WATCH: CJ Bailey’s Press Conference After LA Tech Win (with transcript)

True Freshman Quarterback CJ Bailey led NC State to a comeback 30-20 victory over Louisiana Tech this afternoon after starter Grayson McCall left the game due to injury. You can watch his postgame press conference ABOVE, and read the transcript BELOW.

What’s your mindset when you’re on the sideline and you’re told it’s time to go in and kind of have to get ready to go in and play in a game like this?

The main thing that was on my mind was to come in and take care of the ball.

That’s the first thing first. And even though that happened on the second drive, after I just turned it over, was to just play ball instead of worry about one thing. So on the sideline, Grayson was always behind me.

He was like, picking me up and saying, ‘I’m not feeling right, but you got to go in and make a play.’ And I had to play for Grayson, you know, and the team. So when my name was called, I just stepped in and make plays for my team.

And you know, we won the game.

Noah Rogers told us this week that y’all are really embracing the quote unquote grown-ass man mentality. You know, was that something that you were actively thinking about, you know, while you were out on the field?

Yeah, gotta be a grown man. But that was the main thing, like just step in and be that guy for the team. Like you were in a position, now you got to, you know, act like you were here before.

So like when I stepped in, you know, Noah, I hit Noah (Rogers) a couple times. I hit Wes (Grimes), I hit everybody. But the main thing was to stay level-headed instead of just getting up and down, you know.

That was the main thing.

Did you pick up confidence as the game went on?

Yeah, I was just going off of what the defense did. The defense was making plays, so I had to step in and make plays as well.

And once I made that first play, it just kept on going like a domino effect, man.

What’s the mood in the locker room right now?

Right now, we up. We celebrating.

Happy for the win. Everybody patting me on my back, but it’s really a team thing.

Mood in the locker room a halftime

Going into the half, everybody was having that, I got your back, we got each other back mentality. Like we were playing for it. Just go out there in the second half, play for each other, clean up the mistakes coming from the first half.

So the main thing was just brotherhood in the halftime locker room. And just like play for each other coming into the second half.

Did playing in nationally televised games in high school prepare you for this?

Yeah, playing at Chaminade was a big reason why I wanted to play at NC State. Because I had that feeling when I was at Chaminade, we played in those big games.

I wanted to play those big games at NC State as well. That’s what I’m here for. So it really prepared me a lot for these moments right here.

And I’m glad that when I went to Chaminade, my coaches instilled everything I have in me. When those big time moments come, it’s just a game. Just play the game.

Don’t worry about the crowd or everything. But it feels way bigger when I’m at NC State. The fans is way different, especially Tennessee game and this game.

Everybody’s up. Everybody is loud.

I never felt like this in a game in high school. It’s a big difference.

Define this game in 1 or 2 words.

Learning lesson. Learning lesson. I had to learn.

Watching Grayson and everything, it was great. And I learned a lot from Grayson. But it’s like, it’s your time to do it now.

So when you’re doing it, you got to think about everything that Coach Rope taught me, Coach Doeren, Grayson. It was a learning lesson for me, especially at the high school level. I had to learn and overcome that and don’t hang on it.

One thing that I used to do, I’m going to be honest with you, in high school, I would hang on bad mistakes, bad throws and interceptions. I had to forget about it. It was like, learn how to just put everything in the past and move forward.

First game playing in Carter-Finley

Honestly, before I got here at NC State, I had never been to an NC State game.

From Western Carolina, not even the spring game, from Western Carolina, that atmosphere was so different and it was so big. Like I said, I never felt how NC State feels. I love that crowd and that atmosphere.

Those fans come out every time and support us, and I love that.

1st college touchdown

It was a very exciting moment. I was so happy when Coach called that play for me. I just wanted to execute and get in the end zone for the team.

I just wanted to make a play. When I made that play, it just felt amazing.

Feeling when your name got called

When he first told me that I had to get in and step up, I kind of got jitters.

I’m going to be honest. I had nervous jitters in my body. But after that bad mistake I made, I had to say, let’s play ball.

Just go play ball. Do what you were taught for all this time you’ve been playing football. Just go play ball in that second half.

And that’s what I did.