NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media today and updated the status of defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland and offensive lineman Val Erickson, the Wolfpack's offense, preparation for East Carolina, and more!
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the press conference.
Coach, what's the situation? I know there was ejections at the end of the game last year. I don't know how it really works. Are some of the players, I think Brandon Cleveland might have been one?
Yeah, so we had two guys, Val Erickson and Brandon Cleveland, that are not available in the first half.
Noah can play in the first half?
Yeah, D.K. Kaufman was the other guy.
I know you've talked a lot about that. I wonder about coaching. You guys wanted to play emotional. You wanted to play physical. How do you get them right to that line without going over?
Yeah, that's a good question. It's a physical game, and, the way I look or compare it is when you watch MMA, you watch boxing matches, you see the same thing. These guys go in these rings, and during that time, that's the enemy. At the end of it, what do they do? They go up and hug each other, and I don't see it any different. Football's a brotherhood. They're the enemy during the game. We want to win the football game. They want to win the football game, but you should play it with respect, and that has nothing to do with how physical you are during the game. It's the stuff that doesn't belong in the game, and our guys know that. It's been talked about a lot.
Have you heard from any old-timers, Dave? This is a game that used to be played every single year to start the season. Have you heard from any of them about the nostalgia on this game?
Well, yeah, I mean, a lot of our former players come to training camp, and it's great seeing them when they do. It's rare for one of them to talk about a specific team. It's more about our team and how the guys are doing, but, we know as coaches. We know what we need to do in all games that we play, and particularly in-state games, what they mean to our program.
ECU's quarterback wasn't much of a runner throughout the year last year. How much does that affect the game plan?
Yeah, I mean, he's a good football player. I've got a lot of respect for him. He grew up as the year went on, got more and more confident, obviously having the same offensive coordinator, having the same terminology, same offense. Just like our quarterback, he's going to feel more comfortable than he did a year ago, and so we have to defend him as a passer and we have to defend him as a runner.
Understanding that both teams are different from one another, is there a little bit of an advantage to the fact that you did play the same team?
In some ways, yes. I mean, schematically, having a defensive coordinator, so there's some wait and see on what the differences are there. Offensively, they have some personnel that's back and some that's new, so I think both teams, and really, across college football, have that first quarter. Who are they? Because there's new guys on the field across the country for every team, but it does help in some ways. The things that are carryover things, that helps. Things that are new, it's adjustments.
Dave, with this being a rivalry game, I mean, do you just see it in the players' eyes, like, hey, we can go out there and set the tone for the season with a win over an in-state team?
Yeah, I mean, we have goals like every team does, and to accomplish the goals you said, it starts with a hope and a win, right? Like, you want to win your first game, and how we play matters, and it's way less about who we're playing than it is about how we play, how we execute. You watch college football. I watched it over the weekend. There's a lot of penalties. There's a lot of turnovers. Like, you want to play a clean game, and you want to tackle well in your first game, so how we play is what matters. The execution is what matters. That's how you win the football game. It's not about the other team.
For a veteran coach, is that first game just as exciting as it was when you were a new coach?
Absolutely, yeah. My competitive drive has done nothing but increase over the years, so, you know, every one of these games is meaningful. I appreciate wins. It's more than I ever have because, you know, over time, you start to really see how hard it is to win games, and you value that. Every loss as a coach sits on you, and you don't get rid of it until you play again, and so when you lose the last game, it's a long wait to get on that field again.
You’re the kind of coach that likes having former players around, you had one come in recently, what was that like?
I've known Alvis for a while when he was in Wisconsin coaching for Paul Chryst, and I learned about him, and any time there's a former player from NC State that's coaching, I do a little work on him because if we have openings, those are players I want to consider, you know, on my list, and so it started then, and Paul had nothing but great things to say about Alvis, and obviously, he's out this year, and so he reached out to me, said his mom was nearby, and he's going to be around, could he come meet with me, and it was a no-brainer to get him around the program, so I'm thankful to have him and look forward to spending time with him. He does a great job, just like all of our former players, talking about what the place means to him on a personal side.
No matter how competent a player is, they can still deal with, like, pregame jitters and kind of that nerve, is that even something you go into, or even players have pregame routines. Like, does a coach have a kind of routine they go through to get their mind right before a game?
Yeah, I think so. Every coach probably is different in how they do it, and, you know, for me, it's try to relax as much as I can. I've learned that getting hyped up early doesn't help me. You just try to calm before the storm as much as you can and listen to music that you like, get your mind off of the things that bother you and focus on the players, the coaches, and just being around, letting those guys relax. I don't think it helps a player to see a coach tensed out, they want to see you ready, and so I just try to be there for them and help them get ready for the game.
You mentioned it takes a little bit of time to figure out who people are in that first game. Is that true for your own team, as well, given the changes that you've made?
Totally, yeah. I mean, there's guys that we haven't seen playing a game, a lot of them that are going to be this way. So there's excitement for me, because some of them have practiced really, really well, so you want to see the finish. Had two scrimmages, but the quarterbacks aren't liable, so some of it's seeing those guys finish on quarterbacks, as well.
I'm not sure how much you get to watch College Gameday every week, but you know, Lee Corso's done it for this weekend. What has he meant to college football and kind of growing the popularity of it over the years to you?
There's a comedic element to what he does that I think some of us really appreciate, and some people are, serious, serious, serious, and having that comedic element to the game is fun, and obviously his track record in the profession prior to becoming a commentator, but I just appreciate his energy and his enthusiasm and his love for the sport, and I like a good comment, so when he gets up there and does his thing, and “not so fast my friend”, but I love that, so I'm going to miss him a lot.
Coach, you have a you mentioned coordinators. You have two new coordinators, so how excited are you to see them unleash?
Yeah, I'm excited for both those guys. Kurt and D.J. have worked well together. They're very organized. They've waited for an opportunity to get back in that platform to navigate what goes with it. I'm excited for both of them. Got a lot of respect for both those guys, and look forward to seeing them call the game.
Will they be in the booth? How will you handle the logistics of that?
Kurt will be in the booth.
