True Freshman Quarterback CJ Bailey started his first game in Carter-Finley Stadium today, and the Wolfpack won 24-17. Bailey met with the media after the game, and you can watch the video ABOVE, and read the transcript BELOW.

How important was Punter Caden Noonkester in today’s victory?

Oh, it was very important that he got those punts down, pinned down, because we had a lot of drive killers with the flags and everything, but it was very, very crucial to set us up in those pin positions because our defense made plays because of the punts that he made.

So that was really good of him. I appreciate him as our punter and everything.

How much energy did the defense give you as well?

Oh, yeah, they gave me a lot of energy with those turnovers and those fumbles and those plays they was making. They turned the whole Carter family up, and that was really big. With them making plays and everything, it translated to our offense having success as well.

So it changed the momentum of everything that we had going on. We had a lot of people, that weren’t all the way up, weren’t 100% energized, and, you know, that defense did what they did, so it really pumped us up.

This is your first start in front of the Carter-Finley Stadium crowd, so just wanted to get your impressions of that and what this atmosphere was like for you.

I can really say that the atmosphere at Carter-Finley is literally the same every time I step in here, like, starting from Western Carolina, even though I wasn’t starting.

That’s the first time actually feeling a big, loud presence, and that was really important that I had. It was in the games before that happened at Carter-Finley because now I can feel like I can just play off of their energy. They had so much energy, so now it pumps us up, and we have to make plays so we can keep hearing those screams and everything.

So it was really fun out there having my first start here, and I really enjoyed the moment.

With your first home start, what did you like about your performance, and where do you want to see yourself improve?

Of course I got a lot of stuff to work on, a lot of stuff to improve on. I’ll say I did a decent job, and I wish that we could have finished way more drives and kept it going as in the first half. We kept putting points on the board, but at the end of the game, our defense needed us, and we weren’t putting up any points, even losing, getting in the red zone.

I’ll say I need to do better with it. With the Carter Family pumping us up, I got to try my hardest to pump the offense up because I have good energy, but I don’t feel like it’s translating to everybody on our offense. So if I could get everybody going, we’d probably get way more points than we had today, so.

NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren met with the media for his postgame press conference after the Wolfpack’s 24-17 win over Northern Illinois today. You can watch it ABOVE, and read the transcript BELOW.

I’m just super proud of our football team. That was a great team win.

And four turnovers, force-fire defense, incredible kick, punts by Caden Noonkester and coverage by the punt team. I’m proud of how Caden responded because his last two games for him weren’t up to par. He responded.

A lot of guys responded. I challenged them to step up and play with our DNA and to put it on film. You know, it’s one thing to say hard, tough together.

When you don’t play that way, it doesn’t mean anything, and we did that today. It was a team win. Offensively, obviously, statistics are not good, but we did not turn the football over the whole game.

We punted the football really well, and we played dominant defense against a really good football team. You have to give Northern Illinois credit. That is a really tough, good football program that we just beat.

Obviously, they went to Notre Dame and won. I have a lot of respect for Thomas Hammock and that program and those players, and I’m proud of those guys on that sideline. You know, they have done a great job carrying forward what Coach Novak started a long time ago of doing things the hard way and being tough, and so I told our team, this is going to be a team that comes in here, and you’re going to have to fight to win this game, and they are not going to do anything other than try to take your heart, and I challenged theirs, and I’m proud of the way we responded, and there’s a lot of things we’ve got to do better, but when you get four takeaways on defense, you don’t turn the ball over on offense, and you punt the ball the way we did, you’re going to win a lot of games, and that’s the first of an eight-game stretch here, two more at home in a row, and I’m excited about the improvement, and we’ll look forward to working on the things we need to work on tomorrow.

Confusion with the delay of game, that ended up being a timeout at the end of the game

Yeah, I called a timeout on defense because we were tired, and I was trying to give our pass rush guys a chance to catch their breath.

We were running out of players, and it probably would have been a penalty on them. I wasn’t looking at their clock. I was looking at our players, and they were gassed.

So I was trying to get a fresh pass rush for the next couple plays because I knew they were going to have to throw to the end zone so we’d have a chance to get there.

My question is regarding you guys scoring first. Instead of chasing today, they had to chase you. How big was that to jump out in front early? It sort of set a tone.

Yeah, it helps a lot, you know, to have an opening drive, end up with a touchdown, to have a lead that you continue. It just allows you to call the game differently. Obviously, it builds confidence on the sideline as well.

And, you know, we went three-and-out, basically, on the first drive and got it to fourth and one. We felt like we could get that fake punt, which gave us some momentum there, and then the offense did a good job finishing that drive with points.

Does this game mean any more importance to you since you coached Northern Illinois back in the day?

Yeah, it does. That was a very personal win for me.

It was a program that gave me my first opportunity to be a head coach. I have really fond memories of coaching there, a lot of players that I stay in touch with from there, and set records as a coach there and have done the same here. And so losing to the place that you used to coach at isn’t something you want to carry around.

All wins are precious, but that one meant a lot to me as an individual, and I thank the players and the staff for that because that one meant a lot. That was a personal win, and I’ll probably never play them again, you know? So it’s not like you lose a game, and you’ll see them again in a year, like maybe the last time I ever see that football team. So, yeah, that one means a lot.

You challenged the team this week to be tougher, more physical, kind of get back to the DNA of what this program is. What’s it like for you as a coach to see, especially on the defensive side of the ball, kind of live up to that challenge today in this game?

That means a lot.

I think our film is our resume, period. And it’s a historical record of effort is really what football is, and an accumulation of a lot of things that happen on that field, but ultimately, it comes down to one man’s effort on a play to do his job and do it physically. And we haven’t done that well enough this year, and that’s not what I stand for.

And I told them I know who I am. I know what I’m about, and I challenged them in that team room to live up to what it means to wear that jersey. And it’s a privilege.

It’s an honor to wear the red and white, to walk around with Wolfpack on your chest and your family’s name on your back, and I challenged them. And, if you were going to send that film to the person you love the most, what would they say? Would they talk about your effort? Would they talk about your toughness? And so there was a lot of challenging going on in that team room this week, and the guys responded, and that’s all I could ask for. You know, I told them, like, I want to win this game really bad, but I really want to see our identity.

And so for one week, I got to see it, and now it’s about being consistent.

Different energy and communication this week in practice

Oh, yeah, they were challenged on how to practice. Coach Gibson did a tremendous job getting the defensive kids on edge, and they played hard. I mean, Tuesday and Wednesday was bloody Tuesday, bloody Wednesday.

It was physical. And that’s got to be what we’re about. Like, we got to play harder than the teams across the sidelines, you know? We have to.

That gives us an opportunity to be in the game every week. Not everybody’s wired that way.

Football’s just not what it used to be when it comes to tough guys, you know? And at NC State, we have to be tough. That’s our edge, and we were in that game. We were physically tough in that football game.

We strained, and obviously, defensively, they shut down a really good running back. That kid’s a good player. He’s going to play a long time.

Defensively, you guys took a big step forward today. What’s the key to taking another step forward on defense?

Just consistency. Not giving up explosive plays, which we were able to do today.

Stopping the run, tackling, stripping the football, rushing the passer. It’s consistency. I mean, I thought we played four quarters of really good defense today, and throughout the year, we’ve had good quarters and bad quarters, and it’s just being consistent, man.

Not putting your foot on the break, staying on edge, knowing that every play is a really important play in the game, and executing the game plan that’s installed, and just keeping them on edge. Our coaches have to keep doing that. I think there’s obviously a recipe for success that you got to see this week on that side of the football.

Now on the offensive side, we got a lot to fix. We’ve got to be better, giving ourselves opportunities to be more successful throwing the football.

Y’all went 1 of 11 on third down. This seems to be a recurring issue on offense. What is it going to take to get that where you want it to be?

Yeah. Well, obviously, you got to get into manageable third downs first. Being in third and eight and third and nine is not good percentage-wise.

You’re not going to succeed a lot in that down and distance, and that’s your first and second down offense that you’re talking about more than your third down. Being efficient means that you’re getting four yards on first down and half of what you need on second and putting yourself in third and short, so we have to do a better job. There’s a lot of things there.

We’re playing a freshman quarterback, and we’re putting a lot on that kid’s shoulders, a lot, and I’m proud of CJ (Bailey) for taking care of the football today.

We have a lot of growth there. At the end of the day, I’m proud of our offense for not turning the football over. I know people are upset we didn’t have enough yards, this, that, and the other.

Don’t be mad about winning. Don’t be mad about winning. That was a hell of a team win.

You made some changes to the defensive starting lineup. I was just wondering what KJ (Martin) and Isaiah (Shirley) and Tamarcus (Cooley) have shown you that earned them those opportunities.

Well, they practiced well this week. There was competition in all those positions.

We felt like those guys had earned the opportunity to be out there, and we told the other guys we’re going to rotate them and play them and give them a chance to respond. I think competition brings out the best in you. It’s not a situation where you win a job in fall camp and you keep it for 12 games, regardless of how you play.

You have to go out there and perform at a certain level. And so we felt like those positions needed to perform better and gave them an opportunity to do so.

Entering today’s game against Northern Illinois, NC State was 21-1 since 2020 when they won the turnover margin.

Now they are 22-1.

The Wolfpack won the turnover battle 4-0 today against the Huskies, which was single handedly the reason NC State won the contest 24-17.

NC State made it a 14-7 lead in the 2nd Quarter after Senior Safety DK Kaufman sacked NIU Quarterback Ethan Hampton, which forced a fumble, which DK picked up and ran into the end zone.

In the 3rd Quarter, Senior Defensive End Davin Vann sacked Hampton forcing a fumble, which Junior Nose Tackle Brandon Cleveland scooped up and nearly carried into the end zone, being dragged down at the 1-yard line. Three plays later, True Freshman Quarterback CJ Bailey rushed the ball in, to give the Wolfpack a 24-14 lead.

Junior Cornerback Devon Marshall made a spectacular over-the-shoulder interception with 4:12 left in the 4th Quarter, and Redshirt Freshman Nickelback Tamarcus Cooley had an interception on the final play of the game, preventing NIU from converting on a Hail Mary that would have likely forced the game into overtime.

Seven of NC State’s points came from a fumble recovered for a touchdown, and you might as well credit Bailey’s 1-yard touchdown run to the defense as well.

You’re looking at a 17-10 game in the Huskies favor without the TO’s created by the Wolfpack defense.

Without the turnovers created, NC State would have walked out of Carter-Finley with a loss.

The Wolfpack’s offense struggled mightily today, accumulating a measly 171 yards of total offense, compared to NIU’s 279. They only produced 11 first downs, compared to the Huskies’ 20. NIU also won the time of possession battle, possessing the ball 32:41 minutes, compared to NC State’s 27:19.

NC State averaged a putrid 2.3 yards per carry on the ground. If you account for the 2 times Bailey was sacked, they averaged 3.0 yards per carry, which is still dismal. Redshirt Senior Running Back Jordan Waters averaged 2.9 yards per carry, and Sophomore Running Back Kendrick Raphael averaged 3.0 yards per carry. If you take away the 12 yards lost due to sacks, Bailey would have been NC State’s leading rusher with 34 yards.

Bailey was 13 of 20 for 108 yards and a touchdown, with a passing efficiency rating of 126.9. The young man has potential, but he’s still…young.

Redshirt Freshman Wide Receiver Noah Rogers led the Wolfpack with 48 yards receiving on 2 receptions, but both of those came in the 1st Quarter, and they couldn’t find him again the rest of the game. How?

It’s genuinely hard to be excited about this victory, though I know a win is a win.

NC State did start three new players on defense. Redshirt Freshman Isaiah Shirley started over Redshirt Junior Travali Price at Defensive End. Redshirt Freshman Tamarcus Cooley started over Senior Ja’Had Carter at Nickel. Redshirt Senior Kerry Martin Jr. started over Senior Bishop Fitzgerald at Strong Safety. Shirley had 3 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Cooley had 2 tackles, 3 pass breakups and 1 interception. Martin Jr. had 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 pass breakup.

Redshirt Junior Linebacker Caden Fordham had 14 tackles, which was a career high, beating his 12 tackles at Virginia last year. He also had a sack, 2 tackles for loss and 1 forced fumble.

Redshirt Junior Linebacker Sean Brown also had a career high, with 12 tackles, beating the 11 tackles he had against Tennessee earlier this year. He also had a sack, a tackle for loss and 3 QB Hurries.

Senior Defensive End Davin Vann, you guessed it, also had a career high in tackles, with 10. He also had 3.5 tackles for loss, which was also a career high. Vann’s stats also included a sack and 2 forced fumbles.

Kudos to NC State’s defense for putting this game on their backs, because without them, they would have lost. The Wolfpack quite simply has to figure out what isn’t working on offense, and they need to figure it out fast, with non-conference play officially ending today.

NC State improved to 3-2 today, defeating Northern Illinois 24-17 in Carter-Finley Stadium. Below is the Box Score.