This past Saturday, NC State started the game without All-ACC Senior Cornerback Aydan White, and lost their other starting Cornerback, Sophomore Brandon Cisse, on the 2nd defensive play.

Wolfpack Head Coach Dave Doeren shared at his weekly press conference this afternoon that White will play on Saturday against #21 Clemson, and he expects Cisse to be ready to go as well.

“Aydan will be back this week. Cisse looks like he’ll be fine. So we should be back to full strength on that side of the football.”

With White and Cisse out against Louisiana Tech, Senior Corey Coley and Junior Devon Marshall stepped up in a big way. In fact, Doeren said today that Marshall was their Defensive Player of the Game against the Bulldogs. He also highlighted that Redshirt Sophomore Jackson Vick came in as the Dime Defensive Back, and made some good plays.

You don’t ever want to see your starters go down, but when they do, it gives the next man up a chance to prove they can handle the moment. While it is certainly good news that White will be back against the Tigers, and likely Cisse as well, the coaching staff has to feel good about their depth at Corner heading into the weekend.

NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren announced at his weekly press conference this afternoon that Freshman CJ Bailey will start for the Wolfpack this Saturday against #21 Clemson in Death Valley with Redshirt Senior Grayson McCall out due to injury.

While there weren’t specific details given in regards to the nature of McCall’s injury, Doeren said it was not season ending.

“With Grayson, he got dinged up. I’m not going to get into the injury. It’s good news on him. It’s day-to-day. We’re going to take our time, and when he’s ready, he’ll be ready. CJ’s ready to play, and he’s our Quarterback until that happens. We’re behind him.” 

“CJ is going to run the show until Grayson is healthy. I’m excited to see what CJ can do. And whoever that quarterback is wearing the red and white, the fans need to have his back. They need to be supportive. They need to pray for those kind of things when they happen, and that’s what family does.”

“I was really proud of the way the team rallied around CJ at halftime. When he knew it was his time to play, there was a big smile on his face. He was ready for the moment. Now he gets to do it on the road against a really good football team, in a tough environment.”  

Bailey came in the game on Saturday against Louisiana Tech near the end of the first half. After throwing an interception on his third career pass attempt, the True Freshman settled in and completed all 7 passes on the next drive.

Bailey looked composed beyond his years on Saturday. He saw the field well, threw the ball away when necessary, the ball flew out of his hand and he effectively used his feet when called upon.

On the day, Bailey played like a veteran, leading NC State to outscore the Bulldogs 24-3 in the 2nd half. He was 13 for 20 for 156 yards, and he ran the ball 4 times for 27 yards and a touchdown.

NC State will host #23 Northern Illinois on Saturday, September 28th, and kickoff is set for Noon, and the game will be televised on The CW.

Friday, September 27
Virginia Tech at Miami – 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN – previously announced

Saturday, September 28
Western Kentucky at Boston College – Noon ET on ACC Network
Holy Cross at Syracuse – Noon ET on ACCNX – previously announced
Northern Illinois at NC State – Noon ET on The CW
Louisiana at Wake Forest – 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network
Louisville at Notre Dame – 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock – previously announced
North Carolina at Duke – 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Stanford at Clemson – 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Florida State at SMU – 8 p.m. ET on the ACC Network

(ACC)

Dating back to the 2019 season, NC State is 7-7 in games that are played at Noon or 12:30. They are 4-1 in games played in that time period at home.

9/14/24 – Louisiana Tech – 30-20 (W)

9/9/23 – Notre Dame – 24-45 (L)

9/3/22 – @ECU – 21-20 (W)

9/10/22 – Charleston Southern – 55-3 (W) (12:30)

12/30/22 – Maryland (N) – 12-16 (L) (Duke’s Mayo Bowl)

10/3/20 – @Pitt – 30-29 (W)

10/24/20 – @UNC – 21-48 (L)

11/28/20 – @Syrause – 26-29 (W)

1/2/21 – Kentucky (N) – 21-23 (L) (Gator Bowl)

8/31/19 – ECU – 34-6 (W)

9/7/19 – Western Carolina – 41-0 (W) (12:30)

9/14/19 – @West Virginia – 27-44 (L)

10/19/19 – @Boston College – 24-45 (L)

11/2/19 – @Wake Forest – 10-44 (L)

The Wolfpack has never lost a football game televised on The CW. NC State went 4-0 last year in games televised on The CW. 

9/16/24 – VMI – 45-7

10/7/24 – Marshall – 48-41

10/28/24 – Clemson – 24-17

11/11/24 – @Wake Forest – 26-6

NC State defeated Louisiana Tech 30-20 on Saturday, improving to 2-1 on the year. Here’s the breakdown of the individual PFF Grades on the Wolfpack Offense.

Redshirt Senior Quarterback Grayson McCall – 79.2
Redshirt Senior Right Guard Timothy McKay – 78.2
Junior Wide Receiver Wesley Grimes – 77.0
Sophomore Running Back Kendrick Raphael – 76.4
Redshirt Junior Left Guard Anthony Carter Jr. – 75.6
Redshirt Sophomore Right Tackle Jacarrius Peak – 74.7
Redshirt Freshman Wide Receiver Noah Rogers – 73.4
Redshirt Senior Left Tackle Anthony Belton – 72.6
Freshman Quarterback CJ Bailey – 69.9
Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver Dacari Collins – 69.1
Redshirt Senior Center Zeke Correll – 68.6
Redshirt Senior Running Back Jordan Waters – 68.2
Freshman Wide Receiver Terrell Anderson – 66.5
Sophomore Wide Receiver Kevin Concepcion – 66.3
Junior Tight End Justin Joly – 62.3
Redshirt Freshman Running Back Hollywood Smothers – 61.9
Redshirt Junior Tight End Matt McCabe – 59.5
Freshman Wide Receiver Keenan Jackson – 56.4
Redshirt Senior Running Back Demarcus Jones II – 58.9
Redshirt Junior Tight End Reid Mitchell – 50.3