NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media following the Wolfpack's 28-14 win over Florida State Saturday evening.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s press conference.
Opening Statement
I’m really proud of our football team. It’s great to go on the road and get a win in such a storied stadium. I think that’s four out of five years that we’ve beaten them, and to do it the way we did defensively with another [starter injured]. Tyler Baker-Williams is out. He will be back; this is a short-term thing. Not having him, I thought Josh Pierre-Louis stepped up for us in the game. Savion [Jackson] tweaked something, and then you see [Ibrahim] Kante come in and get a sack. The guys are just playing so hard, and I’m proud of them. Devin Leary continues to operate the offense well. They have a good defensive line, so that was a war in there. We were able to get some runs. It was dirty at times. We took care of the football other than the one Hail Mary. You’ve got to give Florida State credit. They came out with the surprise onside and got a little momentum. We were able to respond, just keep the lead where we needed it, and get some stops on defense on fourth down. I’m looking forward to getting home, hopefully get as healthy as we can get, and get ready for the next one.
One word you’ve used talking about this team all year is maturity. How mature is it for this team to let Florida State get the momentum then take it back in the fourth quarter?
It’s not the first time this year that somebody’s tried to come back in a game. That’s just football. There’s no flinch. I think it is a mature team. Having a very poised quarterback helps you in scenarios like that. It’s great to see different guys score. C.J. Riley scored a touchdown, a big play for him. Ricky Person [scored] on the screen play, and I thought Derrick Eason had an incredible block on that play and fired me up. Chris Toudle made a great catch, and Trent Pennix, again, sparks us on the naked. It was really good just to see other guys because they were keyed in on Emeka [Emezie]. It was hard for him to get open tonight. He was pressed with a safety over the top most of the night.
Can you talk about Porter Rooks’ part in the offense tonight with his career-high five catches tonight?
I think that’s a testament to Devin finding the open guy. Porter took advantage of an opportunity and did some good things. He was targeted six times and had five catches, so that was great to see. I think that’s what makes a great football team. When they’re going take away option A, you’ve got to have B, C, and D. Right now, we’re able to spread it around to a lot of different people, so that’s good to see.
Especially compared to the strong start in the first half, the defense came out to a slower start in the second half, especially off the onside kick. How pleased were you with their ability to reverse that course, lock it back up, and secure the win?
[Florida State] won the third quarter. They got some momentum. They made some plays, and you’ve got to give them credit for that. [McKenzie Milton] scrambled around and made a hell of a throw into the end zone to give them a touchdown. Florida State’s going to make some plays, but the guys found a couple solutions in coverage. They were picking on our open-side corner a little bit. We started rolling up over there, taking that away. We forced them to have to play dink-and-dunk, and they didn’t want to do that when they were down two scores. Coach [Tony] Gibson made some nice adjustments, and the kids hung in there.
Trenton Gill pinned five punts inside the 20 tonight. In a game that was as tight as it was, how important was Gill’s performance tonight?
Field position is a great friend to a defense. Ninety-yard fields, when you’re a defensive coordinator, are nice to call the game in. Trent’s a weapon. He’s really, really kicking the football well on kickoffs, too. This isn’t a one-time thing. This has been multiple games this year. He’s flipping the field, too. He had a bomb on one of those punts. We’re very fortunate to have the specialist crew that we do right now.
Did you prepare much for Milton?
No, we had no idea. We worked on the quarterback run game all week. They did a nice job of not getting that out in the news. We had no idea we were playing a throwing quarterback instead of a running quarterback.
What does that say about the staff and your players to be able to adjust on the fly?
I think it says a lot about the kids, and that’s one thing I like about our defensive scheme. It’s flexible. There’s a lot of things Tony can do to add guys or pull guys out of the run game, different inserts with the safeties and corners, using Tanner Ingle in different places, packing the box, and spreading them back out. The 3-3-5 gives you a lot of variables, so when it becomes a passing game, regardless of who the quarterback is, it’s not hard for us to adjust that way.
How ready is this team for the opportunity presented for next week’s game against Wake Forest?
Well, we’ll find out next Saturday. I know we’re excited about playing those guys. I’m going to enjoy this win, if that’s okay with you, and talk about Wake Forest on Monday. It’s a hell of a win today, so I’m excited about that. I don’t know how many times NC State has beaten Clemson and Florida State in the same year as a program, but that happened this year, and I think that’s pretty good. When you look at those two programs, what they spend on football, and what they spend on their staff, what we just did says a lot about what our program is doing. I’d rather focus on that than who we play next week.
Pennix said this week that you tell them, “We have the pen, and we write our own story.” The guys also talk about going 1-0 every week. It seems this team has taken both of those quotes to heart with every game.
I told them that after we played Miami. We truly are writing a 12-chapter book right now, and the pen is in our hand. We’re the authors of the story currently. We don’t need anyone else’s help. Whatever we put down every week is what’s going to be in there, and each week is a new chapter. This was another one. These guys have really embraced that. One of our goals in the preseason was just staying in the moment, being a 1-0 football team, not making too much out of another team like, ‘Ooh, it’s Clemson week.’ No, it’s the next team. They’ve embraced us not beating us as much as they have who we play each week. I think that’s helped our team stay in the moment and be better and more consistent.
How much do you feel Leary’s confidence has grown each week?
You’d have to ask Devin. I think he’s managing the offense really well. He’s making smart decisions. He’s taking care of the ball. He’s giving his guys a chance. Every time he wins a game, I think he grows, just like any player. When you make plays, you grow. What I like is that he’s not getting cocky. He’s not trying to force throws because he’s having success. He’s still going through his progressions, running when he has to run, and burning it when he has to burn it. He’s doing the right things you want in a quarterback. 314 yards and four touchdowns is a pretty good day.
How big is it for Leary to find these different weapons each week?
It says a lot about the guys seizing the moment. The guys who had opportunities took advantage of them. Devin doesn’t care who he throws the ball to. He doesn’t. He trusts these guys. We wouldn’t put them on the field if he couldn’t. Keyon Lesane’s another guy; he didn’t make a catch tonight, but he’s made plays for us. We’ve got some good weapons for him. Anthony Smith’s another guy. There’s some good wide receivers in that room. The thing you like is that they don’t get frustrated on the sideline and pout. They’re still cheering their guys on. They still know there’s plays to be made.
You’re losing so many starters on defense, and you’re still holding your opponent to 2-of-16 on third down. Have you ever been a part of something like that?
No, and I hope I never have to be a part of these many injuries on defense either. These kids are amazing, first of all, so they deserve all that [credit]. If you were to ask me at the beginning of the season to list guys you can’t lose for the season, we’d start knocking out these names. The guys that are playing are playing their butts off. The guys that were playing before that, like Tanner [Ingle], were playing as good as they can play. You’re not only filling the void of a good player with the next player; the guys around that player have to play a little bit better. If one guy out of every 10 does just one more thing, that growth on defense makes up for who you’re missing sometimes, and I think that’s what you’re seeing right now. Josh Pierre-Louis gets to start tonight, and he gets an interception. Kante goes in with Savion down, and he gets a sack. Devon Betty goes in and makes some plays. That’s what you’re getting. Coach Gibson deserves credit for the chemistry he’s created on the defensive side of the ball. These kids understand what he wants, they know how to do it, and they’ve got a mean streak about doing it. I love that.
