Dave Doeren Speaks With Media After Practice Prior to ECU

NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren met with the media briefly after practice yesterday leading up to Saturday’s season opener vs. ECU. Here’s some noteworthy things he had to stay.

Junior Keyon Lesane earned the starting job at the Z-Reciever position. He gave some insight as to why.

“Keyon Lesane has been very consistent day in and day out. The biggest thing you look for is not just ability, but dependability. He had a good Spring, & then he took that into the summer and came through Fall camp as one of the most productive guys in that room on a daily basis. I’m excited for him. He’s really come a long way and dealt with a lot on and off the field with injuries. He’s in a good spot, and we’re excited to see him play.”

Doeren said that two things that have impressed him with this veteran team is the maturity on the field in camp, and what players are doing when they aren’t in.

“I think with an experienced roster like we have, there are a couple of things you look for: one, the maturity on the field while they’re playing and understanding situational football. As the chains move, they understand the down and distances are changing, and they’re not just running plays. They understand how the game flow works. The other thing is you look at how they are when they’re not in. Are they helping the guys that are in? Are they coaching them, or do they just have their head down drinking water? Those are both things that you look for from a mature team, and we’ve seen a lot of that in our camp and practices.”

Graduate Cornerback Derrek Pitts Jr. is a player that can do a lot of things. He’s what they expected him to be when he transferred.

“Coach Tony Gibson worked with Derrek Pitts at a prior school, so he already had that feel about him. Then, I watched film on him at Marshall. He’s a very aggressive player. As a football player, he can do a lot of things. He’s a good special teams guy as well. It didn’t take long. He’s kind of what we thought he’d be from his film.”

Star Linebacker Payton Wilson is coming off of an injury, and has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. They limited his snaps in camp.

“We limited Payton Wilson. He did get tackling. He got blow delivery and contact everyday that we were in pads, for the most part. He didn’t take every rep. All of these guys that are coming off major injuries or the guys that have a lot of reps banked, I’ve talked about that, we looked at how many reps they need. He got what he needed.”

Ruffin McNeil, former ECU head coach, is a Special Assistant to Doeren at NC State, and he’s been a perfect fit in Raleigh.

“I had another head coach on my staff prior with Ted Roof, and that was great for me to have someone like that, and that was the first time I had that as a coach. Then, Ted left, so that 2019 season, I didn’t have that, and I could tell I needed somebody whether it was an active coach or an off-the-field guy I could go to and talk with. It happened to be that a guy that was a mentor and close friend. It worked out. It couldn’t have been a better fit for me and obviously for Ruffin McNeill location-wise.”

The message Doeren is giving his players, is that you never stop preparing as the game approaches.

“I tell them to just to keep preparing. You’re never completely ready for a game. You can always watch something else on film. You can review a practice and see things. You can go through your call sheets, talk with your teammates, get with your coaches, and really the recovery that we ask of these guys now is paramount: getting in the cold tubs, stretching, hydration, and all of the things they need to feel great when we get to Saturday.”