VIDEO: Dave Doeren Talks After Practice Before NC State vs. UNC

NC State head coach Dave Doeren spoke with the media after practice today before the Wolfpack’s rivalry game versus UNC on Saturday. The video is ABOVE, and a bulleted breakdown is BELOW.

• (Today) They don’t have class, so we backed everything up an hour to get a little more sleep for them. They eat here for lunch and dinner. Tomorrow after practice, non-travel guys can go home until Sunday. Everyone else goes to Angus Barn. Big meal with coaches, wives, kids and players. Then we’re back into a normal Friday.
• (On the UNC Rivalry) Having been a part of the USC-UCLA rivalry, I kind of had been a part of something similar where you have two universities in the same city limits, basically. So I anticipated it being like that, and my first press conference here several people came up and welcomed me in and many of them mentioned “Beat Carolina”. It kind of cemented what I thought it would be, and then as you live here and you start to see how integrated the alumni base is, where you run into theirs and they run into ours everyday. It’s different.
• (On beating UNC effecting recruiting) It can.  I think it’s selective. I think there’s some players that are between us and them…these games can matter…sometimes they don’t. Sometimes there’s other factors that matter more than the outcome of a game…most cases that’s true. They’re putting a lot of their attention on the things that matter to them and their family and if it’s a tie going into it, maybe that swings it, I don’t know.
• It’s a state where there’s a lot of pride with our alumni base and obviously they have the same with theirs. So to own a rivalry for that year is nice. It’s nice to have that.
• Our linebackers have been very productive. Obviously, Germaine is in the top five in the league in tackles. He’s made a lot of plays for our defense this year. Isaiah (Moore) and Louis (Acceus) compliment each other and both had outstanding games. Isaiah played his best game last week. Brock (Miller) is getting better and better each week…taken a ton of reps. They have been fun to watch. Calvin Hart is young, has gotten a lot of reps, and is going to be a really good player here.
• (On favorite Thanksgiving food) The green bean casserole with the old French onion deals on top of it. I love that. I’m a dark Turkey guy. Put some gravy on there and some sweet potatoes, and I’m a happy dog.