Justin Terrell: "They Had A Great Plan For Me"

NC State nose tackle Justin Terrell recently met with the media to discuss his development this season, the upcoming Military Bowl, and much more.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

How's practicing going and preparing for this whole thing? 
It's been work, we've been grinding all week. We started last week, getting ready for ECU, just getting things ready. So it's been good, it's been good practice. 

How have you seen yourself change over the last year? 
I've seen good positive change between myself because we have great coaches who want you to work, want you to play, want you to play early. And they had a great plan for me when I first got here. And I just see from when I came here in the summer to now, it's a big change. 

Have you all started to actually do the game planning portion for the whole game at this point, or is it still focusing on yourself? 
So we already, so last week, they were telling us about the stadium. We were about to film this week, just showing them plays we're gonna run against them and how we're gonna be able to destroy or lock them down and stuff like that. 

And just for your yall's experience, right, getting these whole practices. How much, especially the younger players, actually learn during this stretch of time? How much change have you seen people get during these kinds of practices? 
They get more playing time, coaches will throw you in there, see what you know. We wake up early in the morning, we are in the meeting rooms, they tell us what we're gonna do. And then make sure we know everything by the time we get out there to practice, so we can be able to know it in case we do get thrown into a game. 

What are you seeing this year, what's your thoughts on the Pirates? 
They got a good offensive line, they have a great team. There's a lot of history between them. I know we lost to them a few years ago. I've seen a bunch of clips, but it's a lot different this year. 

Did you feel the sense that it is kind of a rivalry game? And if so, just how do you get back into this contest? 
I don't see it much as a rivalry game. I mean, other players might. I just see it as another game to go work and get stats. 

How different was the vibe when in September and October you're thinking you may not play? November, all of a sudden, like, I might play. How did that kind of change things for you or flip the switch? 
It changed my mentality because when you first come in here, a lot of people will tell you, you might not play. And then I had that mindset, but I just learned to just keep my head up, keep grinding, and now I'm here, I'm working. 

Do you have a welcome to college football moment already? 
Zeke, yeah, Zeke Correll, he is a good offensive lineman. I came off one play, put me down to the ground. It's not my best moment, but I got him back though, so he can't do it to me any more, so I'm excited. 

What do you think you've improved this fall to earn that playing time?
I came here with a bad mentality in the summer, and in the summer it was a little rough, caught a start on a slope. But the more I worked, kept going, I started becoming just myself again. 

How important is it for you guys to win this bowl game? A lot of times bowl games are just kind of fun, but then you get some more experience. How important will it be for you guys to win this game? 
It'll be very important. We'll be able to improve our records at 76. We'll be, well, since Doeren has been here, we'll get him a win, first bowl win for NC State, so that's pretty big for us.

How have you kind of learned from Brandon Cleveland? 
Yes. He's a good dude, he taught me everything I learned, everything I need to know, the ropes, how things go here. He told me when I first committed here how things were gonna be. He told me, kept it honest with me, and just been like a big brother to me. 

You mentioned you had a bad mentality coming in. How would you describe that, and then what ultimately changed it? 
It's like when I first got here, I got here in the summer, so it was a bunch of conditioning. And I think I didn't prepare myself better than when I first got here, I didn't prepare myself. And I just used to listen to all the hate, and the people would be like, you're not gonna make it, this thing, the other thing. But I tuned all that out, and just focused.