NC State senior tight end Justin Joly met with the media to discuss Friday night's matchup against Florida State.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
What was it like getting back on the field?
You know, it felt good, you know. Watching from the sideline is always the best. But you try to give your energy where you can give your energy. So, just like cheering myself up. So I wanted to give him energy because, like, I can't be on the field too much as a kid. But it felt amazing to be back on the field.
Speaking of being on the sideline, was there anything that maybe you were able to see from there that maybe you wouldn't have seen in games that you were trying to, like, tell guys, this past week into this, into Miami?
Yeah, it helped me, I would say, with my tight ends, especially being able to watch them and just be, like, not worry about me playing. It's like, here is, like, how would I deal with that certain, like, d-end or corner or safety. Just, like, giving my, like, perspective and just, like, trying to help them, get a better edge, get some defense.
Well, Coach Doeren said yesterday that injuries obviously have been such a huge problem this season. And, he's specifically talking about the shrinking roster size that they're going to go to. From your perspective, how hard is it to kind of see the team have only one or two guys at a certain spot and trying to do what they can?
Honestly, it's just, like, a step-up mentality. Like, next man up, Coach Thunder, he preaches all the time. Stay ready so we have to, get ready so if you're always just ready, when your time comes, it's not hard to step up. Obviously, if we have a senior who's been in there, been able to do it, they can obviously teach a younger guy. And they can just take the torch.
What's the mindset of this team moving on from Miami lost to quick turnaround with Friday night?
We still want to win games. It’s just football. We've been playing this our whole lives. It's, like, nothing's really changed. We love the game. We love the sport. It's, like, we just want to win. Obviously, it was a very disappointing loss and definitely not what we thought it was. But we flushed it. I hope everyone else flushes it. But now we got Florida State.
How reflective were you on the flight home from Miami? What was that like?
It was hard because I hate losing. I'm happy that CJ got a point, even if it was on the board. But it made me feel like, what else could I have done to help? Like, what else? For me, I'm always going to take the blame first. I don't think my teammates can do no wrong in this world, even if they do mess up. But I would say I take the blame for myself. And then I just, like, preach to other people what we've got to be better at. And, I would s
