Isaiah Crowell: "We've Had A Lot Of Growth This Season"

NC State safety Isaiah Crowell recently met with the media to discuss his play, the upcoming game against Stanford, and much more.

NOTE: Click on the video above to watch the interview.

Isaiah, what was it like, you know, having your first career start at Cal last week? 
It was a dream come true, man. Just staying, staying, trusting the process, staying ready. My pops always tells me it was a dream come true, but I mean, I couldn't do it without trusting God and my faith. So that was a big part. 

You had a fumble recovery as well. You know, what's going through your mind when you see the ball on the ground? 
Be a football player. I've been doing those things since I was six years old. So, I mean, like, it was kind of natural for me, you know, trust my technique that my coaches gave me. 

Have you ever played with any kind of guardian cap on? 
No, sir.

Do you know, have you ever talked to someone who has one that can explain how it maybe would impact your playing, whether it's the field comfortability or just maybe it feels like extra weight on you? 
No. 

How did you grade out at Cal, and where's the growth potential for you in the next four games? 
I graded out pretty good. I think we've had a lot of growth this season. As you can see, Tamarcus is playing as well, number one. And we're both young guys, so I think we've been presented with a lot of growth opportunities to play, you know, games. And, yeah, I can't wait for what the future has for us. 

How much did you feel like your play at Cal helped you to be, you know, a bigger part of that rotation as well? 
I think it just showed the coaches that I could play the game, you know, with me being thrown into the fire late in the Syracuse game and being started in the first half of the Cal game, it just showed the coaches that I could play.

How much confidence did you get from when Tabark went out, you know, and got to play at the end of that game four? 
It was a huge confidence build, man. Huge confidence build. 

I know you all take it game by game, week by week, but how big was it to get that win at Cal in terms of the momentum it could give you for the rest of the season? 
It was huge, man. It was like a monkey lifting off my back. It was big. 

Why is that? 
Well, just so you know, we're not used to losing like that. So, I mean, just to have that win and just break that losing streak, it was just big. 

You guys came into the year with such high expectations after going into the bye. Has Coach Doeren kind of level set or changed those expectations? How has he sort of modified what you guys are going after at this point? 
He stayed the same throughout the whole time. He stayed even-keeled. He didn't change, you know, because Doeren's been the same no matter what kind of circumstance or adversity he's been hit with. We all stayed the same, stayed true to what our program has and our values we have as a program. So, he's been doing a great job of just keeping us motivated to just grind it and all those things. 

How much different was this year's bye week compared to last year, coming off a win instead of a loss as you've mentioned? 
It's not really that much different at all. We've both been going to work every single year, man. Just going to work. Nothing, no drop-offs. We're not taking any days off or reps off. Just still coming every day to work. 

How have your older brothers and your dad kind of put things in perspective for you and keep you working hard? What role have they played? 
Yeah, they've played a huge role. You know, having a father that played in the league, having two older brothers that played college ball as well. Just, they've given me a different perspective. You know, a lot of times, everything's not going to look good. But, you know, they just gave me perspective and gave me things and nuggets to have as my career goes on. 

What's the biggest thing you've taken from them? 
Just trusting the process. Trusting the process. Staying ready so you're ready to get ready. You never know when your number's going to be called. So, when your number is called, you just gotta stay ready and be ready to attack that too. 

That helped this year? 
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. 

How is Micah doing? 
He's doing good. He's now getting his degree. He's going to seminary school. He wants to go into ministry. So, yeah, he's doing great.

You’ve been working on special teams as well. Just have you prepared for your time on the field. 
Yes, sir. It definitely helped. Just getting used to the game speed. 

What do you see from Stanford as you prepare for them this weekend? 
They're a good team, but we've got to come to play like we always do. I mean, they've got a good season with their team. I think it's going to be a good time for them to get here. But, we're going to keep doing what we're doing, preparing for any performance that we've got. And we're ready to play on Saturday. 

You've got the fact that their quarterback is a true dual threat, and that he'll run the football constantly. How much priority are you guys putting on that this week to make sure that you limit what he's able to do with his legs? 
Just trust our keys, play to our rules, and not be too much. Just trust our players, just trust the guys behind us, and play hard. 

What do you like about playing nickel?
I like the different things we can do. Blitzing, playing in coverage, playing in the zone. Just a lot of things we can do to play to my strengths in my game. 

What's the hardest part about playing inside like that versus on the outside? 
I'd say just taking on the bigger bodies. Me being not the biggest person, just taking on blocks. All those other things. Probably, I say the most challenging thing. But, I mean, I like context. It's not really a huge deal. 

How much do you relish in that challenge as a smaller guy to go up against bigger guys and show what you can do? 
For me, I feel like I'm an animal, too. I don't care how big you are. I'm going to play the same. I'm going to change how I play. It's just not speaking to nothing. 

So, are we going to see you taking down an O-lineman like Amare Campbell did for Carolina last week? 
Yeah. You may. You may. Don't be surprised if you do.