When Vanderbilt freshman quarterback Jared Curtis threw a red zone interception with 64 seconds left in Saturday’s game against North Carolina State, the narrative seemed to be set. It seemed as if the tantalizing former five-star prospect simply made too many mistakes in his first career start, and the last of those mistakes seemingly spoiled the comeback he was orchestrating. After all, at the time of Curtis’ ill-advised throw, Vanderbilt was trailing by just three points and could have tied the game with a field goal. Then, inexplicably, the story changed. Curtis was rescued by another signal-caller, NC State’s CJ Bailey, who also toyed with the fate of the game in its final moments. While attempting to deliver a safety that would kill the clock but not cost the Wolfpack the game, Bailey lost control of the ball in the end zone. Vanderbilt’s Miles Capers dropped the rock and Cayden Daniels recovered it for the game-winning touchdown with one tick left. FirstBank Stadium was in disbelief; as did everyone else watching across the country. The 35-31 victory for Vanderbilt, which somehow covered itself as a three-point favorite after trailing NC State (1-2) by 17 points in both the first and second half, reflected the undying spirit of the Commodores (3-0), according to a relieved Clark Lea. “I think you have to give credit to North Carolina State. They played better football today, but in the end we had enough to get close and put pressure on them, and that was going to take up every second of the clock. So I’m proud of my team’s resilience.” This story is being updated.
