Caden Fordham: "It's Our Responsibility to Keep This Going"
No. 24 NC State linebacker Caden Fordham met with the media ahead of the Wolfpack's upcoming matchup in the Duke's Mayo Classic versus No. 14 Tennessee.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Fordham’s interview.
On the season opener versus Western Carolina…
(Laughs) I'm sure all y'all know. I was just trying to play ball, play fast. I know I was a little anxious out there since it was the beginning of the game. Obviously, you would like to make that first interception so, hopefully, [the disqualification] might not happen. I've just been telling myself, "God does everything for a reason. Who knows what could’ve happened later in that game to me?" That's just the way I was trying to think of it. I was prepared and ready to play. It sucks anytime you’re taken away from your teammates. It hurts, but I was just on the next week. Now, we're focused on Tennessee and ready to go.
On learning from the ejection the same way Payton Wilson had to in his time at NC State…
You always try to learn from these mistakes. It definitely is a learning lesson, trying to stay up. It's a big game play. I've got to be better on that, trying to stay up, knowing the situation and knowing he's going to slide. I’ll definitely learn from that and learn from my mistake.
On Tony Gibson’s faith in him…
It's always great to have someone like Coach Gibby behind you. I love that man. Just knowing that he trusts me and has faith in me, it's a big deal for me.
On Jayland Parker relieving him in the game…
It was huge. Any time he's called into the game, I have faith in him, knowing he'll be able to play and make plays. He's a dog. He’s an athlete. He’s been in this defense just as long as me now, so he definitely knows the game plan and knows what to do. There were no worries there.
On what stands out about the Volunteers…
They spread out a lot. They like to run that spread offense, and they’ve got some speed on the field. Just being disciplined with our eyes and communication are big things for us this week with that tempo offense. Communicating will be big for us.
On the challenges that spread offenses present for linebackers…
Anytime they spread it out, it’s just more playing in space, trying to take DBs out of the box, and trying to run it downhill on you. It’s just being disciplined in our fits, not buzzing out too wide too quickly so the quarterback can run as well, so just being disciplined and having good eyes.
On the in-helmet communication…
It's great having that extra knowledge from Coach Gibson right before the play. Getting a couple ideas of what he thinks might be coming is huge. It's helpful for me just being able to get those extra cues right before the ball snaps and being able to read the play.
On showcasing the team’s potential on a bigger stage…
Every week, we have the same mentality. Yeah, Payton was a great player here, and it's definitely nice having him on the field anytime you can, but he's gone now, and it's our responsibility to keep this going. We have a standard here at NC State of what this defense is supposed to be like, and we're not going to let that fail now. It’s our job to pick it up and keep it going.
On facing a Top 25 opponent on national TV…
It's huge. It's a big-time game, prime time. Everyone's going to be watching. It's big for us to go out there and set the tone for further than this year, just playing our style of defense and going out there playing high-nosed football.
On playing against a no-huddle offense without feeling overly rushed…
Like I was saying earlier, it's just communication. That's the biggest thing. We're going to have to get lined up and communicate all throughout the back end and through the linebackers, and having that earpiece will help us out some to be able to get the calls in and not have to look to the sideline every single play.