Vanderbilt didn’t just beat NC State on Saturday. The Commodores stole it in the wildest way possible, turning what looked like a loss into a 35-31 win on a last-second fumble recovery in the end zone.
That finish capped a comeback that had already started to feel unlikely. Vanderbilt trailed 24-7 and had barely found its footing before true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis began dragging the game back into reach in his first career start. Even then, the Commodores still looked cooked when Curtis was intercepted in the red zone with a little more than a minute left.
From there, the clock became NC State’s ally - at least for a moment. Vanderbilt had used its timeouts, the Wolfpack bled the clock down and wound up with the ball at their own 5-yard line, leading 31-30 with six seconds left. On fourth-and-3, the plan appeared to be an intentional safety and a final escape with the lead.
Instead, NC State quarterback CJ Bailey hesitated. He decided at the last second not to go down, apparently noticing there were still a couple of seconds left, and that split-second indecision turned into disaster. Bailey fumbled, Vanderbilt recovered in the end zone, and the Commodores had the go-ahead touchdown.
The sideline emptied onto the field as if the game were over, but officials put one second back on the clock. It didn’t matter. Vanderbilt walked off with the kind of finish that barely seems real, moving to 3-0 on the season.
Curtis was central to the comeback once Vanderbilt settled in. He finished with 264 passing yards and three touchdowns, added 64 rushing yards and twice pulled the Commodores within three in the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt had fallen behind 17-0 and then 24-7 before finally getting on the board with a touchdown in the closing moments of the first half.
The near-miss before the game-winning sequence made the ending even harder to believe. What should have been at least a tying field goal instead became Curtis’ interception, setting up what looked like NC State’s escape.
Afterward, NC State coach Dave Doeren said the sequence was supposed to be "just a play where you roll out and don't get tackled," confirming, "the plan was to take a safety" but also to protect the football.
Doeren is in his 14th season at NC State and has become the third longest-tenured "Power Four" head coach, behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. He is 119-76 since taking over in 2013, with winning records in five of the last six seasons and 10 of the last 12, even though he has never won more than nine games in a season.
But this season has already turned rough. NC State was beaten soundly by Virginia in its Week 0 opener, and this collapse against Vanderbilt only adds to the pressure as the Wolfpack try to steady things after a brutal start.
In Other News...
Jared Curtis Just Raised Vanderbilt's Biggest Quarterback Question
Jared Curtis did more than survive his first start at Vanderbilt. The five-star freshman quarterback helped engineer a 17-point comeback against NC State, earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors in the process and giving the Commodores a glimpse of what their future might look like under center. He finished 20 of 34 for 277 yards with three touchdown passes and two interceptions, a line that reflected both the promise and the occasional rough edges that come with a young quarterback making his first real statement.
Clark Lea said Curtis showed growth throughout the game, and that may be the part Vanderbilt will watch most closely moving forward. The performance gave the staff evidence that Curtis can handle big moments, but it also sharpened the bigger question now hanging over the position: how quickly can Vanderbilt turn one impressive debut into something more stable as the season goes on? [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Gets An Early Reality Check Before SEC Pressure Hits
The Commodores are about to get an early test on the road, with Vanderbilt set to face Miami in a preseason exhibition Friday, Oct. 23, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables. It is the kind of matchup that can tell a team plenty before the games count, especially with both programs coming off strong seasons and carrying spots in ESPNs Way-Too-Early Top 25.
For Vanderbilt, the timing makes the trip even more interesting because the SEC grind is still ahead, and early games like this can help reveal what needs tightening before the pressure ramps up. Miami coach Jai Lucas has already pointed to the value of tough preparation and the need for challenging games before his team opens the season against Florida, which gives this exhibition a little more edge than the usual fall tune-up. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Had Several Performances SEC Teams Should Notice After This Win
Vanderbilts win over NC State offered more than just a good result for the resume, because several players gave SEC opponents something to file away. The defense made one of the biggest early statements when EDGE Miles Capers forced a fumble that cornerback Cayden Daniels recovered, and Capers added three tackles and a tackle for loss to a disruptive outing.
On the other side of the ball, Sherrill kept building his case as a reliable target by leading the Commodores with six catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns, a sign that his timing with quarterback Jared Curtis is starting to look more natural. Freshman Mason Lewis also turned heads in his first start at STAR, tying for the team lead with eight tackles and giving Vanderbilt another young defender worth watching as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]