Vanderbilt Secures Miraculous Last-Second Win After NC State's Intentional Safety Mishap

Just when you think you've seen it all, college football finds a way to leave you slack-jawed. NC State was one second from picking up a big road win over Vanderbilt when C.J. Bailey fumbled an intentional safety to complete a nuclear meltdown.

After intercepting Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis at their own 2-yard line, all the Wolfpack had to do was run the clock down to seal a 31-28 win. On fourth down, Dave Doeren didn't want to risk any mistakes while punting, so he let Bailey run around in the end zone and kneel the ball for an intentional safety.

As the Commodores closed in on Bailey, he tried to buy more time instead of hitting the turf. That proved to be a disastrous mistake as Vanderbilt EDGE Miles Capers dove in to force a fumble, and cornerback Cayden Daniels jumped on the loose ball in the end zone.

> THIS PLAY ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/WQOzTIBwq9 — Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) September 19, 2026

NC State was left with one second to attempt a miracle of its own, but it was unable to come up with any magic as Vanderbilt held on for a shocking 35-31 victory.

That touchdown gave Vanderbilt its first lead of the day as it trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half. Just when it looked like the Commodores' comeback effort would fall a few points short, they fought for the full 60 minutes and got rewarded for it.

Vanderbilt now improves to 3-0 play with SEC play on deck, and NC State drops to 1-2 after take a gut punch in Nashville.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/watch-vanderbilt-last-second-go-ahead-nc-state-fumble/)._