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ACC Squad Finds Historic Way to Lose

NC State made the wrong kind of history against Vanderbilt
Joe Cox|
NC State found a shocking and historic way to lose at Vanderbilt (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)
NC State found a shocking and historic way to lose at Vanderbilt (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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North Carolina State WolfpackVanderbilt Commodores

1,046-1. It's a number that suggests a certain amount of security. In the last 20 years (before mid-Saturday afternoon), a college football team had the ball and the lead with 10 seconds or less to play about 1,047 times. They had won 1,046. But the NC State Wolfpack made some unfortunate history-- they made that 1,046-1 record now 1,046-2.

State's Shocking Defeat

NC State led 31-28 with six seconds left inside their own 10 yard line. QB CJ Bailey dropped into his own endzone and attempted to run off the final six seconds. Of course, Bailey could have run through the back of the end zone or thrown the ball away. He might have left a second or two on the clock, but State would still have been up 31-30.

Instead, he held the ball, was hit and lost the ball in the end zone, where Vanderbilt Miles Capers recovered the fumble as the Wolfpack turned basically certain victory into shocking defeat. Again, the recent history on the situation would have given Vanderbilt less than a 0.1% chance at the upset.

Michigan's Equally Infamous Loss

The only company the Wolfpack have in the fellowship of misery in the last two decades is the Michigan Wolverines. Leading Michigan State 23-21 back in 2015, the Wolverines basically needed to snap the ball to punter Blake O'Neill and have almost anything happen. Anything except what did happen.

Not only did O'Neill mishandle the snap, but as he tried to right himself he ended up lofting the ball into the hands of Michigan State safety Jalen Watts-Jackson. Watts-Jackson took the ball into the end zone and the only other instance in the last two decades of a team turning an unwinnable situation into a shocking victory.

NC State already had an ugly conference loss in Week 1 and so fell to 1-2 with the upset loss to Vanderbilt. The Commodores added a third game to their trio of ugly early wins, albeit in even uglier means than before.

Michigan State took advantage of its unlikely win back in 2015 to springboard to a 12-2 season including a Big Ten championship. The Spartans tied for their division lead and by virtue of holding the head-to-head win over Ohio State, played for and won the Big Ten Title before losing to Alabama in the CFP semifinal.

Michigan went on to a 10-3 season despite the loss and would have been tied with Ohio State for the division had they held on against Michigan State. That said, the Wolverines lost their head-to-head game with Ohio State, so Ohio State would have been able to play for the Big Ten title and perhaps claim the CFP spot had O'Neill not stumbled into college football history.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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