SOUTH BEND —After hounding Maddux Jeter Madsen into four interceptions and four sacks in last week’s 28-7 win over Boise State, Notre Dame football gets a taller challenge this week in facing N.C. State quarterback CJ Bailey.
Literally.
While Madsen is perhaps generously listed at 5-foot-10, even shorter than former Irish game-manager Drew Pyne, Bailey enters this Battle of CJs with physical dimensions of 6-foot-6 and 213 pounds.
Part of the same 2024 signing class as his Irish counterpart, Curtis Jason (CJ) Carr, Cedrick Bailey Jr. has been sacked eight times through six games.
With a clean pocket, Bailey is an 80% passer with nine touchdowns, no interceptions and 9.3 yards per attempt. Under pressure, as determined by Pro Football Focus, Bailey drops to 58% accuracy with four touchdowns, four interceptions and just 7.9 yards per attempt.
“He’s a different quarterback,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said Monday. “I’m not going to say he’s a true dual threat. He’s a quarterback. He wants to throw. He wants to distribute. He wants to pass that thing, but he has the ability to keep it in some zone-read situations or take off if he needs to, so you have to respect that.”
Bailey, who made nine starts as a freshman and already has 15 to his name, has rushed for three scores but averages just 2.0 yards per attempt (40 carries, 78 yards).
“There are some quarterbacks, you say, ‘All right, keep it if you want,’ “ Freeman said. “You can’t do that with this guy. That, to me, is the challenge this week. We have to be good in our coverages, we have to try to make him uncomfortable in the pocket and when we get a chance to get him, we have to get him down.”
How much does QB stature matter from a defensive perspective?
So far this season, Notre Dame has lost to Miami quarterback Carson Beck (6-4) and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed (6-1), while getting the best of Purdue’s Ryan Browne (6-4), Arkansas’ Taylen Green (6-6) and Madsen.
Aiming points for Irish pass rushers may vary based on the quarterback’s stature and release point from week to week. Case in point: linebacker Kynsgtonn Viliamu-Asa’s roughing-the-passer penalty against Boise State when his hand inadvertently struck the side of Madsen’s helmet.
“I don’t think when you’re talking about attacking a quarterback that you overly emphasize the height,” Freeman said. “Now, if you look at Kyngstonn’s penalty, he was really going for the ball and (his) hand hit the head. I don’t think you have to worry about that this week against a 6-foot-6 guy.”
Meanwhile, Bailey has had 11 passes batted in his young college career, including four last season at Georgia Tech. That could be due in part to his throwing mechanics, which somewhat negate his height.
The message to the Irish pass rushers this week? In addition to maintaining their rush-lane integrity, it will be to stay aggressive in the pursuit of strip sacks.
“Hey, go after that ball,” Freeman said. “If you don’t get the ball, you’ll probably hit the shoulder, not the head. That might be a positive.
“When you have shorter quarterbacks, you overly emphasize getting your hand up in throwing lanes to make sure he can’t have a clear picture. A guy that’s tall, I don’t know how much that’s going to affect him.”
After being credited with just seven batted passes through Freeman’s first three seasons, Notre Dame defenders already have three through five games in 2025. Defensive tackles Gabriel Rubio (6-5), Jared Dawson (6-1) and Cole Mullins (6-5) have one apiece.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: How CJ Bailey’s height alters the equation for Notre Dame football’s pass rush vs. N.C. State
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
