AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
The shock was swift and furious.
N.C. State’s last-second loss to Vanderbilt stunned the college sports world in such a way that the program is at the forefront of national headlines, even four days after the game.
Read more Chris Spatola, son-in-law of Duke basketball’s legendary Coach K, dies suddenly
“What is college football’s most average program?”
N.C. State’s all-time loss lies at the feet of Dave Doeren, not the QB who fumbled”
“‘Fire everyone’: How NC State lost to Vanderbilt on disastrous game-ending fumble”
“Nobody has ever had it worse than this N.C. State fan who called into John Fanta’s show from a porta potty at his girlfriend’s mom’s wedding after the Wolfpack’s epic collapse Saturday”
That’s not the case for the players or coaches in Raleigh. It doesn’t make the outcome enjoyable, of course, but nobody — at least publicly — is dwelling on the final play or the outcome, even if it led to a historically bad loss.
“We’re all just taking it on the chin. I think we’ve all moved on from (it), in the building,” said Isaiah Shirley, hybrid defensive end and tight end. “Everybody else is still talking about it. We’re ready to go. I haven’t thought about it for a couple days. No one’s brought it up. We’re out here ready to play football again, ready for another opportunity on Saturday to put it on film.”
Quarterback CJ Bailey and several teammates, including Shirley, on Wednesday made their first media appearances since the game. It was also Bailey’s first news conference since the loss at Virginia in Week 0.
Bailey told reporters he spoke with the coaching staff before the play, and it’s something they work on. He attempted to run down the clock and make a play. It didn’t work out the way anyone wanted or expected.
“That was my first time ever in that situation,” Bailey said. “It didn’t go the right way I wanted to. I fumbled with the ball. It’s what it is. We’ve got to move forward.”
Bailey said his parents, coaches and teammates have supported him. In return, he’s showing up. He doesn’t want this weekend’s outcome to spiral out of control when there are multiple opportunities ahead.
“I’ve been waking up on the right side of the bed every morning, feeling good. It’s always tough when you lose a game, especially that way. We took it the same way as we take any loss, just try to move forward.”
Bailey’s teammates who met with the media all shared messages of support toward their quarterback.
Read more NC State is barely breaking even on its ice cream brand. Is that intentional?
Shirley said the team is not blaming Bailey. It identified other plays, other miscues that could have prevented the fumble or changed the score, making the fumble irrelevant to the outcome. Linebacker Elijah Satchell said Bailey has stepped up and supported the team in other instances, so it’s only right to lift him up.
The immediate aftermath of the loss was difficult, though. The players acknowledged both things can be true, but they’ve also let Saturday go.
“We’ve truly moved past that. … We’re just focusing on us,” Andersen said. “Practices have been amazing, super fun, super energetic. I feel like the more we focus on us, the better we’re going to play on Saturdays.”
The start of N.C. State’s season hasn’t gone to plan. Losing to Virginia wasn’t in the plan. Losing to Vanderbilt wasn’t in the plan. Losing in heartbreaking fashion and in a blowout weren’t at all what the team wanted or expected.
The firestorm that accompanied both losses wasn’t exactly on the agenda, but plenty of lessons have come out of the first few weeks.
“This year has been a tough year,” Bailey said. “I learned a lot in this year of who my friends are, how big my circle is, how a lot of things (have) changed for me throughout this year.”
That’s part of growing up, Bailey said. He’s trying to learn what he can, be better and stay positive. There’s a football game this weekend. There are more plays to be made. He’s trying to look at the good.
Part of the good is that there are nine regular-season games remaining, plenty of plays left to make. N.C. State embraced that mentality.
It looks to respond on Saturday when it hosts Appalachian State at Carter-Finley Stadium, looking to move back to .500. The Wolfpack rolled past Richmond in Week 2 after its loss to the Cavaliers; it hopes for a similar response.
“The practices have been great. Today was even a great day,” Bailey said. “It was a rainy day, and we practiced so hard out there. … They’ve been through a lot, too, from that loss. They came to work today, and they came to work yesterday as well. That’s what I like.”
Read more Chris Spatola, son-in-law of Duke basketball’s legendary Coach K, dies suddenly