NASHVILLE, Tenn. - NC State had the game in its hands, then watched it slip away in the final seconds.
The Wolfpack led Vanderbilt 31-28 in the closing minute Saturday at FirstBank Stadium after Brody Barnhardt intercepted a pass at NC State’s own 2-yard line. But after the Pack tried to drain the clock, Vanderbilt forced a fumble and recovered it in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown with one second left, sending NC State to a 35-31 loss.
It was a brutal finish to a game NC State controlled early, jumping out to a 17-0 lead before the Commodores began clawing back. The Wolfpack also had a chance to put things away with about two minutes remaining, but a fourth-down try in Vanderbilt territory came up short and opened the door for one last comeback chance.
CJ Bailey turned in a big passing day for NC State, going 25 of 37 for 275 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. His top target was Keenan Jackson, who caught nine passes for 102 yards and three scores, including a 30-yard touchdown. Jackson’s three receiving touchdowns were the most by an NC State receiver in a game since Thayer Tomans did it in 2020.
Will Wilson added 49 rushing yards on eight carries and scored on the ground. He has now found the end zone on the ground in each of the last seven games he has played going back to last season, a stretch that includes 12 rushing touchdowns.
NC State’s defense created three takeaways. Faren Sensabaugh had an interception, Barnhardt added another, and Adrian Farrow recovered a fumble that was forced by Popo Aguirre on a quarterback carry. Aguirre also paced the defense with six tackles, while Bailey Benson finished with five.
The Pack set the tone immediately, marching down the field on the opening possession before Wilson burst through on a third-and-short for a 38-yard touchdown run. Victor Snow then gave NC State a short field with a 32-yard punt return, and Bailey took advantage by hitting Jackson down the sideline on a busted coverage for a 30-yard score.
The defense kept stacking plays, with Sensabaugh picking off Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis on a deep ball over the middle before Aguirre stripped him on a designed run and Farrow came away with the recovery. That turnover helped set up a 24-yard field goal from Kanoah Vinesett.
NC State converted a fourth-and-inches from its own 14-yard line coming out of the two-minute warning, but the Wolfpack eventually punted and Vanderbilt used the remaining time to get on the board with 14 seconds left before halftime. A pass interference call helped push the Commodores into the red zone, and the halftime score stood at 17-7 NC State.
After a Vanderbilt three-and-out, Bailey threw his second interception of the season on a deep ball into Commodore territory. The defense quickly answered by forcing another punt, giving the offense the ball at its own 49. Five plays later, Bailey and Jackson connected again, this time on a six-yard touchdown.
Vanderbilt answered in four plays with a passing touchdown, then forced another punt and struck again through the air to trim the margin to three as the fourth quarter began.
NC State responded with its best drive of the second half, going 75 yards and finishing with Bailey and Jackson hooking up for their third touchdown connection of the day. But Vanderbilt kept swinging, scoring on a 43-yard touchdown pass to pull back within three.
From there, the finish turned chaotic. NC State tried again to run out the clock, but the drive ended on downs deep in Vanderbilt territory. Barnhardt then came up with his interception of Curtis, only for the Pack to lose the ball in its own end zone on the next sequence, handing Vanderbilt a 35-31 win.
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NC State Let A Seemingly Safe Finish Turn Into A Nightmare
It looked for all the world like NC State was about to escape with a narrow road win, the kind of finish coaches spend all week rehearsing and players still find a way to make messy. Instead, the closing sequence turned into a collapse, with Vanderbilt finishing off a 35-31 victory on a last-second fumble recovery touchdown after the Wolfpack had tried to bleed out the final play.
The irony is that the game also featured a breakthrough performance from true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis, who made his first career start and passed for 264 yards and three touchdowns while adding 64 yards on the ground. But Dave Doeren later confirmed NC State had intended to take an intentional safety at the end, and the indecision at quarterback changed everything in a flash, leaving the Wolfpack to absorb a loss that will linger far longer than the final score. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Turned A Routine Finish Into A Brutal Loss
For most of the night, NC State had the game where it wanted it, protecting a slim lead and moving toward what looked like a routine finish. The Wolfpack even had a chance to bleed out the final seconds rather than give Vanderbilt any extra life, a choice that seemed to fit the moment and the scoreboard.
Instead, the ending turned on one chaotic snap near the goal line, when a fumble in the end zone flipped everything in an instant. Vanderbilt pounced on it for a touchdown and walked away with a 35-31 win, a stunning escape that also snapped a long skid in games where the Commodores had trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Stunned NC State With A Finish Nobody Saw Coming
NC State had the game right where it wanted it late, trying to manage the final moments and force Vanderbilt to burn precious time before the end. Instead, the finish turned into one of the most chaotic sequences of the college football weekend, with quarterback C.J. Bailey ending up in an intentional safety attempt that was supposed to help the Wolfpack avoid contact and keep control of the situation.
Dave Doeren said the play was designed for Bailey to roll out and take the safety cleanly, but the ball came loose and Vanderbilt recovered it, flipping the game on its head. The Commodores finished off a comeback from 17 points down and escaped with a 35-31 win, moving to 3-0 while NC State dropped to 1-2. [Read more 🡒]