Tyler Baker-Williams and Isaiah Moore on bowl game preparations
As NC State prepares to face Kentucky in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, it will be the second trip to Jacksonville in three years for a number of older players, including Isaiah Moore and Tyler Baker-Williams.
That pair spoke to the media about their preparation for the bowl this week, and here’s a full breakdown of everything they had to say:
Isaiah Moore
When you guys did The Program in February or January, what did you personally get out of that?
The Program put us through very stressful situations and very adverse situations, forced us to lean on each other, and it further created the brotherhood that we have now. It created a sense of accountability towards one another. A lot of the things we had already preached in our culture, they just kind of reinforced them. We just carried that through the end of the season. Personally, I think I found my voice during that time. It put me in a lot of positions where I had to be out in front, talking and leading things. That gave me the confidence to move through the short period of spring ball we had, over Zoom over the summer and into the season.
The guy who led it said throughout the year that some of you guys still reached back out to him. What were those conversations like?
He was a great resource. He’s been through many experiences running The Program and with his military background, as well, as far as leading a group. So a lot of us leaders reached back out just to get his perspective on certain things. Not necessarily football related, but just team related, building more camaraderie and things we could do to be better. We’re all about different ways to get better. He was a great resource to have.
What made Payton Wilson so good this year?
He definitely flashed a lot last year in the number of snaps he had. So we always knew he had the ability. The biggest thing for him was just gaining confidence in the playbook and becoming a real leader on the defense. That’s something he’s done this season. He’s a freak athlete. He’s one of the best players on our team. He plays with a motor and it doesn’t stop. It’s effort, play in and play out. It’s amazing to watch. It’s amazing to play beside him. I’m thankful to play with him every day, because I know exactly what I’m going to get out of him. That’s everything he’s got. He deserves every recognition he gets.
How exciting is it to have the opportunity to go to a bowl game after missing it last year?
It’s definitely a great feeling. We’re thankful for this opportunity. It’s not guaranteed at the beginning of the year, so we definitely don’t take it for granted. We get to play against an SEC team, a great team in Kentucky. We get to go back to Jacksonville, where we didn’t perform well last time, and get to rewrite the story there. So we’re thankful for the opportunity.
Tyler Baker-Williams
What was the reaction when you guys found out you were playing Kentucky in the Gator Bowl?
It was a sense of excitement for us. That feeling of going to a bowl game is always a great feeling. But then we know that we have to lock back in because it’s another opponent that we have to face and another challenge ahead of us. It was an exciting feeling in that moment then we know we have to lock back in and focus on the task at hand.
How do you balance the fun of the bowl game with going out there and taking care of business?
Coach Doeren does a good job of allowing us to have fun as well as do our job and focus on the task that we have. He does a good balance where we have little fun competitions at the end of practice just in ways that he brings fun to what we have to do, but also just by keeping us focused, locking in, and taking care of business.
Is there a level of excitement among the older guys that were there two years ago that you have the opportunity to go back to the Gator Bowl and get some redemption for that game two years ago?
It’s a heavy deal of excitement, because we feel like we’re a different team this year. We have a bigger chip on our shoulder. I’m very excited for it. I know Isaiah and the rest of the team is. I know we’re really ready to just go and show out.
As a leader, how do you feel like you developed when you have younger guys like Aydan White starting to play? How much have they looked to you for leadership?
They look to me a lot. They come and ask me questions about little keys, little hints to get a certain play, a certain movement, a certain type of technique. So I feel like I’m in a position where I can help anybody and answer the questions for them.
Last year, when you guys didn’t make it to a bowl, how frustrating was that?
I remember that feeling. I remember I was sitting at home with my father, sitting at home watching bowl games, thinking we should have been in a bowl game, we can be in a bowl game with the people that we have and the talent that we have. We have the ability to be in a bowl game. So I feel like we brought that feeling over to this season, as far as just preparing with a bigger chip on our shoulder, getting back to a bowl game – but finishing the job, as well.