NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media following the 21-11 win over Florida State.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s press conference.
Opening statement...
First, just want to say thank you to the fans. I love Military Appreciation Day. It was great having, so many of our troops here and I can't say enough about what they do for us, for Americans and to be able to have the freedom we do and to be able to celebrate it. I love that game. I love coming off the bus and seeing all of them lined up.
Coming down the tunnel and seeing the flag folded up in the tunnel that I don't ever get to see unfolded but in a picture. I just want to say thank you first of all to that and we appreciate you, fans and the military that do so much for our country. In regards to the game, can't say enough about our kids. I don't think anyone, for obvious reasons, I don't talk about injuries and I'm not going to make excuses but this is a beat-up football team and these kids got such big hearts, man, and so I'm so proud of them and thankful to them.
That's the second best offense, supposedly, in the country. Ranking-wise, I was asked that a hundred times this week and we just held them to 11 points and so, man, I'm so proud of our defensive kids and defensive staff for putting together that game plan, for executing that game plan, playing the way that they did, believing. Coming off a really opposite type of game the week before, I thought our guys played outstanding defensive football tonight.
Obviously, Devon Marshall deserves a lot of credit. I mean, he covered a 6'6 giant and played his ass off tonight. Offensively, it was tough.It's a good defense and we hung in there. We did not turn the football over in the first half. I thought, there's too many third and longs, too many negative yardage plays. I thought Kurt Roper did a really good job talking to the players at halftime. Hey, just get me into third and short. Get me into fourth and short.
We got a really good package against these guys and we did and you got to witness that first drive of the second half. 15 plays, Will Wilson, short yardage, short yardage, and fake punt with Will Wilson. Just, and then the turnover margin was huge. Getting the ball back on defense twice, three times in the fourth down stop, the two fumble recoveries on their punt. One was lucky. Thank you, God, for that one.
Bounced off and to see Caden Noonkester recover a fumble was like the craziest thing ever because that's the one dude on our team that wants no contact. And so to see him do that was awesome. Proud of him. And then, you know, at the end of the game, Justin Joly making just a phenomenal catch. Great throw by C.J. [Bailey].
That's what you do on fourth down. You give a chance to your really good quarterback to give it to a really good player and see if he can make a play and he did. So can't say enough about these kids. 11 bowl opportunities now in 13 years. Six out of seven against Florida State. Pretty damn good. Proud of these guys.Proud of the staff. Look forward to celebrating and getting ready for the next one.
Coach, you mentioned being banged up, especially the secondary. It's been all year, without Jamel [Johnson] today, talk about Devon, how big was it for him to set the tone early in the first quarter? I think he had three pass breakups and was able to really kind of get your defense rolling.
Yeah, he set the tone for us, and then Jackson Vick had the big hit. Thank God they didn't give him a targeting because we didn't have anyone else to put in the game. But I don't know what we would have done there.So really thankful that that happened. But I thought the secondary played lights out. I mean, that's a good group of wideouts.
They're fast. Their most successful plays were quarterback scrambles. And, that kid's fast. So we knew that that would happen. Didn't give up explosive plays for touchdowns all night. So when the line is scrimmage, when the turnover margin, don't give up explosive plays.That was the recipe, and it was well, well executed by the guys.
I mean, just to follow up, how much have you seen Devon grow in these last two years? He talked about today seeing a lot of tendencies on film, using it against Robinson.
He's a tough kid. His demeanor every day is the same. He's tough. He's a competitor. He wants to be coached. He wants to be pushed. He wants opportunities to make plays. I think it was Wednesday this week. Maybe it was Thursday. That was Wednesday. We made a decision to try to get him matched up on zero as much as we could.
Felt like that was our best chance against that kid.And he rose to the occasion. I mean, that guy's, I don't know how many of you all were on the field, but that's a big wideout. And that kid's 6'6", 225 pounds at least.And Devon played his butt off, man. I mean, if he's not player of the week in the ACC, they ain't got blinders on because that was a hell of a performance by him.
Yeah, Coach. The decision to go for it on fourth down early in the third quarter, you mentioned the third and short, fourth and short felt good about your packages, but I think you were at your own 30 and sort of got that drive going and you guys scored a touchdown on that drive. What was the decision and did you kind of decide we're going to go for it if we get those opportunities?
Are you talking about the fake punt?
Yeah, yeah.
I thought we had a good play call. We've been practicing that for five weeks and waiting for an opportunity to call it. I had seen them in that look throughout the game multiple times. I mean, they're holding lines, standing up in two-point stances with Will in the game. I thought we'd push them off the ball for two yards and we did. So I don't know.
I'm scared money can't make money. And so, you get in a game like that and you got to be aggressive and that's my nature is to go for it. We had a good play.It's been practiced. The kids knew what to do and we executed it.
When you had some of those like quote-unquote lucky plays that punt, the review on Jackson Vick, when you had those come back in your favor, was there like a sigh of relief?
Well, I don't think it's lucky when ACC reviews a play and, you know, the whatever they call that box that they have in Charlotte with all those people around looking at it. I mean, that's their decision. That was the decision that was made. Lucky is when a ball bounces off a guy, back to us, and your punter recovers it. That was lucky. And that's God's blessing is what that is.And so, it's good to get some of those.
We've had many that didn't go our way and football's that way. I mean, there's bounces in games.There's all kinds of bounces in games. And sometimes they go your way. Sometimes they don't. And that's football. And sometimes it's frustrating because you just feel like it's always against you. And it's good to finally get a couple bounces.
But keeping Jackson in the game was so critical because of our depth. I mean, we're in a critical situation right now. And I wasn't lying. Like our coffee guys hurt, like we got major injury issues. And so, for this team to beat Florida State with all the stuff going on, and we don't have backups in some spots. Like, we are down to the end. And so, those kids need to be on the field. And so, it was nice to be able to get a call that obviously was the right call.
They looked at it. I mean, you could argue there was one that I thought the whole stadium saw the face mask call that wasn't made at the game on C.J. And so, it goes both ways, right? That's unlucky that we didn't get the face mask on third down, which would have ended the game. And so, that's just football. That's how it works.
Yeah, I have two questions, if you don't mind, sir. First of all, I know you mentioned fourth downs. But the one here at the back end when you went and got the touchdown, you called a timeout.What led to that change of mind?
Where?
The field goal.
I was trying to get them to jump off sides. It was fourth and six. I thought we might get them to jump off sides. I wasn't going to kick the football there. I was just trying to get it to fourth and one, hoping they would jump off sides and give us the fourth and one. They didn't, to their credit.So, we called the timeout and went for it.
You guys earned bowl eligibility with a spin in a situation where that means to extend the season. Is there a sense of pride in the fact that the kids didn't want to quit, they wanted to keep playing, and then obviously they want to play another game?
No, there is no quit here, Rob. And I mean, hopefully by now you guys know that. My teams don't do that. And yeah, I mean, 11 bowl games in 13 years, six out of seven against Florida State. We've done some good work. And to be in a bowl game with this team, I'm fired up, man. And give the kids a couple days to recover and get ready for the next one. I can't wait for that game.
And I'm glad it's at home, Thanksgiving week, and a chance to go wherever they send us and spend more time with these guys, man. It's a great group of guys. They're phenomenal kids. And so, just thankful to them for believing, just believing and wanting to win, wanting to be coached, wanting to hang in there, wanting to find a way to put better stuff on film and listening and being coachable.
And thankful to the fans that haven't given up, that keep coming and showing up, selling out games and cheering for our guys. And that's what it should be. I mean, these are your kids. These are your student athletes. And you should do everything you can to help them because they're giving you everything they got. I mean, Rico Jackson, I mean, that kid, I mean, I don't know what's going on with his elbow, but I was like, can you play?
And he's like, well, I can't feel it, but you ain't taking me out. And that's what you're getting. You're getting everything from these guys, man.I mean, they're giving you everything they got. And so you need to be behind them. And I expect a crazy, crazy ass crowd next week. I mean, crazy. 7.30 kick on Saturday night, Thanksgiving week against the baby blue. Make sure you show up. Cheers. Thanks, guys.
