‘Recruited for a reason’: Freshman CJ Bailey shines in N.C. State’s comeback win

N.C. State quarterback Grayson McCall, a towel draped over his head, exited the tunnel at Carter-Finley Stadium and embraced fellow quarterback CJ Bailey.

Bailey’s face broke into a smile as he exclaimed, “Grayson!” The two embraced in a hug as McCall expressed pride in the true freshman.

Bailey entered the game in the second quarter after McCall left due to an injury. McCall’s status is unclear, but Bailey’s is not. He’s the starting QB for however long McCall, a graduate student, is out, and according to safety DK Kaufman, the reason N.C. State pulled off the 30-20 win on Saturday over Louisiana Tech.

“It was ‘next man up’ mentality,” Kaufman said. “Hopefully Grayson feels better, but CJ did what he had to do. We were with him the whole way. We’re behind Grayson all the way. I’m proud of him. I’m happy for him also. He got us that dub. … This is a big-time ball game on national television. But he’s used to it. He just showed us that.”

Wolfpack linebacker Caden Fordham said Bailey is a tough quarterback to defend. Bailey is 6-foot-6, so he has long strides that can be tough to stop in the run game. Plus, he’s a great passer.

“His arm is ridiculous, in my opinion, the throws he can make and the velocity behind his throws,” Fordham said. “It’s really tough to defend sometimes. If you’re not on the spot, the ball will be there before you know it.”

It would be an understatement to say the Wolfpack struggled in the first half. In fact, it felt like an “everything that could go wrong did go wrong” kind of game.

The offense finished with a measly 117 yards and recorded two explosive plays in the first half. One was a quarterback run by McCall, and the other was a 19-yard pass to Wesley Grimes that was negated by a penalty. The offense hasn’t scored more than a touchdown in the first quarter of any games this season.

And, until a second-half touchdown, the Pack had gone six quarters without the offense scoring. All points had been scored by special teams or turnovers.

Defense allowed Louisiana Tech to score 17 points before the intermission, including a 71-yard touchdown pass and 44-yard pass on a touchdown drive. Five of the Bulldogs’ nine big plays came in the first two quarters.

Special teams didn’t have its best start, either. Punter Caden Noonkester was on the opposite end of a bad snap, which took a tumble onto the grass. He recovered, but the punt traveled 21 yards. His career average is 42.8 yards per attempt.

Then, the team lost McCall. He didn’t have his best day, but the players look to him for leadership. The Pack, however, didn’t crumble. Bailey stepped in — nerves in his belly — for a strong finish.

“He just went out there and played the game, whether he was throwing the football or scrambling, throwing it away, rushing for some tough yards at times to extend the chains,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said. “Did a really good job just managing it and playing fast, and he looked really poised. That was good to see.”

Bailey finished 13 of 20 passing for 154 yards. He threw one interception in the second quarter and did not record a touchdown pass, but Bailey ran the ball for a 1-yard touchdown. On his first career touchdown drive — running back Kendrick Raphael scored the 5-yard TD — the rookie threw for 62 yards.

Plus, Bailey threw seven straight completions to start the third quarter and contributed a pair of first downs on the ground.

Bailey said the biggest lesson he implemented in-game was the ability to move past mistakes, especially after his interception. The Bulldogs turned that into a field goal.

“One thing that I used to do, I’m gonna be honest with you, in high school, I would hang onto bad mistakes, bad throws and interceptions,” Bailey said. “I had to forget about it, learn how to just put everything in the past and move forward.”

His teammates weren’t afraid to gas him up, either.

“He has confidence,” Justin Joly said. “I was like, ‘CJ, be who you are, bro. Be the QB you are. They recruited you for a reason.’”

Bailey completed 12 of 17 passes in the second half without an interception, providing maturity and resilience in a tough situation.

“I had to play for Grayson and the team,” Bailey said. “When my name was called, I just stepped in to make plays for my team, and we won the game.”