Doeren: Proximity Makes State-Carolina Unique

NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media following Wednesday's practice to update the Wolfpack.

UNC has played well the last two or three games.
They played really well.  They are playing hard. They have good, young players and they are getting better as the year goes on.  All the injuries, you have to figure your rotations, and the chemistry gets changed up.

We went through that in the secondary, so we relate to it.  Larry is a good coach, and he has good coaches.

The last two weeks they've built confidence. The quarterback has played very well the last two weeks. He hasn't turned the football over.

What will Senior Day be like for guys like Bradley Chubb and Jaylen Samuels?
Regardless of how great a player you are, it's a big day. Anyone who plays college football will tell you they remember that day... the details of it, the venue... how that school does it.

It's emotional. I wasn't anything like those guys and I remember it.  It's a big deal. The last time you walk out in your home stadium to play a football game and your parents meet you at the 50.

It's emotional, and I'll have to get them back focused and ready to play.

Now you have a huge group of guys you can use in terms of development. How much does that help as a recruiting tool?
It's nice when you can not just talk about something but show them... give them pictures as freshmen, sophomores, juniors... you can give them an in-depth look at the improvements made.

We can say this is what we can do.  It's at a lot of different position groups now so it's great with recruiting we can give them proof of what we can help them commit to when they get here.

You've been in these rivalry games. How would you describe the dynamic?
The uniqueness is the proximity... you're going to see their colors and we'll see their colors for the entire year.  Some rivalry games you have a five or six-hour distance and it means a lot to these schools.

Everyday you're going to run into Tar Heels, and they are going to run into State Wolfpackers.  That's just how it is, and that's what makes it unique.  It's been going on a long time, over 100 years. It's a great rivalry game.

Anthony Ratliff-Williams is making plays for them.
He's a good player.  He was a good player in high school, he was an excellent quarterback. We liked him a lot as a quarterback coming out. He's a good athlete.

He kind of reminds you of what Jakobi Meyers has become here for us. He's a good playmaker.

They've run a lot of trick plays...
We both have a lot of those, so I'm sure both schools are working on them.

Did Nyheim practice today?
He's fine.  He did not practice [on Wednesday].  We're just trying to get him to 100%, but he'll go [on Thursday].  He feels great.

What are you missing when he's not on the field?
You're missing a guy who runs a 10.4, catches the football and returns kicks.  He's a big-time playmaker for us. We do have other players, but we don't have another guy who runs a 10.4, returns punts and kicks, and plays tailback.  

We have to use the other guys we have, but it changes the offense when he's not in there.  With Dakwa Nichols out for the year and if Nyheim is out, it's different as far as the run game, we don't have that change-of-pace back.  You have Reggie coming into the game, pounding you, and then Nyheim is in the game, that's difficult for the defense. We'd like to have that combination.

The road team has won the last four. How special would it be to get your first home win?
It would be incredible. Not just because it's them but because it's Senior Day and it would be three out of the last four years that we've been able to beat them. 

That would  mean a lot to our kids and the senior class. We're going to do everything we can do to make that happen.

Which player will lead the team in eating [on Thanksgiving]?
I would have to probably say Big T would be my guess, but I don't know. Maybe one of the d-linemen, but Fedd-Jackson can eat a little bit too.