VIDEO: Dave Doeren Talks Before NC State’s Showdown with Clemson

NC State head coach Dave Doeren spoke to the media today before the Wolfpack’s showdown against Clemson this Saturday down in Death Valley. The video is ABOVE and a bulleted breakdown is BELOW .

• Going to have to play the best we can against their front-4. They are NFL players. It’s not just blocking really good players. They do a lot of different stuff. Got our hands full, but we are excited.
• We will play uptempo. Give them different things to look at. Move the ball around. We’ve got to take advantage of tight coverage and get behind them. We have to run our offense and execute and give Ryan (Finley) a chance to do.
• LG Terronne Prescod and C Garrett Bradbury deserve credit for buying in. You can develop only if you want to develop. They deserve all the credit they get. They’re playing hard. I told them it would be better to win the award, instead of a midyear deal
• Clemson has good defensive backs. They play tight coverage. They’re going to compete for balls. Our guys have to win those competitions. If they can’t catch it, they need to break it up. There are going to be 50/50 balls in the game. We’re going to give our guys chances. He’s going to put it in some tight spots, and we need to win those balls.
• Clemson leads the nation in explosive plays. Our overlap players have to be where they are supposed to be. Have to have proper pursuit. We are going to miss some tackles, that’s inevitable, but need to hit them with the proper leverage so the other guys can get it down on the ground.
• RB Travis Etienne is the one that stirs the pot for their offense. Playing with a lot of confidence. More snaps. Scores every 8 touches. Really dynamic player.