4 hours ago
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North Carolina State snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as their football team committed a catastrophic blunder that has led to calls for their head coach to be fired.
The Wolfpack were leading 31-28 in the final seconds of their game against Vanderbilt and were primed to pull off a big upset over the SEC team.
Backed up to their own end zone with six seconds remaining, all that was required of NC State quarterback CJ Bailey was to run time off the clock before taking a knee in his own end zone. While it would have given Vanderbilt two points, the game would have ended 31-30 in NC State's favor with no time left on the clock.
Instead, an utter catastrophe happened. Vanderbilt blitzed Bailey, forcing him to awkwardly run around in the end zone as his offensive line collapsed around him. If Bailey could have taken a knee with one or two seconds remaining, the Wolfpack would have had to punt the ball back to Vanderbilt, but would have given them little time and poor field position to try and win the game.
But Bailey didn't take the knee. Instead, he was strip-sacked and fumbled the ball - which was recovered in the end zone by Vanderbilt, giving the Commodores a walk-off touchdown to win the game 35-31.
Over the past 20 seasons, college football teams who had the lead and the ball in the final ten seconds of a game had gone 1,046-1. Thanks to NC State, that record is now 1,046-2, as they join the 2015 Michigan Wolverines - who lost their rivalry game to Michigan State on a muffed punt that was recovered by the Spartans and got run back for a game-winning touchdown on the final play of the game.
NC State blundered away a certain win after a catastrophic error in the final seconds
NC State QB CJ Bailey only needed to take a safety and kill the clock, but fumbled the ball
Vanderbilt, who never led during the game, fell on the ball for a touchdown and a 35-31 win
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Shocked college football fans couldn't believe their eyes as they took to social media - with many calling for the firing of Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren.
'this is the wildest ending to a game i have ever seen,' said one user on X.
A similar comment called it 'Possibly the CRAZIEST ending to a college football game I have ever seen.'
'ABSOLUTELY INSANE WAY TO LOSE,' wrote one user, who noted that 'Vanderbilt never led all game.'
'This should be the end of the Dave Doeren era at NC State,' college football writer Brad Crawford posted. 'Simply unacceptable after one of the biggest gaffes in CFB history. Wolfpack led throughout. Disastrous.'
The Athletic's Stewart Mandel joked, 'Dave Doeren should have an offset clause in his contract that says if you ask your QB to kill 6 seconds while standing in his own end zone and don't tell him to immediately take a safety, we owe you nothing.'
Vanderbilt is one of only two teams in the last 20 seasons to win a game despite losing and being without the ball with fewer than ten seconds remaining in the contest
Fans have now called for NC State to fire head coach Dave Doeren after the blunder
After the game, Doeren explained what the intention of the play was: 'It's just a play where you roll out and you don't get tackled.
'You try and burn as much time as you can and then fall on the ground and protect the football.
'He got hit and he didn't protect the football. Plan was to take a safety and try and run out the clock if we can, but there was no intent to run the football and get hit on that play.'
The Wolfpack now fall to 1-2 on the season. It remains to be seen if Doeren, who has a reported $10.5 million buyout, will be on the sidelines next weekend when NC State play Appalachian State.
