Hockman, Moore discuss Gator Bowl
When NC State takes on Kentucky in the Gator Bowl Saturday, quarterback Bailey Hockman will look to continue leading the offense effectively and linebacker Isaiah Moore will look to help the defense shut down Kentucky’s run game.
Both players spoke to the media ahead of the game, here’s a full breakdown of everything they had to say:
Bailey Hockman
On his experience transferring to NC State: Transferring is definitely a difficult process, just almost picking up your life and leaving it behind and moving into a new life. When you move to a new school, it’s not like you’re moving in with a class of 20 guys that you really get to know really well. It’s really you by yourself and you have to kind of find your group or find your way in a little bit. It can be difficult for sure, but I had another guy, Vi Jones, he transferred in with me, so it was kind of me and him. We were roommates and just really good friends, so he helped me out a lot and I helped him out a lot just with the whole process. It’s been really good.
On how transferring has helped him develop as a person and player: It’s just the hard work culture of the whole program and just being able to have guys that are willing to go out and get extra throws and get extra work and put extra work in the weight room. That’s really what I was looking for – somewhere I can go and have that culture of the team because that’s what I kind of came from out of Georgia in high school. That’s just what I’ve been looking for and I think this place has it. It’s good stuff.
On preparing for the bowl game: Our guys do a great job. It seems like we’re just always locked in. We’re always ready to work. There’s never a question. If we were there or here or wherever we’re at, the guys are just ready to work. It would have been awesome for the younger guys and things like that just to get the experience of the whole bowl game and being down there and kind of just bonding a little better. But it’s definitely still been great. We still hang out in Raleigh and do stuff in Raleigh. It’s been really good, so preparation has been great and we’re ready to go have a good game.
On when the season turned around for him: Actually, the UNC game, I actually got benched in the middle of the game and they ended up coming and putting me back in. I had really studied hard for that game, was ready and was really prepared. Things just didn’t roll my way and that’s how it goes sometimes, and you just keep working, keep your head down. But in the second half of that game, I ended up throwing two touchdowns and ran one and kind of just realized, ‘Look, I can do this.’ After three and half years and going through the process of transferring and going to JUCO and having to do all that type of stuff, it was just like, ‘Alright, I can do this. I can be a college quarterback and I can be successful.’ Just having that glimpse of the light kind of just really propelled me forward to be able to turn the season what we turned it in to. Just the guys around me have done a great job, the offensive line, receivers making plays, and just really supporting me. It’s been a good year.
On the game plan revolving around the passing game more at the end of the season: Just having the confidence of [offensive coordinator Tim Beck] and him just knowing that his coaching has taken me to a level where we can throw the ball almost that well and it’s great. It’s a great feeling because you know its like, ‘Call a pass play. Call a pass play.’ That’s what I’m thinking in my head every play. It’s been good. I think our passing game is very good. It’s been great in practice and you just keep working on it, keep fine tuning little things, little details just to get better and better.”
On starting in a bowl game after the ups and downs of the season: It means a lot. We have great guys in the locker room on both sides of the ball and I’m just lucky to be a leader and be a guy on the team that gets to experience it with them. They welcomed me with open arms and I’m just blessed with the opportunity to be the quarterback of this team. That’s all I can say. I’m just blessed.
On setting the tone to be the front runner next year in this weekend’s game: It’s always important to play as good as you can as we’re trying to win a game. But yeah, I think everything matters. There’s not going to be anything that’s overlooked. If I go out there and play bad, then maybe it goes the other way or whatever it is. But I think I’m in a good position and I’m just going to keep working hard and stay consistent and day to day just make sure I’m doing the best I can with everything I do day to day. All the stuff will take care of itself.
On having a relative that played at Kentucky: My uncle [Ryan Hockman] played at Kentucky as a quarterback of Kentucky.”
On playing a team with a losing record in a bowl game that’s favored to win: I think we have a great team. We have great players. It’s a storied program that has multiple, multiple wins. We’ve won seven ACC games for the first time ever. There’s just multiple things this team has overcome and done. To me and to the rest of the players, I think we just look at it as it’s just another step to help propel the program and help make the program better than what it has been in the past and what it can be in the future. It’s just another step. They can put us down all they want, but we know what we have in the locker room and that’s it.
On playing against his uncle’s alma mater: There’s obviously no bad blood. It’s family before everything. It’s been all positive, just ‘Go out there and play your best. Do your thing. Stay composed.’ A lot of the talking has been between his kids actually. He has two twin boys that are 13 and they’re all fired up about it. They’re like, ‘Hey you know my dad played at Kentucky?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know.’ They’ve been fired up texting me all the time and they’re loving it. It’s good for them. It’s been a lot of fun.
Isaiah Moore
On if he hears from athletes from other sports on how the football team has set the tone in regard to social justice and change: Yes, definitely. I am a part of the student athlete advisory council, which involves all athletes. I talk to them all the time. We converse and throw ideas at each other about what more we can do and what they want to do, what we want to do and we just bounce them off each other.
On if he feels like this is the type of game that sets up well for his skill set: Yes, definitely. I love contact. I love playing downhill. Going up against a big offensive line, a big running back, those are the games that as a linebacker you want to play. You get excited for it. I am definitely excited to play these guys.
On if there is a similar team to Kentucky on NC State’s schedule this season: Maybe not this year, but I know Boston College is pretty similar with their size and their downhill running style. Georgia Tech a little bit, [Kentucky] runs the same kind of gap schemes, zone schemes as Georgia Tech did. Probably those two.
On if there is anything he can take from his previous experience at the Gator Bow: I think the biggest thing I have been trying to preach to the young guys is that making it to a bowl is definitely an accomplishment, something you want to celebrate, but you want to win the game. You have to make sure we approach practice the right way, approach the week the right way and approach the game the right way, so when we go down there, we don’t repeat what happened in 2018.
On if it has felt like fall camp all over again with the practice schedule: Yes, a little bit. Practice is not as long as it would be in fall camp, but just having this time not having classes, being able to focus fully on football and on a long season, it’s been great. Coach Doeren and his staff have done a great job of giving us opportunities to recover and also get work in as well. I feel like we are ready to go.
On the motivation in going into this game as an underdog against an SEC team: I’m thinking we’ve been trying to prove ourselves all year long, so this is nothing new. Like coach Doeren said, we were picked to finish eleventh in the ACC in the preseason and we took that as some disrespect and we just wanted to not only prove them wrong but prove ourselves right. We believed in January what type of team we had and what type of team we wanted to be. We felt like we put the work in, and we thought we could come out here and play football and see where the chips fall and we’re going to finish. As far as an SEC team, it’s always exciting playing an SEC team. You see all the ESPN guys talking about how SEC is the closest thing to NFL, so it’ll definitely be a challenge for us, and we’re excited for it.
On being an underdog against a team with a losing season: Like I said, we’ve been trying to prove ourselves the whole season, so this is nothing new. I’m pretty sure we’ve been picked to be underdogs in the majority of our games this season. Our record speaks for itself. We just want to go down there and play the best football that we can. Let the outside guys do the talking, but our focus is definitely on us and playing our best ball.
On the differences in playing an SEC team, like Texas A&M in the past: They had great size, great athletic ability. It’s a great conference and they produce a lot of NFL guys. We produce a lot of NFL guys here at NC State as well. We’re just excited to play a big-time opponent and we just can’t wait to get down here in Jacksonville.