LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
NC State quarterback Devin Leary and linebacker Drake Thomas met with the media via Zoom following the Wolfpack’s 28-13 win over Louisville Saturday evening.
Leary completed 25 of his 36 pass attempts for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Thomas recorded 15 tackles with one pass broken up and two sacks for a loss of six yards.
NOTE: Click on each player’s respective thumbnail to watch each interview. A transcript of the players’ comments is posted below.
Devin Leary
What opened up for you in the second half to allow you guys to get some drive going and get into the end zone a few times?
I think it was really just staying on rhythm. We were hurting ourselves a little bit in the first half. Credit to Louisville: they did a great job defensively different things at us. In the second half, we just had to settle in, stay on rhythm, stay in front of the chains, as we like to say, and just try to go 1-0 each and every play.
How good was it to get that first touchdown in the fourth quarter to catalyze the momentum that hadn’t been there earlier?
It was huge. Credit to our defense; they played their tails off the entire game. We kind of rallied off of them. Each and every series, they were making plays, getting the ball for us. We looked at them, and they were looking at us like, “Come on! Let’s go! Let’s go!” We fed off of that energy. Early on in the game, we weren’t executing well. We weren’t sticking to what we do best: being able to run the ball and being able to take what the defense gives us. In the second half, we were able to settle in and execute on multiple different plays.
You threw four touchdowns to four different receivers tonight. What does that say about how good the receiver and tight end groups are?
It just goes to show that, in this offense and me being the signal caller, I trust everyone out there.It doesn’t matter if you’re one, two, or three. Any guy that’s out there should expect the ball each and every play. That’s the type of confidence I have in them, and that’s the type of understanding that they have when I’m playing quarterback. They understand that I don’t care as long as they’re out there making plays. That’s how I always play the game, and I’m very thankful for my receivers and tight ends, and our offensive line did a great job tonight.
Your defense kept you in the game when the offense couldn’t really get going. Was the closeness of the game something that you kept stressing on the sideline?
Yeah, we knew eventually we’d break through. We just had to keep pushing. Everyone had to keep doing their job. No one had to do too much or think they had to do more than what was expected. Credit to the defense: they kept us in the game early on. They were encouraging us at halftime, and they have all the confidence in the world in us, as much as we do in them. Being able to feed off their energy, being able to watch them ball out and get the ball back was huge for us.
On the touchdown to C.J. Riley, what does it say about Tim Beck for calling that pass in a situation that would normally call for a run play instead?
I thought it was a great play call. It’s something we practice each and every week in that situation, and C.J. made a heck of a play. I just give those guys a chance. That’s all that our coaches ask for me to do: just give our receivers a chance. C.J. came down with a great catch, and I thought it was a great play call.
Can you talk about Drake Thomas’ performance tonight and the energy he gave the sideline?
I think Drake played outstanding. He knew he was going to have to step up. He stepped into a different role, having to play Mike with Isaiah [Moore] going down. He fully embraced it. Even in pregame, he’s hyping the guys up, filling that role Isaiah had on the field and even off the field. Our entire team has 100 percent confidence in Drake. We know what he’s capable of doing, and he just showed a little glimpse of it tonight. We’re super proud of him.
How big was securing bowl eligibility for the team?
I thought it was huge. We’re very fortunate for the bowl game, but there’s still a lot left in the season. I thought a huge accomplishment for us was being able to respond from last week. That’s that 1-0 approach we continue to preach, and it’s real for us. We put that last game to bed, and we knew Louisville was going to come out strong, and we just responded well. I’m just super proud of our team, and we’re going to continue to build on up.
How was Devin Carter’s approach this week in practice after the regretful performance at Miami? How satisfying was it to connect with him on the touchdown tonight?
It was pretty much the same honestly. Devin takes the same approach week in and week out. He’s a very hard worker, and last week, he was really tough on himself. We all knew he didn’t mean to drop the ball. That’s not very like him, and he knows it’s not like him. He just got back to work and prepared how he always does. When I throw him the ball when we call plays his way, we expect him to make those plays, and that’s what he does. I think, with last week, it happens sometimes. It’s football. Devin Carter is a tremendous player and tremendous teammate, and he just responded back like we expected him to.
Drake Thomas
How tough is it to defend a quarterback like Malik Cunningham? What was the game plan?
It’s obviously very tough to face a team that has a running quarterback. They have an extra blocker in the run game when they run quarterback leads and stuff like that. Also, you’ve got to keep them contained in the pocket when they drop back to pass. You’ve always got to be thinking about that, and we knew that we had to do that to be successful: just keep him in the pocket.
With Moore and Payton Wilson out for the season, how much responsibility did you put on yourself on and off the field to be a leader and play the way you did?
I took full responsibility. I felt like how the defense performed tonight is on me. At the end of the day, I’ve got to step up at that position and fill their shoes. I tried my best tonight, and I’m going to build on it and keep on doing it.
Are you happy with the way you played tonight?
Yeah, I’m excited. I had fun out there.
How personal did you take this assignment of having to stop Cunningham?
I took it very personally. Like I said, the performance of the defense as a whole, I took that upon myself. Getting everything clicking, everything gelled up, communication in the back end to the front seven, I took full responsibility for all of it. That included containing Malik Cunningham. I took full responsibility.
How active were you and the defense on the sideline trying to get the offense hyped up?
I feel like some teams around the country, when their offense struggles, kind of separate. We know how important it is to support our guys. We keep on motivating them because we know it’s going to break through. We have full confidence in Leary and the whole offense that, at some point, it’s going to break through. Keeping them positive, keeping them up, like you guys saw in the second half, helped them break through.
What does it say about the maturity of this team that you’re able to bounce back from last week and put everything together in the fourth quarter when it matters most?
It says a lot about our maturity. It takes a really strong, mature team to do what we just did. Last week was hard. It was a tough loss, and we were hurt. We took it personally. Everyone’s counting us out, especially on defense with all the injuries. We appreciate that, and we built off of it.
How much was that negative chatter was mentioned this week? Was that a big talking point?
Yeah, I’d say that was a huge motivator. We don’t buy too much into the outside noise, but in that room, as a defense, we knew we trust each other, we counted on each other, we knew we could do it, and that’s all that we needed. It was a motivator, I’d say.
Do you feel like you embodied Moore on the field today?
Yeah, everything I do every single day when I go out on the field now is for him. I can’t take anything for granted. I know the love he has for the game and the passion he plays with every single day. It’d be a disservice if I did anything else.
What did you see from Levi Jones tonight?
His pass-rush ability helped us contain [Cunningham] in the pocket and get pressure on him. I feel like that was a really good matchup for him. Levi, in general, has been ready. He’s been waiting. He hasn’t had a huge role early in the season, but I know the whole defense knows he’s been ready. Stepping up today, he’s definitely played a big part. I’m happy for him, too.