LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
Several NC State players met with the media following the Wolfpack's 23-13 win over Georgia Tech Saturday evening.
NOTE: Click on each player’s respective thumbnail to watch each interview.
Emeka Emezie
What do you make of this season?
“Really, I just took it day by day. I always preach about daily competition, competing with myself every single day, outwork myself every single day, and stack days upon days. No matter what the adversity was, we had three different quarterbacks at one point in the season, we kept our heads straight. It doesn’t matter really; just try to stay consistent no matter what.”
Do you know your plans for next season?
“Not yet. I really do love this team a lot, and we still have one more game together left. I’m going to pray about it, talk to my family about it, and we’ll see from there.”
What does it mean to have this team this year to set a new program mark for conference wins?
“This team is really a team. Everybody makes plays for us. That’s the best thing about it. It’s not just one guy. We need everybody from special teams to the backups. It’s not about one individual like it might have been a couple of years back. It’s really everybody. This team is such a special team because we come together, we’re so close, and everybody makes plays on the field. It shows just how close we are truly.”
How much of the resiliency of last season can be attributed to the disappointment, or even embarrassment, from last season?
“For myself, I took last season very personally. Whenever we would go into the indoor, we would throw almost every other day. Guys were in the indoor every single day working on their craft, trying to get better. We got punched in the mouth earlier in the year at VT, but we stood back up. Every single game, we just stood back up through the adversity. We just learned from it last year, and we brought back the same guys, too. Different people stepped into different leadership roles and took it head-on. I think that’s what made our team so resilient this year.”
What were your thoughts heading into tonight’s game, knowing it may be your last in a Wolfpack uniform?
“Really, just how much time I’ve spent in this building with these people, with Thayer, Bailey, Devin, Devin, and everybody really. The amount of time spent here felt like endless hours. It’s a lot of different, small things you start to remember when you’re about to walk across. Thankfully, we’re allowed to have an extra year which is really nice, so I’ll think about that. It’s a true blessing. It’s a lot of emotions at once."
Bailey Hockman
Looking at everything from last season, the offseason, and everything this year to get to this point, how important has Dave Doeren’s leadership been for this team?
“It’s extremely important as well as his positivity to all the guys on the team. He’s been extremely positive to everybody, just building people up, helping the program excel, and helping the players excel on and off the field. He preaches that all the time, and he’s done a good job bringing the Program in and people like that to help the team bond. I’m blessed to have him as a coach.”
Can you discuss your growth from not starting until the middle of the season to now with back-to-back 300-yard games?
“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been working my butt off for years to stay consistent, and that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day: staying consistent, being able to love the teammates you’re around, and be who you are every single day. If you just come into the building with that same attitude, there are endless possibilities.”
Did it seem like Georgia Tech was loading the box so that you had to make your passes to move the ball down the field?
“Definitely. They were loading the box. They were stopping the run. They had a good day, but our guys just kept pushing. The offensive line blocked their tails off. I think I got hit maybe one time for the whole game. If they can hold up like that, we can throw for 300 yards every week. They’re great. They’ve been working their butts off. The receivers are making plays, making contested catches. It’s just the guys around me. I’m just blessed to be a part of this team.”
How much of the success of this year is a product of what happened last year and the disappointment from how it played out?
“There’s been so many ups and downs individually, as a team, and as a program in general. We’ve learned to stay extremely consistent through all of that. If we can keep our heads on straight and keep playing our game, the good things are going to happen, and that’s the story of this year. It’s great to be a part of it."
Alim McNeill
What does the team talk about when it gets to those crunch-time moments? How does it come to be where the opponent gets yards here and there, but you hold them out of the end zone for most of the night?
“That’s sort of a pride thing right there, I would say. We just don’t let anybody to score on us. They may get a couple of yards over us messing up pressure or something like that, but we definitely don’t want anybody to score on us. It’s really just a pride thing, not wanting them to score. There’s nothing specific that we talk about. We just go out there like, ‘No, they’re not going to score on us.’ That’s just what we do.”
How have you seen Doeren grow and evolve as a coach during your time playing for him?
“It’s been pretty cool to see, actually. We’re a much different team. He’s brought a much different attitude to this year’s team with various activities and whatnot during the offseason. The results are showing. We’re a completely different team than last year with a completely different vibe here at NC State. It’s pretty cool to see.”
How difficult of a decision was it to forgo your final year of collegiate eligibility? What led you to declare for the NFL Draft?
“It was just a series of weeks talking to my parents, Coach [Charley] Wiles, and Coach Doeren and figuring out what I thought the best was for me, and I thought that was to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. I wasn’t really focused on that this season. I was just trying to let my play do the talking, and I guess it has so far. There was a lot of talking and meeting with my parents and coaches to come to that decision.”
How much do you think you’ve grown on the field during your three years here in Raleigh?
“I’ve grown a ton. Coming in, I’d never played D-line. To be able to do some of the stuff I do now as a D-lineman is kind of crazy because it’s my third year playing the position. I’ve seen myself grow so much as a person too, going through college, living on my own, having my own apartment, and stuff like that. My experience here at NC State is greatly valued. I’ve seen myself grow a ton.”
Have you decided on playing in the bowl game?
“I haven’t decided on it yet, but the plan [as of right now] is to play in it. I haven’t really thought about not playing in it.”
How proud are you of the Wolfpack defense’s growth over the course of the season?
“Very proud because we started off very bland, in my opinion. We did what we were supposed to do on the field, but we just weren’t executing it right. How much we’ve grown throughout the season is incredible. There were some things we’re doing now that we weren’t even dreaming of doing earlier in the season. We just got better and better with the way we gelled throughout the season. I think our chemistry is top tier right now. It’s pretty incredible to see how much we’ve grown since the first couple of games.”
What does the future look like for the guys that are behind you on the depth chart?
“The future is very bright. The same attitude will be here. We’re not going to skip a beat or anything. The future is very bright with the younger groups.”
What were the emotions of playing your final game at Carter-Finley Stadium tonight?
“It’s crazy. It’s unfortunate with the fan situation that we have because of COVID. I was thinking about my first visit here. It was me, Trent Pennix, and one of our friends. We were hanging out in the weight room, putting jerseys on, and whatnot. We weren’t even recruits yet. We were just visiting NC State football. I remember when I got my offer from NC State. I remember committing the day of the Clemson game to NC State. I was just thinking about all of that stuff. For it to go by so fast is just crazy. It doesn’t sound right, but the emotions were running really high. I was in the locker room going through it. I love my experience at NC State. I wouldn’t trade it for anything."