NC State just dropped an absolute shocker against Vanderbilt, losing 35-31 in one of the wildest last-second coaching blunders you’ll ever see. This kind of brutal finish is exactly why the September coaching carousel talk is already heating up, especially for long-time coach Dave Doeren. The Wolfpack’s Week 3 loss was so inexplicable, it might just be the moment the Doeren era in Raleigh officially starts counting down the seconds.
Dave Doeren’s Wildest Blunder Yet
NC State had a 31-28 lead and possession with six seconds remaining. You think, “Okay, wrap it up.” But then they took a delay of game on fourth and 3 from the 9-yard line. What happened next is pure chaos. On the subsequent play, quarterback CJ Bailey rolled right. Instead of just taking a knee, Vanderbilt defensive back Mason Lewis jumped on Bailey’s back. Cayden Daniels poked the ball loose, recovered it for a touchdown, and Vanderbilt snatched a 35-31 victory. Doeren himself tried to explain it: “It’s just a play where you roll out , and you don’t get tackled. You try to burn as much time as you can and then fall on the ground and protect the football. He got hit , and he didn’t protect the football, so the plan was to take a safety. We’re trying to run out the clock if we can, but there was no intent to run the football and get hit on that play.”
The thing is, Doeren is still under contract through 2029, with a buyout ranging between $12-$15 million. But after a 1-2 start, which includes a 34-8 blowout loss to Virginia, and the fact he’s never won 10 games in a season since 2013, the pressure is immense. The Wolfpack are 15-14 since the last round of ACC realignment. Losses like this one are just too tough to bounce back from.
FSU’s Collapse and Belichick’s Curious Call
Meanwhile, Mike Norvell at Florida State is feeling some serious heat himself. The Seminoles jumped out to an early 21-13 lead against Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium, even before a weather delay in the second quarter. You loved to see that fight! But after the delay, Alabama went on a rampage, scoring two quick TDs before halftime to take a 26-21 lead. Keelon Russell’s 57-yard TD in the third quarter pushed the Crimson Tide to a 40-28 lead, and they just pulled away from there, outscoring FSU 37-15 after the delay for a 50-36 loss. Giving up 50 points on 569 total yards is brutal. The school already fired Michael Alford on Monday, and former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher’s name is floating around, not just on message boards. The buyout is huge, but FSU might already have their mind made up.
Over in North Carolina, Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels lost 28-20 to Clemson after a prolonged weather delay at Memorial Stadium. While the game itself wasn’t the headline grabber of the NC State debacle, Belichick still made a “curious decision on fourth-and-1 with the game in the balance.”
After Week 3, the heat is absolutely cranked up on these ACC coaches. For Norvell and Doeren, these recent losses might have just expedited the inevitable. What a wild start to the season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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