North Carolina State just handed Vanderbilt one of the most absurd, head-scratching walk-off wins we’ve seen in a long, long time, absolutely botching an intentional safety attempt with literally six seconds left on the clock. You cannot make this stuff up, seriously. It was 31-28, NC State had the lead, and then poof, it was gone in the blink of an eye.
You Have to See This Unbelievable Meltdown
Can you even believe what went down? NC State quarterback CJ Bailey, with his team up 31-28 and just six seconds on the clock, decided to try for an intentional safety. The dude had one job: run out the clock, or at least avoid a catastrophic turnover in his own end zone. Instead, he ran straight into a crowd of defenders, fumbled the ball right there in the end zone! And who scooped it up? Vanderbilt’s own Cayden Daniels, right there for the game-winning touchdown! Just like that, ball game over. Vanderbilt wins. My jaw is still on the floor after seeing that. Social media went absolutely wild, as you’d expect, trying to dig up the last time something this unbelievably ludicrous actually happened. Seriously, how do you even practice for that kind of disaster?
Who’s on the Hook for This Epic Fail?
This wasn’t just a last-second oopsie, though. NC State had a genuinely rough fourth quarter leading up to that final meltdown. Their defense gave up touchdowns on Vanderbilt’s first two possessions in the final period, letting the Commodores hang around way too close. Bailey’s decision-making on that final play was definitely bad, no doubt. But you gotta look at head coach Dave Doeren too. He didn’t exactly set Bailey up for success. There were so many other ways to burn those final six seconds! A quick punt out of bounds, or even throwing a “go ball” out of bounds in a way that there’s a receiver in the area to avoid intentional grounding, could have eaten up the time. But no, they went with the “dance around in your own end zone” option. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea probably just smiled. He preaches “defending every blade of grass,” and boy, did that pay off for Cayden Daniels. And hey, let’s give a shoutout to Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis. His first start was reportedly promising, even if it’s gonna get totally overshadowed by this insane finish.
Vandy’s Steal of the Season
Regardless of the gut-wrenching, bad feeling coming from NC State’s sideline, Vanderbilt gets to feel pretty darn good about this one. They just absolutely stole a win that improves their record to a fantastic 3-0 to start the season. What a way to kick off the year! For NC State, they have to figure out how to rebound from an unbelievably brutal loss. But for Vandy, they’re riding high, looking forward to keeping that perfect record going. Go get ’em, Commodores!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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