LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players

NC State’s Hollywood Smothers, Davin Vann, and C.J. Bailey met with the media via Zoom following the Wolfpack's 24-23 road win over California Saturday afternoon.

Smothers caught a team-high six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown to go along with seven carries on the ground for 25 yards, leading the Pack’s rushing offense. Vann sacked the Golden Bears twice for two of his three tackles for the game. Bailey completed 25 of his 36 pass attempts with two touchdowns.

NOTE: Click on each player’s respective thumbnail to watch each interview in the player above.

Hollywood Smothers

"Coach [Dave] Doeren really held us to a standard. ‘If you're a playmaker, go out there and make plays.’ That's what we're supposed to do. We're given the opportunity, especially in my situation. We were down. We needed a touchdown right there. Coach Doeren said, ‘You're a playmaker. Go make plays.’ I feel like that's what our playmakers were able to do today."

“We were just keeping each other going, depending on our brothers. The defense kept us in the ball game; they were making stops. We’ve just got to execute every drive in the red zone, scoring points. We just came together and leaned on each other, and we were able to make it happen.”

"C.J. is getting better and better every game. Like I’m saying, everybody believes in C.J. C.J.'s got it. He's got it. It's natural. It comes natural to him. We've got to keep believing in him. He's going to get the job done. CJ's got everything he needs to be great."

"Just sticking by each other. It's a brotherhood here. We've got to lean on each other. We drop blood, sweat and tears into this together. We watch each other go through the ups and downs. Even through adversity, we've just got to stick together. That was shown today."

“Every win for us is vital right now. We’re tired of losing games. We won on the road, and we did what we had to do. We’re going into the bye week, but our plan wasn’t to rush into the bye week. We’re trying to finish the rest of these games out, go 5-0, and get a good bowl game.”

Davin Vann

“That was something Coach Doeren and I have been talking about a lot this season: just having the ability to close out games. Having the opportunity to do that, I’m very proud of that.”

"It was very vital, especially going into the bye week. You never want to go into the bye week with a loss. That was something we've focused on all week: not rushing to the bye week and making sure that we took the necessary steps to beat Cal."

"[Seeing the younger players grow] means a lot. It definitely gives me hope for the Wolfpack for the future. A lot of these guys are young: sophomores, juniors, freshmen. Them having the ability to mature throughout the season and make the plays that are needed to be made, it makes me very happy. I'm very hopeful for the future of this program."

“I’m a little sore, but Coach [Doeren] always says, ‘It hurts a lot less when you win.’ That was the mindset, not wanting to lose. I was going to be hurting regardless, so I wanted to get that W.”

“It says a lot about [Bailey]. He’s young. It’s very hard to keep composure, especially when you’re getting sacked so many times or things just aren’t going your way. His ability to keep composure is just very impressive. He just continues to show me why he has the ability to play at this level, and he’s going to succeed at this level and beyond.”

C.J. Bailey

"My thought process was to get a drive going and get a score. Our first score is going to create many more than the first. ‘Get the first first down because that's going to make the drive go. Keep those guys up, and stay energized because shoot, we've got two more quarters to play. We've still got a chance to win this game.’ We still had a chance to fight. It was a good thing to see those guys battle back."

“It feels really great to know I have great playmakers and great guys around me that are going to help the team. Guys like Hollywood Smothers, Justin Joly, and K.C. Concepcion, I can count on them, and I’m glad to have those guys because they’re big players, and they can change the game.”

"It's really good that we had this bye week because a lot of us need some rest. Our bodies have been beaten up for the past couple of weeks. We need this time off for our mental health and our physical health. For the next couple of weeks, we're going to go win some games and be undefeated for the rest of the season. That's the plan. That's the goal. We're going to do that."

“I got antsy in the pocket. I’ve got to be more poised and be more decisive. I was indecisive on some of the plays, and it led to me taking a sack. I’ve got to trust those guys up front and deliver a great ball. I was just taking sacks that I didn’t have to take, and that was really bad for our offense. Once I learned to get the ball out of my hand quickly, it was better for our offense.”

“I learned that I can take a hit. I can take a lot of hits and get right back up. Like I said, I’m a tough individual.”