There’s a strong chance that the Vanderbilt Commodores and NC State Wolfpack own the game of the 2026 college football season.
NC State – coming off of a humbling loss to Virginia in week one of the season – went into Saturday seeking to take advantage of a major “get right” opportunity.
Vanderbilt – on the other hand – is moving into a new era with freshman QB Jared Curtis in tow.
The ending of this Saturday afternoon battle is shocking by any account, read more about the finish below.
Vanderbilt Caps Off Historic Comeback With Wild Finish
The result of this game was never in much doubt. NC State led by as much as 17 at various points of the game behind superman efforts from QB CJ Bailey. While Vanderbilt brought the deficit down to three on numerous occasions, the Wolfpack had an answer at most turns.
Then, absolute pandemonium went down. Vanderbilt forced NC State into a turnover on downs with 2:04 left, setting the stage for Curtis to lead a game tying/winning drive.
The freshman quarterback led the team down the field, but the 53 yard drive ended with an interception at the two-yard line.
A bizarre NC State drive ensued. Vanderbilt was constrained to only two timeouts with just 59 seconds remaining, bringing the game within the line of victory.
Then, the final two plays came to fruition. Bailey took a delay of game with six seconds remaining. Then one of the strangest plays in recent college football history went down.
Bailey took a fourth-down snap out of shotgun – seemingly attempting to run the clock out while taking a safety. The Vanderbilt all-out blitz threw the play out of rhythm, with Bailey fumbling the ball in the end zone.
Vanderbilt recovered the ball for a touchdown with one second remaining, capping off an incredibly 35-31 win.
Win Changes 2026 Trajectory for Commodores
Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea spent the entire offseason facing questions as to how the program would respond to a 10-win 2025 campaign.
Heisman Trophy finalist Diego Pavia exhausted eligibility. A roster with less experience same into fold.
Now, the Commodores are 3-0 in the post-Pavia era, with real hope that the program will be able to reach bowl eligibility, or even exceed that mark.
Vanderbilt does face four top-25 teams, including Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Tennessee. However, the program seemingly has a program-changing QB talent in Curtis, and also have several winnable games on the schedule.
This is setting up to be another fruitful season for a program that is still on the rise.
As for NC State, this is about as rough of a start as possible. The 1-2 Wolfpack don’t face an excruciating schedule, but aren’t quite in the position where they should be favorites in many future games.
There have to be real questions about NC State head coach Dave Doeren’s job security at this time, while Lea is on the exact opposite side of the spectrum. This contest essentially draws an accurate picture of where both programs are at in 2026.
Vanderbilt Stuns NC State With Dramatic Comeback and Rare Last-Second TD