CJ Bailey’s Best Game Sparks NC State Turnaround

When Bailey became the youngest team captain in the Doeren era for the Wolfpack, it was clear to many that the young signal caller had made great strides during the offseason as a leader.

Doeren raved about his accountability and growth, as well as the noticeable buy-in Bailey was getting from his teammates. Much of Doeren's mindset is built around winning one week at a time, rather than looking at the season from afar. His quarterback embodies that same spirit.

• "It's always good when you win games. I expect nothing but to win more games throughout the year. We treat every game the same," Bailey said after the Campbell win.

The sophomore oozed with confidence after his 337-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Fighting Camels. He completed 87% of his passes on the day, a season and career-high. After the win, he explained he was frustrated about the team's inability to push the ball down the field in the back-to-back losses.

That all changed against Campbell, as Bailey completed five of his seven pass attempts of 20-plus air yards for 179 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

• "We wanted to be out there. We wanted to play hard, and I’ve seen it extended to my guys. We took more shots. We spread the ball around a lot today," Bailey said.

A Calm Before the Storm

While the Wolfpack has faced stiff competition in the form of Virginia and Duke and proven itself against the Cavaliers, the rest of the schedule is daunting to a much higher degree. However, Bailey isn't concerned about the four currently ranked opponents coming at the Wolfpack in the coming weeks.

• "You say it's a tougher schedule. I don't think so. We're just going to play our game and be ourselves," Bailey said.

He added that it starts with his performance as the Wolfpack gets set to face No. 16 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, next week. He's right. If NC State has any dream of shocking the college football world and spoiling the Fighting Irish's College Football Playoff hopes, Bailey will need to put together his best performance as a college quarterback.

Not that he needed another, but Bailey earned another vote of confidence from his head coach as well.

• "CJ is playing well. He's played well all year. He's not going to be perfect; there are plays he's going to learn from, but he's given us a chance to win. He's playing hard. He's making plays with his feet. He's throwing catchable footballs down the field," Doeren said. "He understands the offense and where Kurt (Roper) wants him to go with the ball. He's playing with a lot of confidence."

Doeren has a window with Bailey he can't afford to miss. The strength of his quarterback was a major reason so many members of the Wolfpack fan base were frustrated after the Virginia Tech loss. The coach and quarterback duo will have an enormous opportunity to put their name on the map nationally with a strong performance against the Irish.

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