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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
NC State will start true freshman quarterback CJ Bailey against Clemson on Saturday, coach Dave Doeren announced.
Veteran transfer Grayson McCall was knocked out last week against Louisiana Tech with an undisclosed injury. Doeren said Monday during his weekly news conference that McCall is “day-to-day” and did not want to get into specifics on the injury.
“We’re going to take our time, and when he’s ready, he’ll be ready,” Doeren said. “CJ is ready to play.”
Bailey came in for McCall against Louisiana Tech and led the Wolfpack to a comeback victory, going 13-of-20 for 156 yards and an interception, with one rushing touchdown.
“I was really proud of the way that the team rallied around CJ,” Doeren said. “At halftime, when he knew it was his time to play, he was ready for the moment.”
The challenge gets more difficult this week at Clemson, where NC State has not won since 2002.
“They’ve got a great defensive line, and they do a lot of blitzing, so we’ve got to give them all the looks — not just him, the O-line and the protections with the backs,” Doeren said. “Obviously, crowd noise is going to be a part of what we’re doing every day, and making sure our cadence functions in the noise that we’re going to be dealing with. Then just schematically, doing the things that he’s best at, and then letting him play ball. That’s the one thing about him. He’s a football player. That kid understands the game. He’s a winner, and he’s excited. I’m excited for him.”
As for McCall, Doeren said Grayson’s injury is not season-ending.
“Every injury is different,” Doeren said. “You just be there for them, you’re supportive, you get them the care they need and when they’re ready to play, they’re ready to play. You just have to let the doctors tell you what the timeline looks like, and in his case, we’ve gotten good news. It’s just, how long does it take?”