Grant Gibson UNC Postgame Press Conference

Here is what NC State junior center Grant Gibson had to say during a postgame session with the media following Saturday's 48-21 loss to UNC in Chapel Hill

It was a tough day for NC State's offense Saturday at North Carolina.

Playing for the first time since starting quarterback Devin Leary's season-ending injury, the Wolfpack struggled early, got a brief spark off the bench from true freshman Ben Finley, before finally achieving some late success long after the outcome -- a 48-21 loss to the rival Tar Heels -- was decided.

Here's what center Grant Gibson had to say about the loss and the offense's performance during a postgame session with the media:

How much of a boost did the offense get when Finley came into the game during the second quarter?

"At that time in the game, it was huge. He gave us the spark that we needed. I thought he played well. It was good to see him out there. He’s been playing hard."

How disappointed was the offense with the start and how important was it to finally help get something going after Finley came in?

"At that point in the game, I don’t think we were upset at all. It’s a long game. At that point, I think we were down 14-0. We were still in the first half. We could still come back and still play hard. I thought that we did that . We didn’t flinch. We just tried to keep competing."

How important was it for Bailey Hockman to come back in during the second half and have some success?

"I thought that he came in at the end and played hard. I know that it was tough on him at first to be pulled, but he was still on the sidelines still trying to cheer us on and keep the team moving. I was proud of the way that came in at the end. That says a lot about him and the way he carries himself. I thought he did well."

What does the team need to work on most during the open week?

"We’re going to go take a look at this film. I think that we need to go fix a lot of things. We obviously need to go back and look at ourselves first. I think that we need to get healthy. We need to get some guys back, but I also think that we need to keep competing hard. I think that in this bye week we are going to take a look at ourselves, learn from this loss and just bounce back."

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