No. 16 NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media via Zoom following the Wolfpack’s 27-14 win over Texas Tech Saturday evening.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s press conference.
Opening Statement
“First, I want to thank our fans, students, parents, recruits, and everybody that was here tonight. It was an awesome environment, and we really appreciate the crowd noise. You guys always help us out. It’s not like this everywhere. There’s a reason we have the home win streak. It’s how we’re playing, it’s how we’re coaching, and it’s how you’re cheering. Thank you for that. I’m very proud of the team. That was a good team win getting the interceptions on defense and with the ways throughout the game we fed off of each other. We played some good complementary football at times. That’s a good offense, and so to be able to do what we did, I thought Coach [Tony] Gibson called some good blitzes at the right time. We mixed it up. The kids did a good job. Different guys stepped up and had to fill some voids when guys were tired. When you get that many takeaways in a game and run over on special teams with a muffed punt, you’ve got to be able to win, and it’s good to get that win. I know that was a big game.”
On Payton Wilson returning to the field and playing from start to finish...
“He was so happy just now in the locker room. I’m super happy for him, and it was great having him. Seeing his speed in the open field to track guys down, it’s just different. Having him, Isaiah [Moore], and Drake [Thomas], it’s what we hoped for. It’s a huge, huge deal. The whole locker room is super happy for Payton, and he was ear-to-ear smiling downstairs."
On the impact of special teams tonight…
“It was one of the points of emphasis. We talked about tilting the field, making them play uphill, and us playing downhill. Field position’s a huge part of the game, particularly when you’re at home and crowd noise becomes a factor. Special teams were very dominant today in that game. They gave us some different looks, and the kids adjusted well. I’m very proud of those guys. They’re playing hard, and it’s great to have Chris [Dunn]. Chris is really in a good rhythm right now with his kicks."
On the fallout after Demie Sumo’s fumble…
“I found him on the bench. He had his head down. I told him to look me in the eyes and said, ‘You need to make up for that. You’re going to get a chance, and when you get it, you need to help the team because you just let us down right there, and you can. You go out there and be a difference maker.’ It just happened that we got the ball in a good spot to run that trick play, and he was the one that went in and made it. It’s a great thing when you see a guy make mistakes. These are young men. They’re 18 to 22. They’re going to make mistakes. The biggest thing is learning from them and making up for them, and it was great to see Demie do that. I thanked him after. He thanked me for having his back. It was kind of a neat moment on the sideline there."
On Devin Leary’s performance…
“Devin was frustrated just now. I know he can play better. I think the guys have to help him, too. We’ve got to make some catches for him. There were some drops that we’re capable of making. That’s just how football is. He’s got to put the ball where they can catch it, and they’ve got to catch it for him. He can play better. They can play better. We can call plays probably better. Offense, defense, special teams… it’s never one guy. Devin has high expectations for himself. It’ll be a good week for him. I know he’ll be hard on himself in the film room and get things going again."
On the run game…
“I felt like we ran the ball pretty effectively in the game. It felt like Jordan Houston got off to a good start running the football and had some good runs throughout the game. Once we got the two-score lead in the second half, the way their offense plays fast, we were trying to keep it away and use clock as you saw. The run game, at times, was good and, at other times, not so good. We had some good outside runs on the edges with Demie’s one touchdown early in the game. I thought Tim [Beck] mixed it up pretty well in the run game. We were pretty versatile in our counters, outside zone, and inside zone. We had some off-tackle trap stuff. We made them defend a lot of stuff in the run game."
On the defense carrying the team…
“I don’t think we’re a one-dimensional team. Texas Tech has 10 senior starters on defense, too, so it wasn’t exactly like we were playing a bunch of freshmen tonight. They’re an older, veteran defense. We’re an older, veteran defense. You had two pretty good defenses slugging it out in that game. I expect our defense to be a strength. When you have that many starters back, we should be. Offensively, as we continue to work through some of those things, we’ll have explosive plays, and the guys will have the rhythm and timing that we need, but you have to give Texas Tech a little credit, too. I do think their defense is pretty good. They held Houston down last week, and they’re pretty good on offense, too."
On retaining focus following Bryce Ramirez’s injury...
“I feel for that young man. You never want to see something like that in any sport. Our guys took a knee. I know they were praying for him. Once they got him off the field, guys just had to refocus. It seemed like we were able to do that, but that’s a tough part of any sport when an athlete has an injury like that. I feel for him, and I hope he’s okay."
On Aydan White’s performance…
“Aydan played a really good game. He had the sack which I thought was a fumble, too. That’s a different conversation. Aydan covered well and made some plays on the ball. He was very confident. It was great to see him get a pick six and give us some momentum when we needed it. He had a really good football game, and their receivers were big guys on the outside. He tackled well, too. There were some plays in front of him where he had to come up and make some tackles. It was great to see him play like that."
