VIDEO: McKay, Emezie, Angeline discuss bouncing back against Ball State

Highlights from Tuesday's media session with offensive players

The Wolfpack got a reality check on Saturday at West Virginia in the form of a 44-27 loss that sent players and coaches back home looking for answers.

After two days of practice, quarterback Matthew McKay, wide receiver Emeka Emezie and tight end Cary Angeline are confident that they and their teammates are well on their way to fixing what went wrong in Morgantown as they prepare for this week's final non-conference tuneup against Ball State.

Here's what they had to say during Tuesday's session with the media. First, sophomore quarterback McKay ...

"Coming out in the second half you've got to be fresh, you've got to be ready and then I've just gotta to make smarter decisions and of course, be accurate. I've definitely been going back, putting in the work ... so I've definitely learned a lot."

"We lost the rhythm offensively. I could have done a way better job, too, just getting the ball to the receivers and making smarter plays. I felt like the first half was solid, we just didn't come out and execute in the second half."

"A lot of that stuff comes with time. I have to go back and watch the films and be smarter. If it's third down and one, let the running back eat. Don't try to throw a pass that was open, but the (linebacker) backed up to it. Just give it to the running back, get those yards and move on to the next play."

"I definitely have a high comfort level with Emeka, but the defense gave me what they gave me. I went through my progressions and that's what happened. Every game plan is different. He got 23 targets, but that's just what happened."

"I'm good. My confidence is really good."

Emezie said that he and his offensive teammates still have just as much confidence as ever in McKay (and that he enjoyed getting thrown to 23 times in the game) ...

"We're going to bounce back. You've gotta play, it's a long season. It's just one of those games. We just gotta come back in with energy and attack the day."

"(The 23 targets) isn't really accurate because some of those balls are throwaway balls. I was thinking it was more like 16-17 targets. Regardless, 23 targets, I wish I could catch every single 23. That's the way I look at it. I love that he has the confidence in me and I have the confidence in me as well. We connected a lot (12 catches) and that's good to see (we need to) keep on going forward with that."

"It's always tough with a game like that, but (McKay is) a strong kid. He's my roommate and I trust in him. He trusts in himself. He's going to be fine. It's not him. He's the quarterback and he gets the most pressure, but it's not (all) him."

Finally, Angeline talked about feeling more a part of the team at State after transferring from Southern Cal and sitting out the first two games of last season ...

""I'm definitely a lot more comfortable. Last year, the first two games I was ineligible. So this year I've been here for a year now. I've had a full camp, a full offseason. It's been great so far. I definitely like the Raleigh area a lot and I'm feeling a part of it here."

"Obviously we have some corrections to make, but like coach has said, we're not going to let that game define us. We've got to bounce back strong this weekend. We just had a great practice and we're ready for Saturday."

"We're still getting comfortable with each other. A lot of us haven't played with each other and we're kind of meshing as an offense. But I definitely think we're taking steps in the right direction."

"We all still believe in Matt a lot. He's a great quarterback and we all trust him. He's a very confident guy. We believe in him and he definitely believes in himself."