NC State quarterback CJ Bailey met with the media to discuss the loss at Vanderbilt, how he'll move on, and much more!
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the full press conference!
What's it been like for you once you've processed it and moved forward?
The last several days have been good. A lot of guys have got my back. Coach Doeren, everybody in the facility, they've been leaning on me. I've been showing up.
I've been waking up on the right side of the bed every morning, feeling good.
What were those moments like after the game, in the locker room, and as you moved forward from that?
It's always tough to lose a game, especially like that.
We take it the same way as we take any loss. We try to move forward. Those were the words I said in the locker room: "Pick up our stuff, get ready to go on the grass tomorrow."
I just got up and got in the locker room. There were a lot of emotions, but we moved forward. We moved on to the next day, coming in with a better mindset.
Anyone unexpected who reached out to you to give you a pep talk?
Not really unexpected, but a lot of guys — NFL pros and college — reached out to me. It meant a lot.
Can you take us through the play and your thought process that afternoon?
At the end of the game, I was trying to get all the clock out. That was my thought.
The biggest thing was to hold the ball. That was the biggest thing. I was trying to run around and make a play.
Being competitive, that's who I am. I'm a competitive guy. I was competing until the final second.
It happens. I hold the ball. I'm going to pick my stuff up and keep going.
What did the coaches tell you to do before the play?
There was a lot of communication with the coaches. They told me a lot.
As Coach Doeren said, we worked the play a couple of times, but never in that situation. That was my first time ever in that situation. It didn't go the way I wanted it to.
I hold the ball. It is what it is.
After rewatching the film from the whole game, not just that play, you still had a relatively solid game before that. What positive takeaway can you continue to build on?
I made a lot of plays in that game. A lot of third downs, getting the guys on the same page. The biggest thing was we switched from being a tempo team to a huddle team.
We called a lot of plays from the huddle. We called every play from the huddle, which was the biggest thing for me. Pronouncing those words, getting it out.
We moved forward. That was my biggest thing. That's the biggest takeaway I take from that game.
Making sure everybody was on the same page pre-snap, not hurting ourselves before the play started. On those third downs, I made a lot of plays.
Those guys made a lot of plays. The defense made many plays. They showed up.
Who helped you move on?
My parents, of course. They're my backbone. My mom is at my house right now.
She's cooking meals for me and doing everything for me. That's my family. They'll be there for me through thick and thin.
Did she come up here after that happened?
Yeah. She came here.
They normally do that. That's a normal thing. They're always there for me.
Is there a silver lining in situations like this, getting to see who has your back in the darkest hour?
Yeah, of course. This year has been tough. I learned a lot this year about who my friends are, how big my circle is, and how much has changed for me.
It's a learning lesson for me. It's a part of growing up. I had to grow up young.
I stepped in as a freshman, came to play as a freshman, and I had to grow up since then. It's just been getting better. I've been learning every day since I set foot on this planet, period.
It's just a blessing that all this happened. You've got to look at the good in everything. I looked at the good in that situation.
Now I'm understanding how things work.
Have you addressed the team at this point, and what did that look like?
Of course.
We had a team meeting. I said a couple of words to my guys, said a couple of words to the room, and just said, "We've got a long season. We've got so many more games and so many more plays that we could make."
The best thing about it was the way we attacked practice after I said that. Practice has been great. Today was another great day.
It was a rainy day, and we practiced so hard out there. I applaud those guys because they've been through a lot from that loss, too. They came to work today, and they came to work yesterday as well.
