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Below is the official transcript of NC State Defensive End Mike Rose’s session with the media at the ACC Kickoff this afternoon.

Q. What has been the difference with the Dave Doeren era as far as what he’s done to improve this program to where you are right now, the confidence you have going into 2015?

MIKE ROSE: Coach Doeren is a great guy. I was there when Coach OB was there. We were kind of a middle- of-the-run team. We needed a little something to push us over the edge. The next year we went 3-9. Nobody really believed in him. I mean, that’s honesty. This past year we got a better quarterback and things changed. People started believing in the system and they started believing that we can play with any team out there.

Q. There’s a real feeling of optimism and promise around this team. How much difference does that make when you take the practice field in the fall that you can have the belief you can make a big splash?

MIKE ROSE: We hung in there with Florida State. If we could cut that game off at halftime, we could have won the game. A lot of people felt like that. As long as we can strive to be better, compete for the Atlantic, why not? I think we should compete for the Atlantic, not just be the third or fourth team in the Atlantic.

Q. The majority of your tackles for loss last season came inside the ACC. Playing up for those games, what can you say about those opponents, how you feel you’ve done overall?

MIKE ROSE: I have 15. I could have got 20. Me and my coach looked at the film. When I was playing ODU, those other schools, I didn’t put in the same effort I put in against Florida State, Syracuse, Clemson, Wake, all those teams. If I would have put in the same effort and consistency against those smaller schools, there’s no telling where my limit could have been. You have to play every game the same. I think that’s what NC State could do better. If we played every game the same, we’d be a much better team.

Q. You mentioned 3-9. The season you had last year, as well. How much momentum do you think you have as a program not only on the field, but in your fan base and recruiting as well based on what you did last year?

MIKE ROSE: I mean, we just got in a big stable of runningbacks recruiting-wise. I think we’re a program on the rise. I mean, a lot of people want to be part of the Wolf Pack. It’s a good time in Raleigh. If we won the ACC championship, Raleigh would shut down for a little while. People want to be in Raleigh. It’s an exciting time right now.

Q. What are your personal markers either to get better, to be a contributor? Do you look at it week- to-week, game-to-game, one-third of the season by one-third of the season?

MIKE ROSE: I’ll take every game one game at a time. But I do want to say this: I want to go into Virginia Tech 4-0. That’s the first goal. I want to start ACC play right and win against Louisville.

Q. You’re among the best in the league at tackles for loss and forcing turnovers. What is your philosophy within the scheme of your defense in the big or little games at trying to create havoc?

MIKE ROSE: I think sometimes you just got to blitz. It was that simple. We didn’t blitz a lot those first couple games. A couple blitzes we put in, it just worked. People weren’t ready for us. A lot of teams underestimate you when you lose a lot of games. I think it just took a little more effort on my part just to make it happen.

Q. The wrist?

MIKE ROSE: I sprained my wrist fighting with Annabelle, my SID (smiling).

Q. Camp is going to open up in a couple of weeks, 25 or 30 days. First one or two days in camp, what needs to happen?

MIKE ROSE: Everybody just has to come to play. A lot of guys, they say, Oh, fall camp, I don’t want to do it. You got to treat the first two days like you treat the last couple days. It’s two-a-days, hard work. Once it’s over, you feel a feeling of relief.

Q. Are the State players aware the last time NC State won the ACC championship?

MIKE ROSE: I’m going to take a guess and say ’76.

Q. It was ’79. Is that something y’all talk about or think about, that long stretch?

MIKE ROSE: Yeah, uhm, when the first coaching staff was here, they talked about it a lot. This coaching staff, this is the time, this is the best time we have. Florida State, they’re down right now. Who knows who their quarterback is. Clemson is on the rise, too. But we’re on the rise also, so…

Q. You seem to be a bit of a jokester. Is that your role in the locker room? Is that a role you fulfill to keep people loose?

MIKE ROSE: Jacoby is a little stiff, but great person (smiling). He’s a humble leader. He’s real calm under pressure. Everybody loves him. He’s just the quarterback. He’s cool. That’s it, the quarterback. Me, I play on the defensive line. I play with a bunch of 300-pound guys. We’re always laughing and joking around. That’s what we do.

 

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

Does the Addition of the UVA Series Equal the Elimination of NC State’s Series with App St.?

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3 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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Earlier this week it was announced that NC State and Virginia would play one another in a home-and-home series, with the Wolfpack hosting in 2025, and the Cavaliers hosting in 2026.

Prior to the announcement, NC State already had their non-conference slate booked for both of those seasons.

As a result of the addition of the Virginia series, a previously scheduled non-conference game from each season would need to be dropped. While it hasn’t been officially announced by the school, Joe Giglio and David Glenn seem to think that the series with Appalachian State is going to be dropped.

It would make the most sense, considering the Mountaineers were the only opponent the Wolfpack was scheduled to play in both 2025 and 2026. It would also make sense, considering the fact that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips isn’t a fan of ACC teams playing Group of 5 schools on the road.

I will tell you this much. The Mountaineer faithful certainly believe NC State is dropping the series with App State, and it just takes a little scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) to get a read on their feelings on the situation.

This situation brings to mind the bill that has been proposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play App St., ECU and UNC Charlotte in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball.

If the addition of UVA means the elimination of App St. on NC State’s schedule, what are your thoughts? Share in the comments.

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NC State Football

CBS Sports Ranks Dave Doeren as 1 of the Top-20 Coaches in College Football

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3 days ago

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May 16, 2024

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CBS Sports released their Top-25 Power 4 Coaches in College Football, and NC State’s Dave Doeren came in at #16. Heading into last season, he went into the season ranked #25.

16) Dave Doeren: The NC State coach finally gets some overdue credit. He’s always hovered around the bottom of our top 25 or just outside it, and now he finds himself firmly entrenched in it thanks to all the changes at the top. Coaches who take mid-tier programs and overachieve never get enough credit, in my estimation, and the consistency Doeren has established at NC State — where he spent most of his time in a division with Clemson and Florida State — is one of the most impressive things any coach in the country has done. I’m glad to see Doeren getting closer to the top 15. 2023 rank: 25 (+9) (CBS Sports)

Numerous CBS Sports’ analysts voted in the poll, and Tom Fornelli actually ranked Doeren #8.

ACC Coaches that made the Top-25

3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

8. Mike Norvell (FSU)

16. Dave Doeren (NC State)

19. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

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NC State Football

NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

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5 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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Kickoff time and TV Channel details have been revealed for NC State and Tennessee’s game in the Duke Mayo Classic in Week 2 of next season.

The game will be a primetime game on Saturday 7th, at 7:30pm on ABC.

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This game has the makings to be a Top-25 matchup.

Here’s a look at some of the Way-Too-Early Preseason rankings for the Wolfpack and the Volunteers:

Action Network: NC State #24/Tennessee #17

ON3: NC State #22/Tennessee #15

247: NC State #21/Tennessee #11

ESPN: NC State #17/Tennessee #15

DraftKings released their way-too-early odds for the game, and Tennessee is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

Here’s the deal, as NC State fans, if we want to be a big time Football program, NC State fans need to gobble up tickets to this game. Let’s do our part and make sure that Bank of America Stadium is painted RED. Buy Tickets HERE.

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NC State Football

NC State and UVA Agree to Home-and-Home Non-Conference Games

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5 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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NC State announced this morning that the Wolfpack and UVA will play in a home-and-home non-conference series, with the game in 2025 being in Raleigh, and the game in 2026 being in Charlottesville.

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To reiterate, despite the fact that both teams are in the ACC, these games are considered non-conference games, and won’t count toward conference records. This is similar to what UNC and Wake Forest did a few years back.

Here’s what’s interesting about the addition of these games in 2025 and 2026. Prior to the announcement, NC State already had 4 non-conference games scheduled for both years.

It would be my assumption that one of the previously scheduled non-conference games for each season will not take place now.

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