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NC State Football

Dave Doeren: "You Find Out Who You Are When You're Knocked Down"

October 3, 2022
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No. 14 NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media via Zoom to discuss the Wolfpack’s loss to No. 5 Clemson and its upcoming matchup versus Florida State.

NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Doeren’s press conference.


Opening Statement

Starting off with the game against Clemson, it was a hard-fought game. I thought our guys were excited and practiced well. It was a four-quarter game. As you watch the film and study what happened, they made a few more plays than we did, we made a few more mistakes than they did, and really that’s what it came down to. When you go back to our game with them a year ago that we won, it was kind of a role reversal. We made some catches. Emeka [Emezie] made a one-handed catch in the end zone, and Devin Carter made a back-shoulder catch. This year, it was the other way around, and we had our opportunities. You’ve got to give Clemson’s players credit. They made some great plays. We had two turnovers that led to 10 points for them, and we dropped two interceptions: The one right before the half would have prevented a score — they scored a couple plays later — and the other, Aydan [White] dropped might have been a pick six; there was nobody on that side of the field. We had a running into the punter [penalty] that led to three points, so there were a lot of points that were put on the board on plays that we were a part of. Not to discredit Clemson — they beat us in that game — but we definitely led to that by beating ourselves. That’s the biggest thing when you lose a game like that is that it comes down to a few plays. Sometimes, you make them, and in this case they did. That’s how you lose a game on the road. I do think their crowd was very, very impressive, and it’s a factor when you have a D-line like they do, with a pass rush they have. Where cadence usually is an offense’s friend, in a game like that, everyone is getting off on the ball instead of on the cadence. Sometimes, their D-line was better at it than our O-line, and now you’re behind trying to protect on a pass rush. You can see why they’ve won so many home games in a row. It’s definitely an awesome environment to play in, and crowd noise for them is a huge weapon. From a positive standpoint on offense, I thought that Thayer Thomas had a really good football game for us. We were 100 percent scoring in the red zone. We were 100 percent on our short-yardage and goal-line plays, which was improved. They opened the game with a drive for a score, and we opened the game with an answer with a drive for a score. Both were long, sustained drives by both teams. It’s weird to be in a game where there’s only one possession each in one quarter with these two long drives. Negatives, we had two pre-snap penalties, and one of them really hurt us at the end of a game on a snap that became a fumble. We had two turnovers which I already discussed, and we didn’t have enough explosive plays which you can credit to Clemson’s defense. We only had five, and it’s hard to score enough points with drives that have to be sustained, sustained, and sustained in a place like that. Defensively, I thought our defense battled and kept us in the game. Our third-down defense, for the most part, was on point and played hard. Negatively, at times we just started pressing and not trying to do our job but trying to do someone else’s. Inevitably when you do that, you make mistakes. They had too many explosive plays. They had 11 to our five, and so that’s an area we lost, and we didn’t create a takeaway and had two critical opportunities in the game. Just those two plays alone, if Devan Boykin has his, that’s one touchdown off the board, and if Aydan White catches his and scores, that’s a 14-point swing in a game that we lost by 10 points. Plays like that, you have to make in games like that, particularly when you’re on the road. On special teams, I was really proud of Chris Dunn. This was a game a year ago where he had his worst moment in his career. I know this was a game that he had circled, and to come back and kick the ball the way he did, nail a 49-yard field goal, and be perfect on all his attempts [was huge]. The biggest disappointing thing for me in the game special teams wise, and it’s been an area that’s helped us win games, and not that it killed us but the penalty that extended a drive on a running into the punter was very costly. It led to a field goal. Positively, I thought Chris Dunn did a great job. I thought our kicker on kickoffs, Collin Smith, and our punter, [Shane McDonough], and our missile coverage, Darryl Jones was really a bright spot covering punts and had a couple solo tackles. There’s a lot to play for. We’ve got eight weeks and seven games, and that’s kind of how we’ve broken it down. We’ve got a seven-game season here. As you know, the landscape of college football changes dramatically every week. Every single week. And so it’s a one week at a time deal. This week we play a really good Florida State team, the most impressive Florida State team that we have played in a long time. Coach [Mike] Norvell and his staff deserve a lot of credit for the turnaround they’ve had down there. They signed 13 players from the portal. They’re a much older team. The guys who weren’t portal guys are guys who have been with them now for three years and have bought in. They understand the scheme and expectation. They’re playing really fast. Offensively, it’s what you would think when you turn on film against Florida State. They usually have tremendously good skill players, and they do. Their receivers can all run, and they’ve got a 6-foot-7 receiver, [Johnny] Wilson, on the outside. The tight end, [Markeston] Douglas, is a great player. Their O-line is playing better. That’s been an area where they’ve struggled in the past, and they’re playing much better on the O-line. They’re very balanced. They’re averaging 200 yards plus in rushing. You’ve got to give them credit. Offensively they’ve improved a lot. Defensively, they’re fast. They don’t do a lot, but they do it well. Their D-line is active. Number 5 [Jared Verse], the transfer defensive end, is in the backfield making plays, blocking kicks. They do play a lot of press coverage on the outside. Not always, but they play a lot of it and force you to make contact catches and get off of bump-and-runs.They’re well coached on special teams. John Papuchis is a really good football coach for them. They’ve blocked two kicks. They’re a point extra in field goal blocks. Their returners are the same guys playing on offense who make plays. They’re really good players. I’m excited to play. I’m excited to get back in Carter-Finley Stadium and play in front of our fans. It’s Educator Appreciation Day, so we get to praise the teachers who have helped us in our lives. I know for all of us on this call and that will be listening to it there’s somebody like that. I will ask you to reach out and say thanks to someone along the way who helped you or may be helping one of your sons or grandsons. I think it’s a profession that is very underpaid and very difficult. It’s definitely a profession that deserves a lot of thank yous when they can get them. From our team standpoint, we’re partnering with Hilinski’s Hope Foundation for College Football Mental Health week, eliminating the stigma and increasing mental health resources for universities and colleges. We’re fortunate here. We have a great partnership with our mental health team, and Ariane [Smith Machin] who works with football does a tremendous job. I know Grant Gibson, Tim McKay and Cory Durden are going to be a part of handing out things to our players after we have practice the next couple of days. It’s something that I think used to be looked at as a weakness or a stigma, and now to us and to those who are involved in this it’s about bringing awareness and understanding. It’s another resource that can help you grow. We don’t just need help physically, but we need help mentally. It’s something that people should take advantage of if they’re not. There’s a lot of people coming out of COVID, as we all know, who are suffering with mental health illnesses, so we’re trying to bring awareness to that. I know last year Emeka Emezie did a lot of that with our team with the Hilinski Foundation, and we’re continuing that this year. Lastly, I think this is just an opportunity to respond. I think, in life, you find out who you are when you’re knocked down. It’s easy to be who everybody wants you to be when things are good, but the best way to get over that feeling is to go back to work, put your head down, and focus on what led to success earlier. We know what the formula is for that here: It’s a great week of preparation and a great week of practice. A 1-0 mentality doesn’t mean that you get to celebrate with wins and linger with losses. You have a 24-hour window, and for us that window is over. I’m excited about the opportunity to get back on the grass and in the meeting room with our players and our staff and go back to work against a really good Florida State team.

On Jordan Travis impact within the Florida State offense...

He’s been injured both years [the Wolfpack would have faced him]. He’s very athletic, first of all. He can run run with the football. Last year, I thought he was an athlete playing quarterback. This year, he’s a quarterback. He’s throwing accurate passes. He’s reading coverage. He’s giving his receivers chances to make plays. He’s moving around in the pocket extending plays, not just looking to run. I think he scrambled to run whereas now he’s keeping his eyes downfield. He’s playing really good football. Like most quarterbacks, the longer you play, the better you get. He’s got a lot more game reps now.

On Bryson Speas’ versatility and playing at left tackle against Clemson…

Speas is [a Swiss Army knife] for us. He can play every position but center. He could probably play there if we moved him there. But he’s been rotating with Tim McKay and [Anthony] Belton. In the game, we felt like we needed more help on the left side. It was a tough matchup at times. Sometimes, you get in that environment, and just having a more experienced guy helps. Speas went in the game, handled the crowd noise better, and was having more success, so we rode with him. I’ve said this to you guys before, but we look at all three of those guys as starters. It’s great to have the ability to rotate guys and have the ability to help when one guy is maybe not playing as good as he has been and have an answer for that. It’s nice to have that ability.

On NC State’s running struggles against Clemson…

I think that D-line is special for them, really special. We probably got a little impatient with the run game. When you get down by two possessions, that happens. I think the game flow did that a little bit in the second half. I think, moving forward, we want to be more balanced than we were in that game. Sometimes with RPOs, the ball goes where the ball goes. It’s not because we didn’t want to hand it off, but the read told him to throw it. Sometimes, those plays that are called are runs that are being called, but if we’re going to put a screen with a run and they don’t play it a certain way, then we’re going to throw it out there to the screen. On the statline, it will look like we’re not running the football a whole lot, but that’s really not what is happening with the play call. That happens a little bit, too. I think it’s a combination of a really good D-line, the RPO, how that played out, and us not being patient enough at times with running the ball.

On what he hopes to see from the team in practice…

We were tired, first of all, yesterday. We got home at 4 a.m. That doesn’t help, but everyone was mad, frustrated, disappointed, and tired. By the end of it, they were ready to move on. Today, I know they’ll have juice. They’ll be ready to practice, and our experience and leadership on this football team will help in a situation like this. Last year, we had similar things. We lost a tough game by one to Miami, and we responded with one of our best games against Louisville the next week. It’s a team that knows how to do that. We have our hands full. We have a really good team coming in here, but judging by how we’ve responded in tough situations in the past, I know this team will be ready to play on Saturday.

On who he’ll look to in order to help move the Pack forward this week…

Yeah, your veterans. We talked with the leadership council first and then the team. With Isaiah Moore, Devin Leary, Grant Gibson, Drake Thomas, that’s where you look first. Within the position groups, there’s kids in each room that understand that the season is not defined by one game. It is if you allow it to be, and it turns into multiple games. There’s a lot of good things said in the room, and I know those guys will take it to heart. It’s a close group. There’s a good demeanor about them. There’s no concern on that side. The concern is that we’re playing a great team this week. I don’t think it’s going to be whether or not we’re ready to play, but we’ve got to play good enough to win.

On if he’s ever had a player who has maximized his talent in the same way Thayer Thomas has…

I mean, on defense at Wisconsin, we had J.J. Watt who is obviously one of the greatest to ever play that walked on. I haven’t really had on offense a player like that. We probably had an offensive lineman at Wisconsin who was similar to that in a different position group. Thayer is unique in what he’s done here. If you really dig into his story and what he has done to his body since he got here, he was a 150-some pound guy. We have pictures of him from five years ago now, but talk about a change physically; he deserves all the credit for that for the time and what he does on a daily basis from a recovery standpoint, what he does in the weight room, what he does on the jugs machine and in film study. He’s very unique. He’s above the one-percentile line when it comes to his work ethic.

On the next steps for the wide receivers’ growth…

I think it’s just connecting on more deep balls. This isn’t all on them. We’re overthrowing balls, too. It’s just getting that downfield production to being more consistent and putting the ball where they can catch it for Devin Leary. It’s giving those guys the chance to go up and make plays, and when he does that, it’s going up and making the play. We’ve had a pretty good history here since Kelvin Harmon to Emeka Emezie. I think Devin Carter does a nice job going up for a deep ball. We win a lot of 50-50 balls here. We have for a while. We need to get back to that. That’s not just on the receivers or tight ends or the backs. It’s the entire offense. Give the quarterback a chance to make that throw, then make the throw and then go up and make the play. I think that’s the thing we can improve on. We’re catching the ball underneath and are seeing some good yards after contact. The guys are blocking better than they have in the past. It’s just being more explosive and connecting with them.

On his thoughts on seeing so many head coaches getting fired early in the season…

I don’t really like it. I think it’s crazy how hard we work all offseason and then summer and fall camp. You sign kids. You develop kids. You get into the season, and then three, four, five weeks in it’s done. As you know, there’s a lot of time left. There are seven games left. If you win seven games, even if you were 0-5 you’re in a bowl game. There’s a lot of season left. I don’t disagree with you that a lot of these decisions are now being made because of the portal and because of early signing dates and people wanting to get in front of recruiting their classes. The student-athletes are the ones who are getting cheated right now because they’re having to play their seasons with a lesser staff. In some cases it’s multiple coaches. I think Colorado fired their head coach and their defensive coordinator the other day. It’s just new. It’s going to be something that we have to get used to, I guess. Things don’t usually go back to the way that they were when things start going faster in this world. I don’t think it’s a great trend, but it’s not my job to make those decisions.

On what he’s thought of Devin Leary’s first five games of the season…

I think some good, some bad. There’s a multitude of things. It’s probably hard to put it into a couple of sentences. He’s had some games where he’s really looked really good. In this last game I thought he played really tough. He took some shots in the Clemson game. He just kept battling. His toughness, his work ethic, he’s throwing the ball underneath and intermediate really well. From a deep ball standpoint, we’ve got to get that a little tuned up. I think the first game he was trying to be perfect, and after that he’s improved each week. This last game I thought he did some really good things. At times he just didn’t have a chance. Their pass rush was a factor in that game. I think you have to give them some credit there, too. I’m excited about the direction he’s going. I think he’s really noticed some things that he can do. He’s looking at some little things. His leadership has been awesome. So, I look forward to the next seven games with him. It’s one week at a time.

On the national attention NC State received leading up to the Clemson game…

It was great for our program. It was earned. That was a top-10 team against a top-5 team on national television, and it was a heck of a football game. It was. Let’s not forget that. I’m proud of our staff, our players, and all that, but I’d rather win. I think it was great. I think this team has earned respect. For the first time in my tenure here, I can say that. Last year, we were ranked and lost a game by one point and dropped out of the Top 25. I think there is some respect for this team and what it can do, and now it’s just getting back on track. In the Atlantic Division, that’s easier said than done.

On Florida State’s reputation and performance since entering the ACC…

I have great respect. I grew up being a college football fan and watching all of Bobby [Bowden]’s teams. Coach Bowden was a great mentor and role model in this sport for coaches. I’ve studied them and used to love watching them play. So many of their players were guys who I was fans of growing up watching. I have a lot of respect for that, but with regard to how it changed the ACC, I wasn’t here for that. I was part of other conferences during that time, so I didn’t really pay attention to that part of the question.

 
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