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Close games have a way of separating the good teams from the great ones.  Sometimes it is all about which team wants it more, which team is more focused, and which coach is calling the shots in crunch time.  Dave Doeren’s teams have been among the best when it comes to winning a closely contested game.

In his four years as a head coach he has compiled a stellar record in games that are decided by four points or less.  In fact, he is the leader in win percentage among the Power 5 conference coaches with a percentage of 77.8%.  In his 9 games that were decided by four points or less, he has come away with the win in 7 of them.  If we expand the parameters to a one possession game, he has won 13 out of 17 games, for a win percentage of 76.5%.  The numbers speak volumes about Doeren and his staff.

Not only do close games reveal a teams’ true identity, but it also reveals a lot about a coach.  If coaches cannot remain calm and stick to their plan; then players will regress in the pressure filled moments. However, Doeren does a great job of staying in the moment and sticks to his game plan.  He is also very acute on the sidelines and has a firm grasp of his teams’ pulse.  It appears that Doeren and his staff are excellent leaders.  This will be important for the upcoming season, with only 10 % of State’s roster being comprised of seniors.

It is obvious that his players respect him and play with the focus and desire necessary to win close games.  Winning is what it is all about.  That is why Debbie Yow pegged Doeren for the job to rebuild, as well as grow NC State into a national power in football.  In his four seasons as a head coach, he has won on average 8.5 games per season!  Those are pretty stout numbers considering the fact that he only won 3 games in his first season in Raleigh.  In fact, his average of 8.5 wins per season ranks 5th among ACC coaches.  Doeren will look to add to his 34 career wins this season.

 

 

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NC State Football

Congrats to NC State Football’s Spring Graduates!

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Congratulations to the 7 NC State Football Players that just graduated this Spring.

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2024 Football Spring Graduates

Linebacker Devon Betty (1 year of eligibility)

Defensive End Davin Vann (1 year of eligibility)

Cornerback Aydan White (1 year of eligibility)

Offensive Guard Anthony Carter Jr. (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Lineman Matt McCabe (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Tackle Patrick Matan (2 years of eligibility)

Offensive Lineman Brendan Lawson (no longer on the roster)

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NC State Football

Proposed Bill in the NC House Would Require NC State & UNC To Play One Another, as well as ECU, UNCC and App St.

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A bill has been proposed by members of the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play one another, as well as East Carolina, UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State.

According to House Bill 965, which you can read here in full, NC State and UNC would be required to play one another annually in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball. The Wolfpack and the Tar Heels would also be forced to play a game annually in all three sports against either ECU, UNC-Charlotte or App St. Every six years, NC State and UNC would be required to have played a home and away game against each of the three school in all three sports.

Here’s the exact wording from the proposed bill:

Competition Required. – A high-enrollment institution shall do all of the following in each eligible sport: (1) Every academic year, play at least one home or one away game against (i) another high-enrollment institution and (ii) an eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution. (2) Every six academic years, play at least one home and one away game against each eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution. A high-enrollment institution shall alternate home and away games that are scheduled against the same eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution.

For glossary of terms being referenced above:

For the purposes of this bill, “High-enrollment institutions” = NC State and UNC, while “Eligible constituent institutions” = East Carolina, UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State.

It’s worth noting that NC State already has games schedule against each of these teams home-and-away in Football between now and 2031.

2025 – East Carolina (H)

2025 – @ App St.

2026 – App St. (H)

2028 – @ East Carolina

2030 – Charlotte (H)

2031 – @ Charlotte

What are your thoughts?

For more details, check out this article at WRAL.

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NC State Football

Akron Safety Kerry Martin Jr. will Take an Official Visit at NC State Next Week

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Akron Safety Kerry Martin Jr. (6’1″/195) confirmed with me that he will be taking an Official Visit to NC State next week beginning on May 7th.

After receiving an offer from NC State yesterday, it didn’t take him long to set up the visit.

Martin Jr. is familiar with NC State, because he was recruited by Wolfpack Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson before he left West Virginia to come to Raleigh. Even though he never coached him, a relationship was established.

Martin Jr.’s connections to NC State are deeper than that. Former NC State Cornerback Derrek Pitts, who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Bucs, is his cousin.

This past year, Martin Jr. recorded 45 tackles, 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups for Akron, starting in 9 of the 11 games he played in. His PFF Grade was 68.9.

In 2022, he had 53 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup, starting in 9 of the 11 games he played in. Martin Jr.’s PFF Grade was 60.9.

In 2019, as a Freshman for West Virginia, Martin Jr. earned PFF Freshman All-American honors, recording a grade of 70.6, with 50 tackles and 3 pass breakups.

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NC State Football

NC State Sits in the Top-20 in 247’s Post-Spring 2024 Preseason Poll

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247’s Brad Crawford released his Post-Spring 2024 Preseason College Football Top-25 recently, and NC State moved up 1 spot to #20.

ACC Teams in the Top-25

11. FSU

14. Miami

16. Clemson

20. NC State

24. Virginia Tech

25. Louisville

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