How QB CJ Bailey has approached bouncing back after his first-career 4-turnover game

By Noah Fleischman

NC State sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey hadn’t crumbled under pressure through the first three weeks of the season. He was able to not only take care of the football — just 1 interception in the first 12 quarters of the campaign — but Bailey helped engineer a pair of comeback wins over Virginia and Wake Forest. 

While the 18-year-old was able to run the Wolfpack offense with ease, he was able to avoid being prone to turnovers. That was, however, until NC State faced off with Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.

Despite throwing for a career-best 364 yards with 2 touchdowns on a career-high 74.4 percent completion rate, Bailey committed 4 turnovers (3 interceptions and a lost fumble) — the most times he’s given the ball away in his career. 

Although the turnovers were the reason why Duke ended up with the ball on extra possessions since the Wolfpack didn’t log a punt in a game for the first time since 2022, Bailey hasn’t seemed to let that rattle his confidence.

Yes, he’s the first to criticize his own play, but Bailey has handled his errors as if he were a senior quarterback with a wealth of college experience under his belt. That, to most around the Murphy Center, has been the most impressive response to Bailey’s poor showing.

“The beauty of this kid, you don’t have to [tell him]; he knows. It’s the first thing he says to you after the game,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. “The value of taking care of the ball, making decisions that protect our opportunities to win, and also understanding when you can take chances in a game. These are all things that a young player learns from, trying to make plays and doing it in a calculated and safe way. There’s a fine line there.”

Bailey’s turnovers were a combination of trying to make a play and having the other 10 players on offense lead to an error. His first-quarter interception, according to Doeren, was a result of poor pass blocking that led to Bailey’s hand being hit on the follow-through to result in a wobbly throw that was tipped and intercepted by Duke defensive back DaShawn Stone. 

But the other three turnovers? Those were on Bailey, including a critical late-second-quarter pick on a hard-count play when the Wolfpack was content on calling a timeout to attempt a field goal as it led by 6 points with less than a minute until halftime. Duke, however, went on to score the go-ahead touchdown two plays later, a lead it never relinquished the rest of the way in a 45-33 Blue Devils victory.

Even though he would likely want to have those other three plays back, looking to correct his errors, which could have changed the outcome of the game, Bailey hasn’t pointed any fingers. Instead, he’s owned all 4 turnovers in the days since the loss.

“There are a lot of people in this world that will make excuses and blame others or complain,” Doeren said. “People who own things have a license to improve. He does that naturally. He does that because that’s how he was raised — his family did a great job bringing him up. And that’s why he gets better fast. That’s why you see the improvements you see in him as a player.”

As Bailey has taken accountability for what he felt were his own errors, the quarterback has continued to gain respect from his teammates. After all, he was voted captain as a sophomore, the youngest player to do so in Doeren’s 13 seasons in Raleigh, and his ability to take responsibility for his actions was a key reason for that trust. 

Senior tight end Cody Hardy, one of the more veteran starters within the Wolfpack offense, seemed to be validated by his signal-caller’s response to adversity.

“That’s one thing about CJ, he’s going to take accountability,” Hardy said. “As the game went on, he’s the biggest hype man, no matter what’s going on. … He’s still there for us, he’s still the leader, and everybody believes in him. That’s just how he is, and how he’s going to be. For him to take accountability for all of that, it shows you how special that kid really is.”

In every offensive meeting since, Bailey has looked to put his first-ever 4-turnover game behind him. He’s looking to return to playing clean football like he did through the first three games, and to do so, Bailey has kept a level head. 

And that approach has been one that has allowed the Wolfpack to move forward as it prepares to host Virginia Tech on Saturday night (7 p.m., The CW) at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Sophomore wide receiver Terrell Anderson, who caught a career-best 6 passes for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns at Duke, said Bailey is “the same person every day.” He isn’t the only player to notice Bailey keeping the same mindset, either, as fellow captain and grad student offensive lineman Anthony Carter Jr. has seen the same.

“CJ’s coming in with a high spirit, always wanting to get better,” Carter said. “He was not getting down on himself, understanding who he is as a quarterback and who he is as a leader on the team, he’s still sticking to his routine regardless of how the last game was. 

“[He’s] still encouraging guys, going out there and having that confidence. That confidence is still there. Mistakes happen, it’s part of football, but [he’s] understanding that and just fixing that and continuing to lead guys. He’s been great. He’s still the same guy.”

The Wolfpack hopes that approach helps Bailey get back on track as he looks to continue to prove he’s among the top quarterbacks in the ACC with a bounce-back performance against the Hokies. But only time will tell.