Inside CJ Bailey’s Rough Performance as NC State Fell to Notre Dame
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RALEIGH — Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey struggled in Saturday's loss to No. 16 Notre Dame, as NC State fell to the Fighting Irish 36-7 on the road in South Bend, Indiana.
If the Wolfpack wanted any chance to stun the Irish faithful, Bailey needed to be the architect of the upset. Notre Dame's increasingly confident defense contained the signal caller and his allies. It was far and away Bailey's worst performance of the 2025 season, as he struggled with turnovers and completing simple passes. He finished with 186 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
Bailey's head coach, Dave Doeren, was confident about his quarterback heading into the matchup, but was left stunned after his sophomore quarterback's performance.
Under Pressure
Notre Dame's defensive front came into the matchup struggling to stop the run and get to the quarterback. The unit had no such issue against Bailey and the Wolfpack offensive line. The Irish sacked Bailey four different times. Star edge rusher Boubacar Traore was responsible for a pair of those sacks and wrecked the Wolfpack's game plan all afternoon.
Throwing under pressure has been a major problem for Bailey throughout the season. In NC State's losses, Bailey has been sacked two more times. In the wins, never more than once. With injuries now affecting the Pack's offensive line and a few more talented defenses coming later in the season, Bailey will need to find ways to play better when under siege.
The Turnover Bug
In two of the three losses for NC State, Bailey threw three interceptions. All three of his turnovers came in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish secondary blanketed Bailey's pass catchers after sophomore wideout Terrell Anderson left the game with an injury. The quarterback shared his thoughts on the turnovers and seemed unbothered by how they occurred.
"The turnovers, they came in the back end in crucial moments. We had two fourth-downs, one at the end of the game, one before that," Bailey said. "Me, I'm a competitor. I'm not just going to take a sack on a fourth down, you know what I mean? I'm going to try to make a play."
KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA IS A PLAYMAKER #GoIrish☘️ | @AsaViliamu pic.twitter.com/uQDh3tdVCJ
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 11, 2025
The interception on the throwaway was particularly shocking and perhaps the best example of Doeren's opinion of Bailey's performance.
"CJ was off a little today. I mean, there's no other way to say it and I told him that in the locker room. He's a great player and he's played really good for us this year," Doeren said. "I'm not blaming him at any point, but you know, he has huge expectations for himself and so do we."
Bailey won't have a matchup against an FCS opponent to regain confidence the rest of the way, as the competition remains stiff for the next four games. The Wolfpack offense will try to regroup in the bye week before another road trip, this time to face the Pittsburgh Panthers.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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