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How QB CJ Bailey rose to the occasion in NC State’s upset win over No. 8 Georgia Tech

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman11/02/25fleischman_noah
CJ Bailey
Nov 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarter back CJ Bailey (11) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

As ESPN’s College GameDay previewed action around the ACC on Saturday morning, live from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, former Alabama coach Nick Saban was focused on the quarterback matchup with NC State and No. 8 Georgia Tech.  “Haynes King has been great,” Saban said on the pregame show, “but CJ Bailey is pretty damn good too.” That set the table for a showdown between two of the conference’s more-prolific players under center, featuring a bruising runner in King and one of the nation’s top young passers in Bailey.  Fast forward a little more than 14 hours later, Bailey found himself wading through a field filled with Wolfpack fans after he helped engineer a 48-36 upset win over the eighth-ranked team in the nation. The signal-caller not only appeared to snap out of his rut, but he did so against a Heisman Trophy hopeful in primetime under the lights.