Payton Wilson: "They Are Going To Play Hard"

Inside Pack Sports sat down with N.C. State redshirt freshman linebacker Payton Wilson prior to the Wolfpack's Saturday night game versus Ball State.

How do you feel physically right now?

My knee is fine. It’s 100%. I haven’t been this sore since high school. I’m used to it with all the workouts. Coach Hux does a good job making us push through fatigue and soreness. We’ve adapted to it.

Do you feel more comfortable in the scheme?

I made a few plays against ECU and then we had Western Carolina and then we had West Virginia, power 5, and I felt comfortable playing fast. After the first few series against West Virginia, it clicked for me that I have to play fast against big competition.

What do you expect from Ball State?

They are going to play hard. Coach Doeren tells us to treat each team the same, whether it’s Clemson or Ball State. We’re preparing hard. They have athletes so we have to come out and play our best football. We can’t lay off because it’s Ball State.

When you watched the WVU film, did you see something specific that bothered the linebackers?

They came out with stuff that we hadn’t seen. We weren’t practicing the formations and schemes they ended up using. I should’ve adapted faster. Coach Hux gave me the checks and signals, but I should’ve adapted faster. We have to move faster.

What were the emotions of the fake punt conversion for you?

That part doesn’t matter. I did my best job to get the offense back out there to do their job but it didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. The coaches trusted me to get that first down in a critical game.

How much fun was it to handle the ball for the first time since high school?

I could tell I hadn’t done it since high school. It was like old times, but it won’t happen much.

When you watched the film back, what do you wish you had done differently as a defense?

Our focus. Before the game, we were drained and didn’t have a lot of focus. They hit us immediately, and we responded, but the focus wasn’t there in the second half.

Why was that?

I don’t know. I could tell my focus wasn’t there and same with some other guys. We weren’t playing like we should’ve had.

Can you see the lack of focus on film?

We weren’t playing slow. I felt like I was playing too fast. I wasn’t fitting the right gaps. I had to adjust and felt like I did by the end of the game, but it was too late.