Vanderbilt football had never practiced game-winning play vs NC State – The Tennessean

This story has been updated to add additional information.
Defensive end Miles Capers said Vanderbilt football had never practiced its defensive alignment on the play it forced a fumble for the game-winning touchdown against NC State.
The personnel and alignment the Commodores came out in for the decisive play in the 35-31 win at FirstBank Stadium on Sept. 19 was that of a field goal block, with the rushers intending to get a hand on the ball. But Vanderbilt had never worked on it in that particular situation.
“We didn’t practice it at all,” Capers said Sept. 22. “It was confusion, but we had to do something to get the play . . . The three dudes in front of me were like, what’s going on? And then that just happened.”
During the play, NC State had the ball with six seconds to go, holding a three-point lead. The Wolfpack were intending to kill some time and then take an intentional safety by falling on the ball.
But quarterback CJ Bailey was surrounded by the Commodores’ rushers. He trapped himself on the short side of the field, then Capers knocked the ball out in the end zone, with cornerback Cayden Daniels recovering it for a touchdown.
“I just remember running off the field and they said, field goal block, and Coach (Clark) Lea said, don’t let the quarterback get out,” Capers said. “And they crashed the right, and then I ran across three people and I just saw the ball and just ripped at it, and it came out.”
Vanderbilt (3-0) faces Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC) on Sept. 26 (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network) at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Lea said that the team also considered running a punt block had NC State brought its punter onto the field, or running a zero pressure, but he thought that running a field goal block would get pressure quickly.
“I think this was the first time in the history of college football there’s been a field goal block called on the minus-whatever yard line,” Lea said. “But the purpose was to try to generate as much pressure as we could, specifically off the edges, and so the communication to the field from (defensive coordinator) Steve Gregory on the mic was just for the edge rushers to get as high as they can, as fast as they can, to keep the quarterback from moving the pocket.”
Later, one second was put back on the game clock, necessitating an extra point from Vanderbilt, and NC State attempted one final pass play with multiple laterals that was unsuccessful.
Despite not having practiced the play before, Lea said the team will now add it to its menu of plays it practices for special situations.
“Go make a play,” Capers said on his thoughts at the time. “Do something to win. That’s all we could do.”
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.

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