Back on October 10th it was revealed that a contract extension was being negotiated for NC State head football coach Dave Doeren.
At that point the Wolfpack had won 5 straight games after losing the season opener to South Carolina, with 2 of those victories coming against Atlantic Division foes Florida St. and Louisville , who were both ranked at the time of victory.
Since then, the South Carolina Loss is easier to swallow (sort of…they are at least 6-3) and the Louisville (5-4) and FSU (3-5) wins don’t look as impressive.
With that being said, if you would have told me that NC State would win 2 out of 3 against FSU, Louisville and Clemson, I would have said that you’ve at least got me thinking about an extension.
Beating FSU and Louisville in the same season is a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough.
If this team wants to prove they are different than NC State teams of the past, they will win the next three games. The Wolfpack didn’t need to beat Clemson and Notre Dame for Doeren to earn an extension in my book. They were capable of beating them, but they would have been upsets. NC State’s biggest flaw for many years has been losing the games they shouldn’t lose…like the next three games against Boston College, Wake Forest and UNC.
Last year NC State had no business losing to East Carolina and Boston College. Flip those and you would have had a 9-win season. That’s only been done 10 times in school history.
If NC State can win the next three games, which they should, this will truly be a special season. If they lose one of the following games, this team will finish outside the Top 25, and not have taken the next step forward that the program needs to take.
Extensions should be given on wins and losses, and Doeren has built a team that should win, but at this point, there is no guarantee this year will end any better than his previous teams.
I think this team is different. They are more poised. They aren’t as easily shaken. They have depth. They have lots of weapons. They have key senior leaders. They have experience.
I hope that equals three straight wins equaling a special season. Fans should be proud of what Doeren and crew have accomplished thus far.
I hope NC State wins their next three games and Doeren earns his extension. If they do, he will deserve it, and this will be a truly special season.
Here’s to the Wolfpack finishing what they’ve started this year.
