NC State vs. Vanderbilt: An absurd comeback loss

What an absolutely brutal way to lose a football game. NC State looked like it had control after jumping out to a 17-0 lead and still held a 31-21 advantage with under 10 minutes remaining. But Vanderbilt refused to go away, and freshman quarterback Jared Curtis sparked the comeback with 277 passing yards and three touchdowns, including a huge 43-yard strike to Junior Sherrill that brought the Commodores within three. Then came the chaos. With just six seconds left, Vanderbilt’s Miles Capers forced a fumble from CJ Bailey near the NC State goal line, and C.J. Daniels recovered it in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, completing a stunning 35-31 comeback. NC State actually finished with more total yards, 433 to Vanderbilt’s 409, while Bailey threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns, all to Keenan Jackson. Somehow, none of it mattered in the final seconds. A 17-point lead, a 10-point fourth-quarter advantage, and the game still slipped away. What a collapse.