Dave Doeren: "You're Only as Good as the Next Guy in the Game"
NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media Thursday afternoon as the Wolfpack prepares for its Saturday matchup versus VMI.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s interview.
On this week’s practice after the Notre Dame loss…
It was really focused. The guys looked, as I’ve said many times this week, really excited to get back out there and lock in on some of the things that we all felt like we could’ve done better and were costly things during the last game. Anytime you lose a game, it’s an opportunity for growth. We definitely took advantage of that opportunity in practice this week.
On Brennan Armstrong bouncing back from the loss…
He’s working really hard. Offensively, it’s not just Brennan. It’s just everybody coming into game three with a new system, even the play caller. “Here’s what I had. Here’s what guys are doing well. Here’s what they’re not. Here are ways we can serve them better with the game plan.” I think that’ll evolve. Each week, you’ll see that center in on what Coach [Robert] Anae thinks they’re best at and what’s best for Brennan with the pieces around him. It’s been great to see the way he’s worked with these guys and how they continue with the camaraderie and how they work at practice with each other.
On Bishop Fitzgerald’s development…
That’s why we brought him here. We felt like we needed competitive depth with all the injuries we’ve dealt with over the years. You’re only as good as the next guy in the game. Bishop was a great player in junior college. Unfortunately with when his timeline was to graduate, we didn’t have him here in spring ball. We’ve got to give him credit for picking up the defense as quickly as he could and for being in condition. Sometimes, it takes guys, especially coming out of junior college ranks, some time to get into college football shape. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit for being able to do that.
On the defense shutting down passes to the tight end…
I think, really, it’s eye discipline issues that you saw. Play actions are usually when tight ends are incorporated the most in the pass game, and with Notre Dame, that’s what they did. They were smart about it. In the second half, they went to some play actions and nakeds, and unfortunately, our guys did not do what we asked them to with their eyes on those plays, so it’s a great chance to learn and get better. We know — and regardless what play we’re talking about — if someone has continued success on anything in college football, the next team, the next team, and the next team are going to run those plays until you prove that you’ve got that problem fixed. We do the same thing. We look forward to that. That’s a challenge for these guys this week to improve their eye discipline.
On where he’s wanted to see the most growth this week…
The biggest thing for us is playing complementary football right now, and until we play a game, I’m not going to be able to tell you that’s happening. We’re in practice, and they’re on separate fields. If you looked at the game separately, both sides of the ball did some good things. The problem was that they didn’t do it at the right times when we had the field position on offense, or when we got a takeaway on defense, or when the offense scored and got the momentum but the defense let them score. We just didn’t play well together in spurts, and that’s something game day’s going to have to really tell. I think that’s the biggest area of growth the team needs right now.
On Rakeim Ashford…
He’s doing a lot better. He’s really close to playing. It’s day-to-day. As you go through these protocols every day, they measure where kids are out in their return to play. If he doesn’t play this weekend, he’ll definitely play the next week.
On the rest of the coaching staff adjusting to Anae’s system…
He’s a vet. One thing you like about him and Coach [Tony] Gibson is, when things aren’t what they want, they own them right away. “Hey, I’ve got to get the guys to do this better. I shouldn’t have called that. Hey, this was a good call, but the player dropped the ball.” He’s very direct and understands there are certain things that, unfortunately when you’re in your first year, you’re going to try because they looked good in practice, but game day is different. You’ve got to get to the point where you know what your game looks like, and we’ve got three true freshmen playing on offense at times right now. There are some things that we’re going to go through here until we get those guys seasoned a little bit more. It’s nice to have a guy like him: very level-headed, complete ownership of anything. Success doesn’t give him an ego; failure doesn’t rattle him. He’s just, “All right, what do we have to do differently? what can we do better? Here’s how we’re going to do it.” I appreciate that about him.
On keeping the freshmen’s confidence up…
You just keep talking to them. “Hey, look, you’re a great player. This is something you’re going to have to battle through. You’ve made a lot of plays in your career. Why did that happen? You took your eyes off the ball.” One of the interceptions came because, as soon as the ball got there, he turned to run; we call that framing the catch. There are little things that we preach. Like I’ve said many times this week — if you’re a parent, you really understand this — sometimes, you’ll tell your kids something 100 times, and until they actually suffer the lesson, they don’t get what you’re saying. That had to happen with some guys in this game, and freshmen are definitely a part of that “some of these guys.” They’re going to be 1,000 times better for the lessons they’re learning right now, and it’s about accelerating that curve with them right now. We have a lot of trust and faith in K.C. [Concepcion], [Juice] Vereen, and Kendrick Raphael, or we wouldn’t put them out there in a game like Notre Dame. They’ve proven that they deserve those reps through their work in practice.
On the freshmen’s growth in practice this week…
Absolutely. They’ll bounce back well.
On the captains leading the team after a loss…
They’ve done a great job. They’re very calm, collected, and direct, and they practice their butts off. When you get up and lead, it’s not just about what you say. It’s what you do. That’s the thing I like about these guys. They’ve gone out and had a really good week of practice on top of the messaging to the team.