Football: Three key takeaways from Vanderbilt’s win over NC State – vanderbilthustler.com

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In true Commodore fashion, Vanderbilt Football (3-0) bested NC State (1-2), 35-31, at FirstBank Stadium Saturday, Sept. 19. Coming off two hard-fought wins over Austin Peay and Delaware, Vanderbilt entered its third game of the season, knowing it would not be an easy win.  
Despite trailing the Wolfpack for almost the entire game, the Commodores pulled through with a mere second left on the clock. Miles Capers forced a fumble from NC State’s quarterback CJ Bailey, allowing Cayden Daniels to recover the ball and win it for the ’Dores.  
Here’s a look at three key takeaways from Vanderbilt’s last-second clutch win against NC State. 
On Tuesday, head coach Clark Lea announced that true freshman Jared Curtis would start against NC State, and all eyes were on Curtis to prove himself. In his first collegiate start, Curtis showed everyone he had every bit of talent and skill to lead Vanderbilt’s offense with his 277 passing yards, 64 rushing yards and 3 touchdown passes. 
Curtis’ ability to deliver was further showcased through his flawless touchdown pass to wide receiver Junior Sherrill, which put the Commodores on the scoreboard with 12 seconds left in the second quarter, as well as his 38-yard ball to Sherrill at the start of the fourth quarter. Curtis and Sherrill proved they could perform under pressure when needed after Curtis delivered a 43-yard touchdown pass to Sherrill, shrinking NC State’s lead to a mere three points. 
However, the 19-year-old freshman is not perfect, as seen in his two fumbles and interception. Nonetheless, Curtis has proven he has what it takes to be Vanderbilt’s leading quarterback.  
Vanderbilt’s win was anything but perfect. Repeated offensive penalties prevented Vanderbilt from sustaining offensive drives. With a total of 13 penalties for 116 yards, the Commodores were stuck in an unfavorable down-and-down situation that prevented them from creating any momentum. 
In the first quarter, a holding call on Cade McConnell set the Commodores back 10 yards, and despite a clean 9-yard pass from Curtis to Tristen Brown, the ’Dores were forced to punt. With 54 seconds left in the first half, Curtis had a 20-yard scramble. However, the play was quickly erased by Vanderbilt’s seventh penalty of the game. These moments showed how Vanderbilt’s progress was being stifled by its excessive penalties.   
Until the final moments of the game, Vanderbilt was trailing NC State, in part due to struggles in the secondary. Throughout the game, NC State was able to make big plays as Vanderbilt’s cornerbacks repeatedly lost one-on-one matchups, allowing Bailey to take advantage of blown coverages and find open receivers down the field.  
Still, the defense was not a total disaster; linebacker Nick Rinaldi had a key sack against Bailey, putting an effective end to the first quarter after creating a 4th-and-14. Key moments, such as Bryce Cowan’s interception in the third and Ricardo Jones’ block of Bailey’s pass with two minutes left in the fourth, highlighted that Vanderbilt does have the talent upon which to build a strong defense.  
If the Commodores want to remain undefeated in future SEC games and find the success that has been seen in the past, they need to tighten their defense and limit avoidable penalty calls. 
Next up, the Commodores will travel to Auburn for their first SEC matchup of the season Sept. 26 at 3:15 p.m. CDT. 
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