NC State head coach Dave Doeren met with the media today after practice before the Wolfpack head up to Pittsburgh. The video is below, with a BULLETED breakdown underneath.

Free Safety Tanner Ingle & Linebacker Payton Wilson are back…

• 2 of our best players.
• Tanner is our captain in the secondary.
  • A lot of game experience…really good tackler…cover player…blitzer. Brings a lot to the table.
• Payton is 1 of the best players on the team when he is healthy.
• Nice to have them both back in the lineup.
  • Very thin in the secondary right now, so getting Tanner back is a big deal.

Importance of getting Payton Wilson to come to NC State…

• Anytime you get an elite in-state player, it’s a big deal for your football team.
  • Really fortunate to get him here.
• He’s a young man that we recruited a long time.
• Always felt like he was the right fit here.
• Really tough, hardworking, physical, blue-collar kid.
• Being a former linebacker coach myself, I felt like there was a lot I could do to help him in the position that he plays.
  • I look forward in continuing to help him.
• I know he can play on Sunday.
  • A lot of football in front of him.
  • He needs to continue to get better. Health is a part of it. He has the DNA for that. He has the mindset for that.

Relationship with Pitt D-Line Coach Charlie Partridge…

• Charlie is like a brother.
  • We were college teammates.
  • Roommates as graduate assistants.
  • Worked on a physical plant mowing grass together.
  • Used to go to camps and work other college camps and clinics.
  • Anything we could do to learn ball, we did together.
  • Got to work together and live by each other when we were at Wisconsin, have our kids around each other.
  • Charlie is a guy that’s not just a friend or a colleague, he’s like a brother to me.
• As a coach, I think he’s one of the best too.
  • What he has done with that defensive line there…
  • What he did with the defensive line at Wisconsin.
  • He’s very, very good at what he does.
• I’m looking forward to seeing him.

Hockman vs. Leary…

• Came out of last season and didn’t have an open competition.
  • We named Devin.
  • We believed in Devin.
• We get into Spring ball with a new offense, and were excited about what we were seeing and then we lose that time.
• We get into Fall camp and lose a bunch of time.
• It’s been the opposite of what we wanted for him (Leary).
  • I was really happy to see him get in the game and play the way he did.
• I’ve said this probably 20 times now, but we need both of them.
  • Bailey has gotten better.
• It’s been a hard week in practice for both of them.
  • Coach Beck really gets after them in practice.
  • He puts a lot of tough looks in their faces and makes them compete everyday.
• You will find out on Saturday who it is.

Installation of New Offense…

• A lot of growth ahead.
• Obviously there was a lot of fireworks in Game 1.
• Run game has been very efficient both games.
• Pass game is going to continue to grow.
  • Something that needs consistency at quarterback to happen.
• A work in progress in some areas.
• Tim will continue to tweak things week-to-week based on the coverage schemes we are seeing.
• Don’t have a ton more install.

Pitt’s Defense…

• Put a lot of guys in the box.
• Going to get a lot of 1-on-1 blocks, with really good players.
• 2-3-4- year players. They’re aggressive. They put their DBs in a lot of one-on-ones. If you’re going to beat Pitt, you’ve got to throw the ball by them. You’ve got to be able to pick up their pressure and give your quarterback a chance to make some plays. You can’t give up on your run game. I do think if you watch them, teams that do a good job of being patient do well.
• You don’t have to try and win the game in the 1st quarter. You’ve just got to stand in there and keep fighting with them.
• They are going to press man-to-man on your wideouts.

Payton Wilson saying the game is a “meat and potatoes” game…