Dave Doeren: "Stand In There And Keep Fighting"

NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media via Zoom for the final time before the Wolfpack’s road game Saturday against Pittsburgh.

What is the status on Rakeim Ashford and Tanner Ingle?

“Tanner’s good to go. I still don’t know on Rakeim.”

How good is it to have Ingle and Payton Wilson back this week?

“They’re two of our best players, and obviously Tanner is our captain in the secondary. He has a lot of game experience. He’s a really good tackler, cover player, and blitzer. He brings a lot to the table. Payton’s one of the best on our team when he’s healthy. It’s nice to have them both back in the lineup at those two spots. We’re very thin in the secondary, so getting Tanner back is a big deal.”

How important was it for you to reel in Wilson during recruitment?

“Anytime you get an elite in-state player, it’s a big deal for your football team. He’s a young man I’d recruited for a long time. I always thought he was the right fit here. He’s a really tough, hard-working, physical, blue-collar kid. Culture-wise, I knew this would be a great place for him. Being a former linebacker coach myself, I felt like there was a lot I could do to help him in the position he plays. I’m really fortunate to get him here, I’m glad he’s here, and I look forward to continuing to help him.”

Given how close Wilson and Drake Thomas were in high school, did you feel like you had a better chance to recruit Thomas after you signed Wilson?

“Yeah, I think all those things play into it. These kids in state get to know each other very well, at least they used to when we had recruiting. There are a lot of events that they could go to where they could be around each other, so they could get to know each other and spend time together. Social media allows them to communicate well with each other. We’ve built our classes here that way where the kids who have recruited each other play together.”

Do you think Wilson is a guy that can play on Sundays?

“I know he can play Sundays. There’s a lot of football in front of him. He needs to continue to get better. For all these guys that want that in their life, health is a part of it. He has the DNA for that. He has the mindset for that. He’s just got to continue to grow as a football player.”

What do you remember most fondly about your years at Drake, especially with Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge?

“Charlie’s like a brother. We were college teammates, for one, so we played together. When we were graduate assistants together, we were roommates. We came up in the profession as GA’s. We worked in the physical plant, mowing grass together. We did a lot of fun stuff together. We used to go to camps, work other college camps, clinics… you name it. Anything we could do to learn ball, we did together. We got to work together and live by each other when we were at Wisconsin and have our kids around each other.

Charlie’s not just a friend or a colleague. He’s like a brother to me. As a coach, I think he’s one of the best, too. He’s done with that defensive line what he did with our defensive line at Wisconsin. He’s very, very good at what he does. I look forward to seeing him, and he’ll continue to do great things at Pittsburgh or wherever he ends up down the road because he’s a really good person and football coach.”

How competitive has it been between Devin Leary and Bailey Hockman?

“This is just a crazy year. We came out of last season and didn’t have an open competition. We named Devin and believed in Devin. We get into spring ball with a new offense, and we were excited about what we were seeing, but we lost that time. Then we go into fall camp and lose a bunch time. It’s been the opposite of what we wanted for him. I was really happy to see him get in the game and play the way he did.

I’ve probably said this about 20 times now: We need both of them. Bailey’s gotten better. It’s been a good week. It’s been a hard week of practice for both of them. Coach [Tim] Beck really gets after them, puts a lot of tough looks in their face, and make them compete everyday. They’re going to continue to get better, and you’re going to see on gameday who it is.”

After two games, how well do you think the offense has been installed? How much more can this unit grow as it gets more reps?

“I think there’s a lot of growth ahead. Obviously, in the first game, there was a lot of fireworks in that one. I think the run game has been efficient in both games. As far as the pass game goes, it’s going to continue to grow. I think it’s something that needs consistency at quarterback to have happen. We’re a work in progress in some areas, but I know Tim will continue to tweak things week to week based on the coverage schemes were seeing. We don’t have a ton more install, but it’s how he’s utilizing the players more than anything: trying to get the ball to the right guys and putting them in places where they can make plays.”

What has jumped out at you in terms of what to expect from Pitt’s defense?

“They’re going to put a lot of guys in the box, they’re going to get a lot of one-on-one blocks, and they’re going to do it with really good players. They’ve got guys that have been playing for two, three, and four years. They’re aggressive. They put their DBs in a lot of one-on-ones. If you’re going to beat Pitt, you’ve got to be able to throw the ball by them. You’ve got to be able to pick up the pressure and give your quarterback a chance to make plays. You can’t give up on your run game.

If you watch them, teams that do a good job are patient. You don’t have to try to win the game in the first quarter. You just have to stand in there and keep fighting with them. There are some plays they give you, and there’s weaknesses, but you have to find them. They’re going to put press man-to-man on your wideouts, they’re going to put a lot of guys in the box, and they’re going to get in your face with pressure. That’s what they do. We know what they are, and we’ve got to do a good job being aggressive ourselves and not turning the ball over.”

What does a “meat and potatoes game” mean to you?

“It’s an old-school football game when you play Pitt. It’s a lot like playing Boston College back when [Steve] Addazio was there. It’s real physical matchups. Our O-line and tailbacks have been good for us. When you look at what they do defensively, we’ve got to be able to run the football against a very good rushing defense. I think it’s a smash-mouth game. If I’m them, after what we did at Virginia Tech, they’re going to run the ball at us and see if we can stop them. Our defense has to be sound in our gaps and play much better fundamentally than we did a week ago. It’s going to be a physical football game, and I look forward to that.”

Do you think the players will be more amped up playing in an NFL stadium, or does that not factor into the game?

“I don’t know. It’s going to be dead empty, so does that give you a lot of hype to play in an empty NFL stadium as a player? I don’t know. It’ll probably be cool to walk in there, but then after that, they’ll be like, ‘Where is everybody?’"