The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527657
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 ■ 11 TRACKING THE PACK gets better with each game. You can see him improving." Bailey brings the energy. He was smil- ing in the halftime locker room against Louisiana Tech, and that same smile remained on his face as he tried to will the team to a win over Wake Forest. "He loves football," Doeren said. "He just really enjoys the process of going through the game plan and practice, and he's not an excuse guy either. When he makes a mistake, he's the first one to own it. I just think he's a guy people want to play for, and he's also a great teammate. He hurts for Grayson." Through five game appearances and a couple of starts, Bailey had thrown for 741 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 intercep- tions, completing 65.4 percent of his passes and adding 2 more scores and 42 yards on the ground. He throws with the zip necessary to fit the ball into tight windows. The fresh- man is quick, elusive and has forced 12 missed tackles — the second-most of any rusher on the Wolfpack roster. And when something goes wrong, like when he threw an interception on his third career passing attempt, he has shown that he's able to move on quickly. "I'll be honest, I had the nervous jitters in my body," Bailey said after the Louisi- ana Tech win on Sept. 14. "After that bad mistake I made, I just said, 'Let's play ball, just go play ball. Do what you've been taught for [as long as] you've been playing football. Just go play ball in that second half.' That's what I did." Bailey was set to face another test Oct. 12 against Syracuse. The Orange mixes up defensive fronts, just as Clem- son did in Bailey's first start. "CJ has already seen a lot, and he's got a veteran center with him," Doeren said, citing graduate offensive lineman Zeke Correll. "We'll have to make a plan, ob- viously one that he feels good about, and that's our job as coaches to help him with that." The Wake Forest game was the first in which Bailey threw multiple pass- ing touchdowns. He evaded defenders on his first scoring pass to extend the play and find freshman receiver Keenan Jackson 9 yards away in the end zone. Then, with 13:08 to go in the contest, he threaded the ball between two defend- ers and connected with junior tight end Justin Joly for a 20-yard score. "His arm is ridiculous, in my opin- ion," redshirt junior linebacker Caden Fordham said earlier this fall. NC State clearly has a lot of faith in the quarterback moving forward. Bai- ley emphasized after the Clemson game that the Wolfpack still has goals to meet, and he will likely be the one to lead the pursuit. ■ " He has handled adversity very well. He's got great energy and enthu- siasm and belief in himself. He gets better with each game. Head coach Dave Doeren on Bailey Bailey threw for 741 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half of NC State's season, completing 65.4 percent of his attempts. PHOTOS COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS