NC State QB CJ Bailey met with the media after the win over North Carolina.
C.J., you jumped in there with Will, but what's it like for you on the short yardage situation to see him come in and, be able to do his job at such a high level this year?
I'm already getting ready for the next play when it comes to short yardage because I already know he's going to get the first down. So, my mindset is as soon as he goes in, so don't worry about anything else but the next play because I already know what's going to happen. He might score and Will has been a great asset for us. Our short yardage has been really great. Once we get in that red zone, we've been great too. So, I just applaud the offense, applaud the offensive line. They did their job and I appreciate those guys up front.
And then just to follow up, what's he like, in the quarterback room? Obviously, as a freshman, he's still learning a lot, but what is he just like to be with every day?
Oh, Will?
Yeah.
Yeah, he's great to be around. He brings the energy that I bring and I love it. He's a great guy, level-headed. He does all the right stuff. You should know, you should see his routine. Like, he gets up early before, an hour before, he gets there early, gets all his work in, and they push me to do, try to be as much as, be hard-working as Will. He pushed, like, we got a lot of guys in our room, like, Lex is the same way. Lex Thomas, he's a hard worker. And they push me to be better in my position as well.
As someone who got the start as a freshman, seeing his development this year, does that kind of bring you back to where you were last year? And what kind of pride do you have?
I got a lot of pride. I take a lot of pride in watching guys be great. And Will is one of those guys that's great. I give a lot to Coach Roper for preparing as well. When it's time, when our number gets called, he prepares as well to make the plays that he gives us. I'm happy for Will. He stepped in. He made plays when they needed to be made. And he didn't do too much. He took care of the ball. And that's all we could ask for.
Hey, CJ. Tonight, you moved to 2-0 against UNC, your career at NC State. First, how does that feel? And also, how does it feel to kind of be able to back up the comments that you made about UNC in the offseason regarding Bill Belichick?
It feels good to just get a win, period. And especially with the rivalry game. I was introduced to the rivalry last year. And it was, it was hectic, especially at the end. I just wanted to make a statement, coming into this game. And we did. We put up 42 points as an offense. And that's great. It's good to back up what I was saying. But that's not, it's not really a big factor. As long as we won, that's all I care about.
To piggyback off your answer, sir, you scored touchdowns on the first four drives. How critical was that to set a tone? And was that an emphasis going into the game?
Yeah, we get that coin toss, and, you know, they give us that ball first. It's just like, I feel a sense of confidence. Everybody got confidence in us going out and scoring. So let's make it happen. Every time we get that ball, that's what our thought process was. Try to get in the box. And, that's what our offense did. And it started with those guys up front. I can't keep applying them too much because, like, it's just like, it shows, like, we can move the ball and do whatever, as long as those guys are willing to, allow us to do it.
CJ, in your career so far, you've yet to have a turnover in the red zone, over 30 touchdowns in that time, between rushing and passing. What about, getting down into the 20 just makes you such an efficient quarterback at making decisions with the ball?
Once we get down there, since I got here, Coach Roper put it in our head, just, be needy, not greedy. When you get in that red zone, it's gonna come to you. Just don't try to force anything. Don't try to be extraordinary because we got points. We always got three points in our back pocket? So when I get down there, that's my first thought. Take care of the ball and we're gonna score if it's from running the ball or passing.
