NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media today to discuss his program's start, the upcoming matchup against Duke, and much more.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
What are you guys, how are you guys feeling right now, today?
Good, excited, good week of prep. Guys are definitely leaning into improvement. I think that's the biggest thing you see. Obviously we're excited about our record, but we know that we can play a lot better than we've played for four quarters. And, putting together spurts of quarters and halves, but not full games on each side of the ball, and special teams included. And just trying to play a three-base football team, or football game, better than we have. And that's really the ultimate goal. Third in-state game, out of four games. So, another opportunity to play an in-state opponent. And we all know how important those are here.
How important is it to try to get off to a fast start?
Yeah, I mean, as opposed to what? Not a fast start, I mean, kind of an easy one to answer. And you want to win every game. And, momentum helps your team. So, you've got good momentum. Think better than that. Our guys have faced adversity multiple times and have stayed poised. So, we know as coaches what our guys are capable of in tough situations. And you don't always find that out, in the first quarter of the season like we have. So, there's a lot of information that we know about our guys that's good to know. And they've done a nice job sticking together and listening to coaching and coming up with adjustments and then making plays when they need to be made.
A little bit off the field, but I wonder what you do to make sure that you stay as stress-free as you possibly can in this very stressful job. What do you do to encourage your staff to do the same?
I think routine for us is a big thing. Having a healthy routine, you know, sleep isn't always guaranteed even if you get home early because there's a million thoughts going through your head. But, trying to eat well, trying to exercise, preparation. When you prepare well, you feel ready. I think as the season goes on, you feel more and more confident about your preparation because you have more information on your opponents. But same thing with the staff. I think getting them out of here Thursday nights and getting our coaches out of here so they can do it with their families and get that quality time with their spouses and children so there's some balance.
Is there someone you learned that from that you can't work guys to the ground or maybe you can work them?
Both ways. I mean, I've worked for guys that sleep in the office and they're there all night and I've seen that take a toll on them. I've worked for guys that probably didn't work hard enough. They're like, yeah, I wish he was here to work. And then I've been with guys that have good balance and I think that's what we seek, is that balance. And it's my job, to kind of feel the pulse, not just with the staff but with the players. When do we need to push them harder? When do we need to back off a little bit? But that's, as a head coach you're responsible for the environment that your team and your staff work in and prepare and practice in, lift in, recover in. And so I pay a lot of attention to that, you know, and I rely on coaches, staff, ref, players to give me feedback when I ask for it, honest feedback, like not yes-men feedback. You probably need to back off a little bit or, hey, why don't you push them tomorrow? And so they know they can give me that kind of input.
On the new transfer portal window...
Well, I think it's better for roster management. I don't know what the perfect zone of the calendar is because our calendar seems to change every year right now. I like that it's after most of the bowl games. I think that's a positive. There's way too many guys opting out to transfer. And, all we do is talk about finish. And so giving them a calendar that allows them to finish what they started, I think, is a good move. Having one window, I think, is a good move. Like there shouldn't be two times a year where you have to worry about guys leaving, and they sign a deal with you. They should be with you for at least one calendar year. So I think it's way better than what we had. Is this going to be the perfect window? I think we'll have to just do what we've been doing. It's a new era. You try something, you think it's going to work, and then you assess it afterwards. You self-scout it and see what the problems were.
How much of a weapon is C.J. Bailey, not only running the football, but also just being aware in the pocket and sack avoidance and things like that?
He's a big weapon. I mean, he's multi-talented. He can think, process information, and see the game. He understands what's coming at him. He knows his teammates really well. He's chemistry with those guys. He knows where to put the football. He understands protections. He's seeing defenses way better than he was a year ago. And he can run. He's a really tough kid. So he's a really good player and a great human being. So, you know, I'm blessed to have a quarterback like him right now and one that just cares so much, not just about the guys. I mean, he cares about the program. He cares about the school. He cares about his teammates. And so, yeah, it's fun having a QB like CJ run on the show. This is the fourth game of the year.
How do you and your staff kind of approach red shirts and things like that?
Yeah, I mean, we're trying to win games, and if there's conversations to be had because the guy's in that area, then we have them. And ultimately it comes down to one-on-one conversations with guys. Some guys want to play and don't care. Some guys are worried about how much they're playing and, hey, can you use me when you need me. They understand we need to win games and sometimes injuries happen and that's going to override the four games. If they've got to play, they're going to play. And with that being said, for years this five-for-five legislation has been out there and I would just love for that to pass. I think the four-game red shirt rule was created so that we could give some guys a chance to play a little bit so that after they red shirt, they would be ready to play. And it's turned into leverage for other teams to try to get guys to transfer and agents to try to get guys to save years so they can get more money for them potentially. And, let them play for five years. Let them play as much as they can play for five years and get that stuff out of there. Especially now that we're at 105 roster limit, eventually it makes sense to have more available players because of attrition and for us to be able to, hey, everybody has a chance. All these guys on the scout team would know if they have a great week and there's an injury, they could be elevated. You don't have to worry about that stuff. And I know I've talked to a lot of coaches in other leagues and our coaches in our league, there's a lot of people in favor of that. So I hope that they do the right thing and grant that rule and really help college football.
Is there anything that stood out about Mensah on tape? I don't know if you've gone back to his Tulane stuff, but, obviously he's a very good quarterback, but something that really stands out?
He's a really good passer. I mean, he can throw every ball. I mean, he can put a zip on it. He can throw it way down the field. But this year what you see is when he's scrambling to throw, he can make all the throws on the run, and he's made some really nice scramble throws down the field. He's a good runner. He's obviously not a guy they want to run downhill at you all the time, but you've got to trust your edges. You've got to be sound on QB run games. And, he's won a lot of football games. At Tulane, they were a really, really good football team. So he's been a leader on a winning football team, so you know he's got command presence.
You got Duke in the fourth game of the year. This is the second conference game both on the road. Generally, this early in the season, you don't have that great of an opportunity to go 2-0. How big of an opportunity is this for your team? Have you expressed that to them?
Oh, yeah. I mean, everything we're talking about is one game at a time, and what does this win do for us? And so to say that, hey, at the end of this game, we could be 4-0, but we'd be sitting in the position we want, 2-0 in the league, and then you go play another one. And same conversation again. You don't get too far ahead. You just stay in the moment. And again, against a team that we haven't played well against, flat out. We have not. We have not gone out there and coached our best, played our best football. And so another personal thing, just, the internal pride of putting your best product on the field week in and week out is something that matters a lot. And that improvement from week three to week four is all we're focused on. If we're a better football team than we were in the last game and a better football team than we were in the second game, the first game, then you can win the fourth game. Like, that's how it has to play out.
