Dave Doeren: "There's Been a Lot of Growing Pains"
NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media Thursday afternoon ahead of the Wolfpack's upcoming matchup versus Miami.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s interview.
On players practicing as if they’d lost versus Clemson...
I think they know where I'm coming from. There's been an edge to them for sure. The proof will be in our performance Saturday night, but we've had a good week.
On Miami’s athleticism...
That's what you would think you would see. I think Mario [Cristobal] has done a really nice job on the line of scrimmage. You can tell that his demeanor as a former offensive lineman is ingrained in this team. They're tough up front on both sides of the football. They play good football on the line of scrimmage. They’ve always had good skill down there. [Tyler Van Dyke] is a guy that believes in himself. It's a good football team we're playing.
On putting an additional blocker on Rueben Bain, Jr....
We've had to do it throughout the year, for sure. We will for him. He's a great player. He’s a guy you like to watch and wish he was on your sideline. Louisville's [Ashton Gillotte] was the same way. I thought he was one of those guys that you have to know where he was the whole game. This league's got a lot of them — Clemson had two of them last week — that are proven defensive ends. We have a couple, too. It's nice. You're going to see two good defensive lines playing in this football game.
On his thoughts regarding the previous matchups against Miami...
Only that they've been one-possession games. I told the team that: “You need to be ready for a one-possession, four-quarter game. That's what this game has been the last several times it's been played.” There have been different coaches on the sideline for some of those games, but we’re definitely bringing that up to their attention. It's going to be a tough game. A lot ACC games are that way. You get into the league, and you're seeing that now; every team — it doesn't matter what their record is — they show up. They're well-coached. The kids play hard. They're recruited to those schools for a reason.
On Jordan Poole's progression at running back
He's getting used to the different things. We didn't give him as much the first week and a half he was in there. Todd [Goebbel] is adding to his plate. I’m not sure you'll be able to tell that on game day, but with practice, he's now getting more reps with more things. It will be a matter of time.
On M.J. Morris' growth since being named starting quarterback...
He's definitely playing comfortably back there. I think the game is not fast to him. He relates well with the guys on the field. He brings energy. He's confident. He throws a very catchable ball. He's gotten through the cobwebs in the first couple [of games]. The first quarter of the Marshall game was where you saw the worst things from him. I thought he's settled in. He's a good game manager, too. He knows how to distribute the ball. He doesn't turn the football over a ton. That's an important part of winning.
On the "Salty Dave" nickname...
I've been called a lot worse than that. As long as it's not something with an “F” word in it, I'm pretty good with it. I always laugh. My kids like that one. I don't know [if it’ll stick]. You don't give yourself a nickname. It's not one of those things you're allowed to do. If that's what they call me, that's what they call me.
On how the Hurricanes’ offensive line prevents sacks...
Their ability to run the football is part of it. When you're not a one-dimensional front, it helps. Running the football is not going to allow sacks to happen. They're committed to running the ball. The quarterback gets the ball out quick. That's the other part of it. They're good in pass protection. It's a big group. They've got length and size. Their backs are a part of that as well. They do a good job. Sometimes, they're in max protection where it's hard to get there.
On Miami's perceived abundance of NIL contributions...
I don't know. I have no idea what they're doing with that on their end. They got a good team. They're well-coached. [The NIL discussion] is something you guys want to talk about, but for me, it's that those are the players we're going to play against. Regardless if they have NIL or not, we’ve got to go play against them and play well.
On importance of special teams...
Every week, [it’s important]. It’s a critical piece of the game: the kickers, the punters, the snappers, the returners. There are a lot of good ones in this game.
On the Wolfpack’s special teams success...
I’m happy. We're top three in the ACC in every category and top five in the country in a couple, but we're not done yet. There are four games of work. A lot of things can happen, good and bad. The thing about special teams is it's the only part of the game that every snap of special teams is going to equal 40 yards or more in field exchange. You think about offense and defense; it's very rare that there's a 40-yard gain or exchange on a play. It happens every time we kick the football. Those are massive plays in the game, field position-wise. There's a lot that goes into that. Coach Goebbel does a tremendous job with those guys.
On his enjoyment of team's progression so far this season
It depends on what day you ask me that one. It's crazy that it's already November. There are pieces of this that I've really enjoyed. There are pieces of it where I wanted to do what am I allowed to do, be physical with guys. They drive you crazy, and they make you happy. It's 125 young men. You're trying to push them through some really tough things and enjoy some really good things with them. There's been a lot of growing pains. There are going to be a lot of good memories from it. Every day is a new adventure in this job. Every single day. I'm fortunate to be able to be around it. There's not a lot of guys that have the opportunity to be a Power Five head coach and be at a school as long as I have. All week, we were pushing Payton Wilson's name out there for all these awards he's on. Oh my gosh. I've coached a long time. I haven't ever seen a guy play like that guy is playing right now. I've seen some good football players. It's cool to be a part of that ride with him right now. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to finish it with him.
On K.C. Concepcion‘s successful season...
I texted him today. I said, “Hey man, you're doing a great job. Let's finish. You've got your name on a lot of things because how you're going about it. It's one day at a time and one play at a time.” I’m very proud of him. I’m impressed, proud, and hopeful that he keeps true to the process that he's been doing, not reading into the press clippings until the season's over.
On where his team’s grown the most...
Our understanding as a team of the importance of complementary football. I think that you can have a conversation about our guys about that. They could give you a very philosophical answer about it, but I don't think they understood it and the value of it until we played in a couple games and played the way we did a couple of games. That has hit home in a big way to this roster.
On what games team realized importance of complementary football
Notre Dame was where it first started. There was a bunch of times in that game when we did not play off of each other. That whole team meeting was about that. I thought it started to get there. There have been other failures. Louisville was the other one. I really felt like we did not play complementary football — I know we didn't — in that game. It really hurt us. The value of that has been entrenched and, unfortunately, branded through pain. Sometimes, that's how you’ve got to learn. You’ve got to walk on hot coals and get tougher.
On Jaylon Scott staying at NC State for his final year of eligibility...
It’s a great story. In today's world, not just football but in general — you see it at the high school level now — kids are picking up and transferring all the time. It's sad. Parents are robbing young people of adversity. “That's okay, honey. Let's do this. That's too hard.” That's sad. That's why we're a soft country. I'm proud of Jaylon, really proud of him. It wasn't easy. He wasn't always great with it. There were times where I had to get after him. He's hung in there. He's going to be a college graduate. He's playing really good football. He changed the trajectory of his life because he hung in there. It's a great story. I wish more people would allow that for their children. Allow them to fail. Failure is good. It allows them to learn how to handle that adversity and overcome it.
On Devon Betty following the same path...
The thing about Betty is you guys know Isaiah [Moore] was such a tremendous leader. He was soaking that in, too. He's a really mature guy if you talk to Betty. He was enjoying learning from him. I think some guys don't understand the big picture as well as Betty does. He definitely took that in. He had some tough days too, but he’s definitely a guy that’s enjoyed the process of learning behind a great player and a great leader.