Sports

North Carolina State Lost To Vanderbilt On Crazy Fumble Because CJ Bailey Refused To Take An Intentional Safety

by Last Updated
Vanderbilt North Carolina State NC State Fumble CJ Bailey Safety Touchdown
ESPN

North Carolina State led for 59 minutes and 59 seconds of the college football game against Vanderbilt on Saturday. Quarterback CJ Bailey cost his team the win with a fumble in the end zone on the third-to-last play of the fourth quarter.

All he had to do was take a knee!

Instead, the veteran college football quarterback tried to be the hero. It completely backfired.

North Carolina State blew a lead to Vanderbilt.

North Carolina State could not be stopped during the first half. The Wolfpack scored a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter and added a field goal in the second to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room at halftime. The third quarter got off to an equally hot start. Vanderbilt trailed 24-7 with approximately nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.

And then the pendulum swung in the other direction.

Five-star freshman Jared Curtis found Junior Sherrill for their second touchdown of the game with six minutes and 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. An extra point cut the score to three, 31-28.

Vanderbilt forced a punt on NC State’s next offensive possession. However, Curtis threw an awful interception in the red zone to all-but end the game.

The Wolfpack were going to win. They just needed the clock to hit zero.

CJ Bailey fumbled in the end zone because he refused to take a safety.

North Carolina State had a 99.99% chance of winning the college football game with six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. It decided to leave the offense on the field on 4th-and-7 from the six-yard-line.

Quarterback CJ Bailey took the snap from the goal line and rolled to his right in an effort to kill the clock. The Commodores swarmed him in the end zone. Because the score was 31-28, he could’ve taken a knee or run out of the back of the end zone once the defense got too close. An intentional safety was actually the smart play in this situation.

Bailey refused to go down. He wanted to run out the clock and make sure the game was over… but he fumbled! Vanderbilt scooped it right back up for the touchdown. The home team celebrated as if it had won the game.

However, officials determined that there was still one second on the clock. The Commodores had to kick back off to the Wolfpack. North Carolina State could not complete the pitchy pitchy woo woo. Vanderbilt won 35-31.