Vanderbilt beats NC State 35-31 on final-play fumble recovery touchdown

Vanderbilt won one of the day’s wildest college football finishes, recovering an NC State fumble in the end zone on the final play for a 35-31 victory. The Commodores trailed 31-28 with six seconds left, and a play intended to end the game instead produced the winning touchdown.

NC State controlled most of the afternoon and led throughout the late stages. CJ Bailey completed 25 of 37 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns, with Keenan Jackson catching nine passes for 102 yards and three scores. Vanderbilt’s Jared Curtis answered in his first start with 277 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 64 rushing yards.

The game turned after Vanderbilt had appeared to hand it away. Curtis threw an interception near the NC State goal line with 64 seconds remaining, giving the Wolfpack a chance to close out a four-point road win. Instead, NC State faced fourth down at its own end with six seconds left. Miles Capers forced Bailey’s fumble and Cayden Daniels recovered it for the touchdown.

That final snap is the story because it changed both the winner and the shape of the season. Vanderbilt had to recover from the interception and from a three-score deficit earlier in the game, while NC State went from protecting a lead to losing on a play it expected to use for clock management. The SEC’s official recap identifies the fourth-and-five stand and end-zone recovery as the decisive sequence.

Vanderbilt’s offense still mattered before the chaos. Junior Sherrill caught six passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, giving Curtis a downfield answer while the Commodores worked back into the game. NC State’s three touchdown catches from Jackson kept the Wolfpack ahead, but Vanderbilt’s late pressure created the only turnover that mattered in the final minute.

ESPN’s official highlights preserve the finish and the preceding swings. Vanderbilt leaves with a 35-31 result that will be remembered for the final recovery, while NC State must account for a lead lost on the last offensive snap.

The final play was extraordinary, but the comeback had structure. Vanderbilt scored 21 fourth-quarter points, and Sherrill’s two touchdowns kept the Commodores within one possession while Curtis continued to attack after his interception. NC State’s 446 yards and 25 first downs show why the Wolfpack appeared to have the game secured. Vanderbilt simply produced the one late defensive snap that converted pressure into points.

For Curtis, the debut was mixed but consequential: three touchdown passes and 277 yards gave Vanderbilt enough offense to recover from the mistake near the goal line. For NC State, Bailey’s 275-yard, three-touchdown line will be overshadowed by the fumble. The ending changes the season conversation for both teams because Vanderbilt owns a comeback over an ACC opponent and NC State must process a lead lost at the goal line.