Dave Doeren: "I'm Excited About the Improvement"
NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media following the Wolfpack's 24-17 win over Northern Illinois Saturday afternoon.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s press conference.
Opening Statement
I’m super proud of our football team. It was a great team win. We had four turnovers forced by our defense and incredible punts by Caden Noonkester and coverage by the punt team. I'm proud of how Caden responded because, over his last two games for him, [his punts] weren't up to par. He responded. A lot of guys responded. I challenged them to just step up, play with our DNA, and put it on film. It's one thing to say, “Hard, Tough, Together,” but when you don't play that way, it doesn't mean anything. We did that today. It was a team win. Offensively, obviously, statistics are not good, but we did not turn the football over the whole game. We punted the football really well, and we played dominant defense against a really good football team. You have to give Northern Illinois credit. That is a really tough, good football program that we just beat. Obviously, they went to Notre Dame and won. I have a lot of respect for Thomas Hammock, that program, and those players. I'm proud of those guys on that sideline; they have done a great job carrying forward what Coach [Joe] Novak started a long time ago: doing things the hard way and being tough. I told our team, “This could be a team that comes in here; you have to fight to win this game, and they are not going to do anything other than try to take your heart.” I challenged theirs. I'm proud of the way we responded, and there's a lot of things we've got to do better. When you get four takeaways on defense, you don't turn the ball over on offense, and you punt the ball the way we did, you're going to win a lot of games. That's the first of an eight-game stretch here, two more at home in a row. I'm excited about the improvement. I look forward to working on the things we need to work on tomorrow.
On the timeout after delay of game...
I called the timeout on defense because we were tired, and I was trying to give our pass rush guys a chance to catch a breath. We were running out of players. It probably would have been a penalty on them. I wasn't looking at the clock; I was looking at our players, and they were gassed. I was trying to get a fresh pass rush for the next couple plays because I knew they're going to have to throw to the end zone, so we'd have a chance to get there.
On scoring first instead of chasing...
It helps a lot. Having an opening drive end up with a touchdown, to have a lead that you can continue, it just allows you to call the game differently. Obviously, it builds confidence on the sideline as well. We went three and out basically on first drive, got it to fourth and one, we felt like we could get that fake punt, which gave us some momentum there, and then the offense did a good job finishing that drive with points.
On today’s win against the Huskies carrying personal meaning...
It does. That was a very personal win for me. It was a program that gave me my first opportunity to be a head coach. I have really fond memories of coaching there, a lot of players that I stay in touch with from there, and set records as a coach. I have done the same here as well. Losing to the place that you used to coach at isn't something you want to carry around. All wins are precious, but that one meant a lot to me as an individual, and I thank the players and the staff for that because that one meant a lot. It was a personal win, and I'll probably never play them again. That's not like you lose a game, and you'll see them again in a year. That maybe was the last time I ever see that football team, so yeah, that one means a lot.
On the defense’s toughness and execution today...
Our film is our resume, period. It's a historical record of effort; it’s really what football is: an accumulation of a lot of things that happen on that field. Ultimately, it comes down to one man's effort on a play to do his job and do it physically. We haven't done that well enough this year, and that's not what I stand for. I told him, I know who I am, I know what I'm about, and I challenge them in that team room. I live up to what it means to wear that jersey. It's a privilege, it's an honor to wear the red and white to walk around with Wolfpack on your chest and your family's name on your back. I challenged them. If you were going to send that film to the person you love the most, what would they say? Would they talk about your effort? Would they talk about your toughness? There was a lot of challenging going on in that team room this week, and the guys responded, and that's all I could ask for. I told them, I want to win this game, really bad, but I really want to see our identity. For one week, I got to see it, and now it's about being consistent.
On the energy in practice transferring to game day...
They were challenged on how to practice. Coach [Tony] Gibson did a tremendous job getting the defensive kids on edge. They played hard. Tuesday and Wednesday were Bloody Tuesday and Bloody Wednesday. It was physical. That's got to be what we're about. We’ve got to play harder than the teams across the sidelines. It gives us an opportunity to be in the game every week. Not everybody's wired that way. Football's just not what it used to be when it comes to tough guys. At NC State, we have to be tough. That's our edge, and we were in that game. We were physically tough in that football game. We strained, obviously defensively they shut down a really good running back. That kid's a good player. He's going to play a long time.
On continuing improvement on defense...
It’s just consistency, not giving up explosive plays, which we were able to do today. Stopping the run, tackling, stripping the football, rushing the passer... It's consistency. I thought we played four quarters of really good defense today, and throughout the year we've had good quarters and bad quarters. It's just being consistent, not putting your foot on the break, staying on edge, knowing that every play is really the important play in the game, executing game plan that's installed, and just keeping them on edge. Our coaches have to keep doing that. There's obviously a recipe for success that you got to see this week on that side of the football. Now on the offensive side, we got a lot to fix. Give NIU's defense some credit, too; they just did that to Buffalo a week ago, but we've got to be better, giving ourselves opportunities to be more successful for the football.
On the lack of third-down efficiency...
Obviously, you’ve got to get into manageable third downs. First, being in third-and-eight or third-and-nine is not good. Percentage-wise, you're not going to succeed a lot in that down and distance, and that's your first and second down offense that you're talking about, more than your third down being efficient. It means that you're getting four yards on first down and half of what you need on second and putting yourself in third-and-short. We have to do a better job. There's a lot of things there. We're playing a freshman quarterback. We're putting a lot on that kid's shoulders, and I'm proud of C.J. [Bailey] for taking care of the football today. We have a lot of growth there. At the end of the day, I'm proud of our offense for not turning the football over. I know people are upset we didn't have enough yards, this, that, and the other. Don't be mad about winning. Don't be mad about winning. That was a hell of a team win.
On the trio of new defensive starters...
They practiced well this week, and then there was competition at all those positions. We felt like those guys had earned the opportunity to be out there, and we told the other guys, “We're going to rotate them, play them, and give them a chance to respond.” Competition brings out the best in you. It's not a situation where you win a job in fall camp, and you keep it for 12 games, regardless of how you play. You have to go out there and perform at a certain level. We felt like those positions needed to perform better and we gave them an opportunity to do so.