What NC State’s Dave Doeren had to Say About Wake Forest This Week

Here’s a look at what NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren had to say about #20 Wake Forest.

Another great team we’re playing. I know they’re coming off a tough loss. Uncharacteristic game from them, turning the ball over. They were, I think, 2nd in turnover margin [ACC] prior to that game.

They’re very well coached and their receivers really jump off the film to me. Sam Hartman [Quarterback] is a tremendous player for them, but the receivers are big guys, they’re 6’4″, 6’5″, 6’3″. They catch the ball very well, they use their bodies well. Sam is a gutsy competitor, he has a lot of talent, knows their offense back and forward.

They’re scoring a lot of points, they’re ranked 2nd in the league in scoring offense…38 points per game. 4th in 3rd-down offense.

Big receivers are averaging 14 yards per catch, the running backs are averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

I’ve got great respect for Dave Clawson [Head Coach] and he’s done a great job hiring defensive guys I have a lot of respect for as well. It’s an in-state game and a rivalry game. It’s an important game for both teams.

Sam [Hartman] is playing so well and he makes that thing go. The receivers they have are big guys who really catch the ball well and give them an opportunity to make big plays and earn pass interferences. That’s the hardest part of it. It’s not just, ‘Take away this one receiver and they’re one-dimensional’. They’ve got a lot of good receivers and they rotate guys in.

Their running game is different because of the timing of it, so you’ve got to be patient and set edges, you’ve got to do your job. All the position groups are important.

It’s the 2nd-longest standing rivalry in the country. It’s a historical event, for one.

Both of us, coach Clawson and I, have built our programs from the ground up through developmental processes that we both believe in, and have created two long standing programs with long standing head coaches, and both of us have done it the right way through recruiting and development. I have a lot of respect for them.

It’s a game that comes down to one possession almost every year, and it seems like whoever has the ball last comes away with it. Last year it came down to an onside kick that we felt like we got and they felt like we didn’t.

I think the last 12 games we’re 6-6. I don’t know if you can call it evenly matched, but it’s two good football teams that are in the state and do things the right way. It’s gonna be a good game. (GoPack)