VIDEO + QUOTE: Dave Doeren's Weekly Quotebook

NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media via Zoom to discuss the Wolfpack's 20-6 win over Miami and its upcoming road game versus Wake Forest.

NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s press conference.

Opening Statement

What a great weekend. We had a great win over Miami, and I’m extremely honored and proud of the team and our staff for how they bonded and responded. We've beaten two of the more storied programs in college football in Clemson and Miami in back-to-back weeks. That occurred because of a very dedicated effort from a great staff and players that fought, fought, and fought. Executed longer and fought harder than our opponent. We found ways to win playing with each other. It's a tough team, and no matter what, this team fights. I'm proud of that. No matter what, I'm very proud of them for that. It was a heck of a football game Saturday night. It was a great environment, great game day atmosphere, awesome, awesome crowd noise. I’m thankful. That's what it's supposed to feel like, supporting your team that's battling and fighting. It’s so much better than we had in some previous games where we could have used that. It was phenomenal, and I’m thankful. It was two really physical groups in that game battling on the line of scrimmage. It was hard fought. Both fronts, O-lines and D-lines, it was a slugfest in there. I thought our guys did a good job. It came down, really, to a pivotal moment, a goal-line stand. In that moment, like I said after the game, they put in some big guys, we put in some big guys, and we stopped him. Shy Battle came off the edge and did a great job on the play. It was really cool to stop them there on the three. The defense was tired. Offense had just had three straight three-and-outs, then they come out and go on a 97-yard touchdown drive to make it a two-possession game, a huge sequence in that game. We had some pivotal third downs: a third-down completion from M.J. [Morris] to K.C. [Concepcion] sparked the drive, then the third down run by Brennan [Armstrong] on another great play. Then, they gave us a penalty on that play with their guy on our sideline. That turned into the game, then the takeaways on defense put it away at the end.

Positives on offense, I thought we played really hard up front and battled against a tremendous D-line. We averaged four yards a carry against that group. We only had five plays in our backfield by a team that averages well over that. I thought our backs did a better job. They ran hard. Kendrick [Raphael] had an exceptional run. We had more yards after first contact. That was one of our goals in that room this week. We had more explosive plays than we had the week before. I really thought Anthony Belton and Jacarrius Peak at tackle played their best games for us. Both of them had more pancakes than they've had. They played against two really good edge players, and I’m proud of them. Negatives, the two pre-snap penalties, those were not needed. Poor focus can't happen. They’re things we've got to do better. In the red zone twice, we got field goals instead of touchdowns. Those are things that we can get better at to finish drives. Overall I thought, against a really good defense, the offense did a good job, especially when we needed them.

On defense, it was probably one of our better performances: four takeaways, a goal line stand, gave up no touchdowns the entire game, no explosive plays for scores. Our sudden change defense, when you come out after the offense turns the ball over twice, we get turnovers right back, two-for two. Third down, we were 13-of-17 efficient. All night, I felt like [Tyler Van Dyke] was frustrated, so it was a great job by Tony Gibson, his staff, and the players. It was fun. It was fun to have a game like that against such a good team. They've got good players. [Mark Fletcher, Jr.] is an impressive young player.

Special teams, Brayden [Narveson] again comes in, two-for-two [on field goals]. Caden Noonkester averaged over 41 yards net [punting]. Anthony Smith continues to get down the field and help us in coverage units. I thought we did a good job pressuring [Dylan Joyce]. He's really caused some problems for some teams. Jalen Coit makes really good decisions back there. It was a great win.

Now, we’re moving on to a great, in-state game against coach [Dave] Clawson and his team at Wake Forest. They've always done such a good job there. They're well-coached. They play hard. They had a couple of extra days. I don't know if they use them to rest or not, but they played on Thursday, so they get a few extra days for this one than we do. It's an old, old rivalry game, one of the oldest out there. We've had a lot of close ones with them, a lot of the nail biters and one-possession games. They play hard. They do. They're better than their record. They've had some one-possession losses.

Offensively, we know they're unique and different with the timing of their system. They're very good at it. Their O-line's experienced. That big receiver [Taylor] Morin's been around a long time. At running back, they’ve got a good rotation. O-line's big, and they play well together. They get it. They know what they're doing. They've been in the same system a long time. [Mitch Griffis], even though he's a first-year starter, has been there a long time. You can see that he knows how to operate.

Their defense, I think their front's impressive. They play hard. I think [Dave Cohen] does a really good job fundamentally. [Jasheen Davis] and [Kevin Pointer] are playmakers. They're twitchy. They get off blocks. Their safety [Mailk Mustapha] makes a ton of plays for them. He's all over the field. They're very sound. They've got a very experienced staff on defense. You can tell that they've worked together for quite a while. I’m excited for the next opportunity. We get a chance to go on the road and play a good football team that's very well coached.

On the cornerbacks’ contributions to limiting explosive plays…

They both played really well the last two games. I think Shy just played his best game. I was really proud of him — I told him that yesterday — in the run game, how he tackled, in the pass game, how he defended, his technique. He was trusting his training. He played really well. Obviously, Aydan [White] had a huge interception in that game. Those two guys are playing at a high level. They're very confident.

On the "[number of games remaining]-game season" approach…

Sometimes, we all get hung up in the past. Not that the past doesn't matter — it does — but being more in the moment and understanding what you still have left to play for, to me, was the right thing to do at that time. It's a unique team. We've had over 40 new players and two new coaches, a lot of change, Ten guys from our roster last year got NFL tryouts. We lost some talent. We had some good players coming in and some guys were getting their chance, the Jaylon Scott's that have been waiting their turns. It's just taken some time. That bye week allowed me a chance to reflect and kind of put pen to paper on “Hey, here's what we need to be for these next five weeks on offense defense, and special teams." Not sell it, but make sure they understand it and get everyone's buy-in on it, staff first, then players. Everybody's done a good job. They understand what there is. It’s everything we can do to win the next game. That's it. Forget about the past. Don't think about the end. Think about today. I know that's easier said than done, but our guys bought into that. At that time, there was a lot of negativity coming out of our Duke loss and deservedly so. Not to take anything away from what Duke is, they're a good program, but we didn't play well in that game. Our guys were pissed, and coaches were as well. We wanted to get better. I felt like that was the best approach was to focus on what we can do, not what we haven't done.

On what the team will focus on this week…

We’re excited about the matchup with Wake. It's a team that doesn't beat itself. They’re very experienced with a ton of continuity in their systems. The guys know it, inside and out. You can see that on film. They play really hard. It doesn't matter who you watch them play; you see the same thing. Guys are just playing hard. They're sound. That's the matchup. You've got to go earn this one. I think that's one thing our team has figured out: if you don't beat yourself, and you play really, really hard, longer than the guy across for you, you're going to win. We've got to keep doing it. We've got to be able to continue the process of being consistent from that standpoint. That's what I look forward to is that challenge with this matchup with Wake Forest. “All right, you beat Clemson. You beat Miami. Now, here's the next team that we got to go try to beat.” Understand: they're not easy to beat in their stadium. That's a place a lot of people go down and fail at. A lot of focus is going to be on how do we go down there and be the best team we can be.

On the return of Wake Forest as a protected rival in the restructured ACC schedule…

At the beginning of the season, the rivalry was going to end every year. Now, it's back. We never had that miss which is good. I love that we're playing all three other schools in-state every year for at least the next seven. I think that's awesome. I would be in favor of a trophy for whoever wins the most in-state games between the four of them. Paint each side of it the school color, and let that team keep it. I think it'd be awesome to have some kind of trophy for the 4 teams moving forward after this season. We are actually going to have bragging rights for a whole year based on that. We'll see if anyone bites on that one, but we'll put it out there. It's going to be fun to have you know the opportunity to play Duke, to play Wake, and to play UNC every season. Occasionally, we'll get one of the non-power five, ECU, App [State], or Charlotte, on our rotation. I know the other schools are as well. We'll see how that all plays out. It's awesome if you look at the geography of it because these leagues across the country are becoming less geographic. They're covering the entire country. We're going to have two California schools and a Texas school. I love that our pod is local. I think that's great for us.

On Narveson getting into a rhythm after starting the season two-for-four on field goals…

I'm happy for him. Knock on wood everybody, but he's been consistent. He's confident. He's got a good routine. We’ve just got to keep him in that, one kick at a time.

On being the visiting team for other teams’ senior days…

You know, I hadn't thought about it. It is a moment for those teams. It's not a moment for the visiting team. We're going out there to play them. We know that, if it is their senior day, it's going to be emotional for their players. Being a part of that on my side, it doesn't equal a win. You still got to go execute and play well. For us, regardless of what that day is for them, we have to go play better than Wake Forest. We know that there is going to be some extra motion before the game for their sideline, but we've got to do four quarters or more of playing better than that other team. That's what wins games: playing smarter, playing harder, playing tougher, playing more together. Take that part of it out because it's not going to dictate how the game is played. It's going to dictate the pregame emotion of it for them.

On simulating Wake Forest’s offense on scout team…

It can be [hard]. It takes a little bit of work with your scout team coaches with the timing of when they do do the mesh, the "slow mesh," as people like to call it. We've been doing it for a long time here since they installed it, so our guys have a better feel for it because we play against them every year, even our scout team guys that are back. I'm pretty confident we'll get a good look, but it's not the same as game day. It's always going to be a little bit of an adjustment there.

On Armstrong’s success in the ground game…

He ran really hard. He definitely gave us some valuable yards in the game. The one option play that he ducked up inside was a huge play in the game. He's tough and resilient. It was great to hear the crowd cheer for him as the game went on. I think they were really pulling for him to get in the end zone there at the end. I can't say enough about his perseverance. He's been through a lot since the Louisville game. I think he's in a great headspace right now. Coach [Robert] Anae has always been a creative guy that tries to find ways to use his players. Brennan brings that to the game. He brings another guy that can go in and make plays.

On Davin Vann’s impact in the trenches…

Wasn't that a great play at the end of the game by him? You see him dive and miss him, then swipe again and get him after splitting the double team. You talk about a guy that plays so hard. His desire to make plays and strain, I love that. That was a great play by Davin. He's having a heck of a year. He's one of those dudes. He's a tone setter. He's going to play so hard every snap. Whether he's making the play or disrupting the play, he's in there. You better know where No. 1 is at because he's coming. He's going to play hard. He's going to chase that football until he's fatigued. Then, we're going to roll on and get him back in when he's ready. I’m very proud of him. He's definitely worn the No. 1 the right way this season.

On long-tenured coaches adding value to the ACC…

If you look at our league, [Clemson’s] Dabo [Swinney] is in the top seven for longevity. I'm in the top eight. Clawson's one year behind me. That's on the national stage I'm talking about, not just the ACC. I would think that that's meaningful in the league. I don't know because I don't sit in those those meetings and hear about that kind of talk. From a rivalry standpoint, I would think so. I would think that the sustainable product that those three coaches — myself, Dave, and Dabo — have put together a consistent product of winning. Obviously, Dabo's two national championships in his time should speak volumes for those schools, but sometimes, you're only as good as your last game. That's unfortunate. I've got great respect for Dave. We've competed against each other since the MAC. When I was at NIU, he was at Bowling Green. I've known him a long time. I think a lot of him. He's done a great job at Wake Forest. He really has.

On Payton Wilson being named a semifinalist for the Dick Butkus Award…

I don't get to watch all the teams play. I know there's a lot of good players. I don't want this to come across like I'm demeaning anyone else, but he is the best defensive player in college football right now. What his impact is on the field during the game, I don't know if anyone has that on their team. He's impacting the course of the game throughout the game in every game. It's not like he has a good game every now and then. Every game, he could be the Defensive Player of the Week in the ACC. Sometimes, he probably doesn't get it because they want to reward somebody else. He is all over the field playing at a high level in every facet: fitting the run, blitzing the run, dropping into coverage, rushing the passer, helping us on special teams, leading in the locker room, leading in the community, doing it all. He's very, very deserving of semifinalist, and in my opinion, of the entire award when it's done. I know we're not done. There's still work to do, but I'm thankful that they did put him on their list. It means a lot for him. I think it's a great award. Dick Butkus, one of the toughest dudes out there to be on a list. I think he's very, very representative of what that list is about. I look forward to seeing him on stage accepting that trophy hopefully. That would be awesome for him and his family for what he's been through and his story.

On how he celebrated becoming winningest coach in program history…

It was awesome. After the game, Sarah, Luke, and Connor were in the tunnel. I was hugging up on them and walked up the tunnel with them. All my friends, close friends from Drake where I went to school, I had eight of them here. Two of our really close friends from Wisconsin were here. I did the press conference and the Huddle show and all that. We went out to the parking lot and had a nice little tailgate. Several of our coaches and their families were down there. We had some music playing on the boombox they had down there, the Bluetooth thing. We sat there until two or three in the morning, laughing, joking, enjoying each other's company, and catching up. It was awesome. It was awesome to be able to do that. Sarah and Luke were there with us and all my friends. A few the boosters came over to say thank you. It was fun. I woke up the next day and turned the page, got ready for the next one. Yesterday was hurting a little bit, but you know what, real quick, I turned on the film. “All right, here we go. Let’s get ready for the next one. Have a couple of cups of coffee. Let's go. Get ready for the next game.” I’m excited to have another opportunity to go compete.

On areas for Morris to improve…

I think there was one play early in the game where he could have looked off a middle safety on a throw he made to K.C. It’s just those little things. He’s very confident. He's comfortable. He throws a catchable ball. He's tough. The game continues to slow down for him. There's just little things within routes where you see something in a coverage, and maybe you can help yourself with your eyes on things like that. It is a game that requires so much. The more you play it, the better you get. He's 3-1 as a starter. He's really worked hard. I know he'll continue to grow and get better.