Vanderbilt won a game that was already over — morning edition

Morning edition — reporting checked through 6:05 a.m. ET, September 20, 2026.

Vanderbilt beat NC State 35–31 after NC State tried to take an intentional safety with six seconds left. Quarterback C.J. Bailey was stripped in his own end zone and Cayden Van Daniels recovered for the winning touchdown. Teams leading with possession inside the final ten seconds had gone 1,046–1 over the previous 20 years, according to ESPN’s historical query. AP game report

The mistake was not choosing a safety; it was turning a clock-killing play into an improvisation near defenders. Vanderbilt had trailed 17–0 and is now 3–0, its largest comeback since 2012. NC State has managed to contribute a fresh teaching film to a game situation coaches thought had no remaining branches.