NC State led 31–28 with the ball, less than half a minute left, and a +3.5 ticket already reaching for its coat. Run out the clock. Take the safety. Launch the free kick into the parking lot. There were several ways to finish this without trauma. Instead, the quarterback tried to kill every last second, lost the football in his own end zone, and Vanderbilt recovered for the touchdown. Final: 35–31. The cover died by half a point on a play designed to make the cover immortal. NC State turned victory formation into a financial crime scene.