Fans In Disbelief Over NC State's Last-Second Loss To Vanderbilt

Sports admin September 19, 2026 0 Comments

Fans In Disbelief Over NC State’s Last-Second Loss To Vanderbilt

Western Michigan can keep their heads held high after their last second loss two weeks ago because they got beaten by the referees, not themselves. Ohio State can hold their heads high for losing to Texas since that team is filled to the brim with as much talent as they have. But NC State has no excuse for the boneheaded way they lost today’s game against longtime SEC minnow Vanderbilt.

Leading 31-28 with just 6 seconds left in the game, the Wolfpack had the ball at their own 4-yard line. Rather than punt the ball and risk a block or a return TD, quarterback CJ Bailey ran backwards into the endzone and appeared to try and run out the clock.

But instead of going down properly or running out of the endzone, Bailey got stripped of the ball in the endzone. Commodores defender Cayden Daniels jumped on the ball and recovered it for a Vanderbilt touchdown, winning the game 34-31 as the clock expired.

“The worst losing play ever”

Fans on X wasted no time dubbing it the worst way that they’ve ever seen a team lose a football game:

“Quite possibly the worst play I’ve ever seen,” one user on X remarked.

“I think this is the worst loss you can have for anyone. NC State just had to fall to the ground for the safety and then kickoff. Vandy couldn’t have done anything!” another wrote.

“It might be the worst way a team has ever lost a game. Embarrassing,” wrote a third.

“Might be the worst losing play in history.”

“There’s no way this just happened… I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

“I don’t think there’s possibly a worse way to lose a football game.”

In the annals of boneheaded football losses, that one is up there with the Miracle at the Meadowlands (both of them), the Miami loss to Georgia Tech in 2023 and others. Among boneheaded plays it’s arguably worse than Dan Orlovsky running out of his own endzone or Jim Marshall’s wrong way run.

The only saving grace for this play is that it wasn’t a high stakes game and it’s still early enough in the season for NC State to bounce back from the loss. But CJ Bailey is probably going to be mocked for it for many years to come.

Will this go down as the worst losing play in college football history?

This story was originally published September 19, 2026 at 4:49 PM.