Facing adversity, NC State’s Bailey Hockman again finds a way to come out on top
In the first half of N.C. State’s game against Syracuse, Bailey Hockman found himself spinning out of control.
It wasn’t all his fault, though. Orange freshman linebacker Marlowe Wax had a hold of Hockman, the Wolfpack quarterback, and tossed him around in the end zone. Hockman, in an attempt to avoid a sack, tried to throw the ball away.
Hockman’s throw went out the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety. It wasn’t Hockman’s best moment of the first half, and it wasn’t even his first turnover.
But spinning out of control and landing upright seems to be Hockman’s calling card. Despite the safety, a first half interception and not securing the football on what should have been a sure-thing rushing touchdown, Hockman redeemed himself in the second half.
The 6-2, 200-pound, left-handed redshirt junior finished with a career-high 313 yards passing and four touchdowns in the Wolfpack’s 36-29 win over the Orange on Saturday. Three of his touchdown passes came in the second half, when N.C. State had to claw its way back from a nine-point deficit for the road win.
Part of that comeback had to do with the Wolfpack defense buckling down and forcing three consecutive three-and-outs at one point. A lot of it, though, had to do with Hockman settling himself down, putting the first half behind him and throwing dimes most of the second half.
“For me, it’s just keep going 1-0,” Hockman said after the game. “Coach (Tim) Beck tells me that after every play, so I just try to keep playing my game, keep making good decisions and it just worked out like that.”
Bailey Hockman keeps breaking his own records
Against a 1-9 Syracuse team, Hockman hit six different receivers and connected on 74% of his passes. He led N.C. State on three touchdown drives in the second half, and four scoring drives total — even though he was sacked six times, Hockman kept that 1-0 mantra on each play, resulting in his fifth win as a starting quarterback at N.C. State.
Since taking over for Devin Leary, who was injured against Duke last month, Hockman has had his struggles. The first half against Syracuse was a snapshot of that. But like he’s done most of the season, he never wavered.
In three of his last four games, Hockman has put together career highs that he trumped the next week. He passed for 248 against Miami on Nov. 6 and topped that with 265 against Florida State the following week. He had only 154 yards against Liberty on Nov. 21, but set a new career-high against the Orange. His three second half touchdown passes dug the team out of a hole as large as nine points, and he did it by giving his receivers a chance to make plays.
“They made them,” Doeren said about the receivers making tough catches. “He threw some really accurate passes. He read coverage, he stood in there, he had time to throw. Very proud of Bailey for the way he stepped up.”
Used to proving himself
Hockman said he’s used to adversity.
From not earning the starting job at Florida State out of high school to leaving to play at Hutchinson Community College for a year. Once he got to N.C. State, he sat out a year, and struggled in his seven appearances in 2019, throwing one touchdown and three interceptions. Even after leading the team to a season-opening win over Wake Forest this year, Hockman was snatched in favor of Leary.
Hockman was made starter again after Leary suffered a season-ending injury on Oct. 17 against Duke. Except for a few snaps by Ben Finley in a blowout loss to UNC, it’s been Hockman or bust for the Wolfpack. The results — three wins, two loses — have been favorable.
Doeren raves about how this team has faced adversity and pressed forward, and Hockman represents that as much as anyone on the roster.
“He’s a great example of overcoming adversity,” Doeren said of Hockman. “He’s definitely a great representative of a young man who’s overcome different obstacles and adversities and showcased that today in the second half.”
In the second half against Syracuse, Hockman completed 13 of 19 pass attempts, at one point connecting on eight straight passes. His favorite target of the day was Thayer Thomas, who caught 9 passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns.
Thomas, as much as anyone, has seen the growth from Hockman over the weeks.
“You can just tell he looks more comfortable out there,” Thomas said. “And I knew that was going to happen, just because at first Devin was getting a lot of reps. The chemistry wasn’t there, in my opinion. This whole last month we’ve really locked in with him, just knowing he’s going to be the guy from here on out. We’re looking forward to the last game and just continuing to grow with him.”
With the regular-season finale next week versus Georgia Tech and a bowl game on the horizon, Hockman will get two more chances to show his worth. With Leary set to make a full recovery, Finley on the roster and four-star quarterback Aaron McLaughlin on the way, Hockman will have to prove himself again in camp next season. But that’s nothing new.
“It’s kind of the story of my life,” Hockman said. “Ups and downs, ups and downs. Things might not go my way, it’s just who I am at this point.”
This story was originally published November 28, 2020 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Facing adversity, NC State’s Bailey Hockman again finds a way to come out on top."
