‘Fire everyone’: How NC State lost to Vanderbilt on disastrous game-ending fumble

Even in a sport like college football, where the unexpected regularly becomes the ordinary, North Carolina State came up with an inventive way to lose a heartbreaker.

Nursing a three-point lead in their Week 3 game at Vanderbilt and facing a fourth-and-7 from their own 4-yard line with six seconds remaining, the Wolfpack opted to run an offensive play rather than punt it away.

The reasoning behind it was sound enough — waste enough time and have quarterback CJ Bailey go down in the end zone for an intentional safety with no time remaining on the clock to earn a one-point victory.

Things didn't quite go according to plan, though.

Bailey took a shotgun snap, dropped back into the end zone, shuffled around a collapsing pocket and was brought down. Before he went to the turf, though, the ball was ripped from his grasp by Vanderbilt's Miles Capers and was recovered by Commodores defensive back Cayden Daniels for a touchdown with one second left.

After the ensuing extra point, Vanderbilt earned an improbable 35-31 win.

Before those stunning final seconds in Nashville, teams leading with the ball in the final 10 seconds were 1,046-1 over the past 20 seasons. The…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/