The Aporia · Vanderbilt ‘cheated the football gods’ in all-time bad beat for NC State bettors

Vanderbilt ‘cheated the football gods’ in all-time bad beat for NC State bettors

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APA MLA Chicago

Smith, M. (2026, September 20). Vanderbilt ‘cheated the football gods’ in all-time bad beat for NC State bettors. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/20/betting/vanderbilt-cheated-the-football-gods-in-all-time-bad-beat-for-nc-state-bettors/

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Quick Summary

In a shocking upset, Vanderbilt defeated NC State 34-31 in college football, despite NC State having a 28-24 lead with six seconds left and needing just to run out the clock to secure a cover against their 3.5-point spread. A fumble led by Miles Capers allowed Cayden Daniels to recover it for a touchdown and then an extra point was scored after officials added another second, sealing NC State’s loss and disappointing bettors who had heavily favored them. Coach Clark Lea humorously acknowledged the improbability of their comeback, saying they “cheated the football gods.”

Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 7, Vanderbilt staged an improbable comeback against N.C. State in Nashville, winning 35-31 after a critical fumble at the end of the game. N.C. State had led by as many as 17 points early and controlled much of the contest, including having the ball with six seconds left and a three-point lead. Instead of taking a knee or intentionally grounding the ball to take a safety, quarterback CJ Bailey attempted to run out the clock but fumbled, with Vanderbilt’s Cayden Daniels recovering for a touchdown. This occurred despite Vanderbilt being down 17-0 early in the game and 24-7 in the third quarter. The loss marks one of the most stunning collapses in recent college football history, as teams were statistically expected to win nearly all such situations over the last two decades.

Written for “Vanderbilt Ncs Victory Fumble” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.

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sentences that state something as happening or true

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19%

3 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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takes no side on a contested political question

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New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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Who wrote this

Malik Smith

85 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 85 articles by Malik Smith →

Claims (16 extracted, 3 hedged)

NC State vs. Vanderbilt will either go down as the worst bad beat or the greatest sweat of the college football season, depending on which side you were betting on. asserted

you → go → side

NC State entered the game as a 3.5-point underdog, had a 24-7 lead in the third quarter, and seemed to survive a late rally from Vandy in the fourth. asserted

State → enter → fourth

The Wolfpack held a 31-28 lead and had the ball on their own 5-yard line with six seconds left in the game and a 94.4 percent chance to cover the spread, according to ESPN Analytics. uncertain

Wolfpack → hold → Analytics

All they needed to do was run out the clock on fourth down to end the game and, if necessary, NC State quarterback CJ Bailey could have even run out of the end zone for a safety and still have won the game. uncertain

Bailey → need → game

Yet somehow the worst possible scenario occurred when Vanderbilt defensive lineman Miles Capers forced a fumble and defensive back Cayden Daniels recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to give Vandy a 34-31 lead. asserted

Daniels → occur → lead

If the game ended there, as it appeared it did on the broadcast, NC State bettors would still have won their bets by the hook, but the worst part was yet to come. After an official review of the play, referees confirmed the touchdown and determined that they needed to add one more second on the clock. asserted

they → end → clock

That meant Vanderbilt could go for the extra point, thus pushing the lead to four points and giving anyone who bet on the Commodores -3.5 a chance to cover in a stunning turn of events. uncertain

who → mean → events

Vandy scored the extra point to send NC State bettors into a spiral while leaving them with a tiny glimmer of hope with one second left on the game clock. asserted

Vandy → score → clock

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, NC State attempted a series of laterals on its final play but fumbled the ball to end the game. asserted

State → ensue → game

Over the past 20 seasons, teams with the ball and a lead in the final 10 seconds of a college football game were 1,046-1, as Michigan’s 2015 loss to Michigan State stood alone before NC State’s end-of-game blunder, per ESPN’s research. asserted

loss → stand → research

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea hit the nail on the head describing the comeback win and finish. asserted

Lea → hit → win

“The reality is that we didn’t play well enough,” coach Lea said. asserted

Lea → play → ?

“I guess in that way, we cheated the football gods a little bit today and we got away with it.” asserted

we → guess → it

Why Trust New York Post Betting Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. asserted

Smith → trust → 2017

He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. asserted

He → ’ → NBA

He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props. asserted

He → spend → props

Vanderbilt ‘cheated the football gods’ in all-time bad beat for NC State bettors

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Claims (16 extracted, 3 hedged)