Jordan Matthews let one pass slip through his hands.
Moments later he leaped between two defenders and pulled down a catch that will define his storied college career.
The SEC’s career leader in receptions and receiving yards made a ridiculous 25-yard grab on fourth down with just over one minute remaining. That allowed Carey Spear to drill a 38-yard field goal to give Vanderbilt a 23-21 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.
“Schematically, we probably shouldn’t throw the ball there (to Matthews),” Vanderbilt coach James Franklin said. “It’s cover-two. There’s two guys hanging on him and he comes down with it. That’s just kind of who he is.”
Matthews had 11 catches for 125 yards and blew past former Commodore Keith Edwards (97 catches in 1983) for the SEC record for a season. He now has 107 for a school-record 1,334 yards this season and 257 catches for 3,616 yards in his career.
“Although last year we signed a really good recruiting class, the best recruit we got was keeping Jordan Matthews home,” Franklin said. “Jordan coming back was obviously very good for us, but I’d also make the argument it’s been very, very good for Jordan — and it will be in the long term.”
The Commodores (8-4), who went 9-4 last year, logged their first consecutive eight-win seasons since 1927-28. They will wait to hear where their third consecutive bowl appearance will take place.
A crowd of 33,019 saw Vanderbilt honor its 20 seniors before the game and then finish with a 4-0 record in November, although it was far from perfect while falling behind the Demon Deacons (4-8) in the second half.
But that only set the stage for another comeback on Vanderbilt’s final drive, just as it had done one week earlier at Tennessee.
Vanderbilt trailed 21-20 when it forced Wake Forest’s sixth punt, giving the Commodores possession with 3:31 to play. It looked bleak when Matthews (11 catches, 125 yards) dropped Austyn Carta-Samuels’ third-down pass over the middle that could have gone for a first down, setting up fourth-and-11 at the Wake Forest 48.
“I knew we had one more down, so I wasn’t worried,” Matthews said. “I just really let the play go.”
Carta-Samuels (24-of-33 passing, 231 yards) tossed it up for Matthews along the left sideline — the same play Vanderbilt ran for a 25-yard completion on the winning drive at Tennessee. The 6-foot-3 senior somehow pulled it down between Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson and Anthony Wooding at the 23.
“When he does that and trusts me, I have no choice to but go up there and make a play for him,” Matthews said. “I had a good idea it was going to come to me, so I was going to have to go make a play.”
“I was able to get that one off just high enough so that Jordan could jump up and do what he does,” Carta-Samuels added. “I’ve come to expect that.”
Vanderbilt, which converted all four of its fourth-down attempts, played for the field goal after that.
Wake Forest’s final drive stalled when defensive end Walker May sacked Tanner Price near midfield in the closing seconds. Price completed 16 of 32 passes for 155 yards and rushed for a game-high 47 yards.
Linebacker Justin Jackson returned a Carta-Samuels tipped interception 63 yards to put Wake Forest up 21-17 lead with 6:10 left in the third quarter.
“That was the only way we got on the board in the half,” Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. “I thought it was huge. The problem is you can’t only rely on your defense to get points.”
Vanderbilt could muster only a 25-yard field goal over its next four series.
The Commodores had their opportunities. Linebacker Chase Garnham intercepted Price in Wake Forest territory with six minutes to play. But Vanderbilt, needing only a field goal to take the lead, gave the ball back when running back Wesley Tate fumbled at the Wake Forest 28.
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