Vanderbilt’s 35-31 victory over NC State may have been the wildest finish of the SEC weekend.
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Predicted Score: Vanderbilt 31, NC State 27
Actual Score: Vanderbilt 35, NC State 31
The prediction had the Commodores winning by four points, 31-27. They actually won by exactly four — but reached the margin in a way nobody could reasonably have predicted.
NC State controlled the first half and led Vanderbilt 17-7 at halftime. The Wolfpack eventually held a 24-7 advantage, forcing the Commodores to spend much of the afternoon playing from behind. Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis stayed aggressive, finishing with 277 passing yards and three touchdowns. Junior Sherrill became his biggest weapon, catching six passes for 108 yards and two scores.
The Commodores rallied steadily and pulled within 31-28 with 6:18 remaining. NC State appeared positioned to escape Nashville when it had the football in the final seconds.
Then came the game’s astonishing finish.
On fourth-and-five with six seconds remaining, Vanderbilt’s defense forced quarterback CJ Bailey to fumble. C.J. Daniels recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown, turning what appeared to be an NC State victory into a 35-31 Vanderbilt win on the final meaningful play.
NC State actually outgained Vanderbilt 446-409 and held the ball for nearly 36 minutes. Both teams committed three turnovers, while Vanderbilt hurt itself with 13 penalties for 116 yards.
Yet the Commodores found a way to survive. At 3-0, Vanderbilt has shown resilience along with offensive firepower. The final score also produced one of our closest predictions of the season: Vanderbilt was projected to win by four and actually won by four, with each team scoring four more points than projected.
