NC State Head Football Coach Dave Doeren met with the media after practice yesterday. You can watch it here, or check out a BULLETED breakdown below.

• I haven’t played there in awhile [Louisville].
  • Last time we were down there, they were in-between staffs, and it wasn’t really a game.
  • Other times we were down there, they were playing pretty well under Petrino.
  • They had a great fan base there that day…it was loud.
  • So, it’s like any road game. If their fans show up and give them support, it makes it a harder place to win.
• Like I said earlier in the week, I think because he [MJ Morris] played so well in the other 6 quarters previously, we had unrealistic expectations that he’d never make a mistake.
  • So he made a few and he’s going to learn from them and be better for them. That’s all you can ask.
• We were hurting after the game.
  • We felt like we got robbed, so that’s a tough feeling.
    • It’s one thing when you get beat. It’s another thing when you make a play to win the game and you don’t get to celebrate making it.
    • That was a tough one in the locker room.
  • Then the next day, we flushed it.
  • I thought they came out with great enthusiasm and practiced well all week.
    • I’m proud of them for that. I think that shows maturity on their part and it’s not an easy thing to do.
  • There was a lot lost in that. From a legacy standpoint, those Seniors really wanted to win on Senior day and accomplish breaking Coach Holtz’s record.
  • But I think when they realized last year at this time we were 7-3, we beat Syracuse and beat UNC, and had a chance to win 10, let’s not go down letting one game get into the next.
  • I think that’s one thing this team has done a great job of. When we’ve had a setback, we respond very well.
• I think our coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for cross-training guys.
  • Players just ultimately want to play.
    • If you’re an offensive lineman, I tell them wouldn’t you rather have five lottery tickets than one?
    • The same thing goes on the back-end and at linebacker. If you can learn Mike, Sam and Will, it’s better than just knowing Mike.
    • You’ll have a better opportunity to get on the field if you’re the next best player. So we try to cross-train the guys who have the ability to do that.
    • Sometimes, it’s asking too much early in their career. You have to have them get through a couple seasons before they can really do that.
    • It’s a value to your depth chart because now you’re deeper than your depth chart looks.
• I wouldn’t say it’s every day, but it’s close to every day [working on roster management]. And if I’m not, somebody is.
  • Our recruiting office is doing that non-stop. You’re constantly evaluating your competition. You’re evaluating guys that might go into the portal.
  • Obviously, you’re evaluating your roster. How are we performing at this spot? Where do we need to get better? So, that’s an ongoing thing.
  • From a head coach’s standpoint, it’s different from the recruiting office, because I’m looking at the 85 scholarships, and who’s leaving and who might declare for the NFL Draft early?
    • How does that change what we thought was going to be? So, there’s a lot of moving parts right now.
• That can happen [having to recruit your own players]. I haven’t had to do a ton of that here.
  • It’s been more of the process of do you want to go pro or not?
  • Sometimes, I think there’s a misconception when a kid goes in the portal it’s bad.
    • Sometimes, he just wants to play more and he’s buried in the depth chart.
    • I want him to play, too, and have a good career and be happy.
    • If I tell him you’re going to be 3rd and he can go be 1st for someone else, I’m going to help him. So, it’s not always bad.
  • Sometimes, it’s just managing why someone is thinking that way.
  • Sometimes, you are getting bad advice and you have to look at what’s going on here.
• It used to be a really fun month [December].
  • You would finish your season and if you were bowl-eligible, you’d give the guys a little rest to get ready for finals.
    • As coaches, you’d change your routine and go to high schools and recruit. Go do home visits and get some good meals.
    • Then you’d come back and you’d start bowl prep. It was a celebration almost that you were going to a bowl.
  • Now, it’s so much more than that with the early signing day and the portal.
    • If you lose a coach, you’re replacing coaches. It’s a lot and NIL has added more to that.
  • So, I wouldn’t say it’s a month you don’t like, because there’s good things about it, but it’s very, very hectic. No breaks.
  • For me, it’s the busiest month of the year.