes and 59 seconds of control erased by one loose ball.