WATCH: Dave Doeren After Practice Before Duke (with transcript)

NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren met with the media today after practice before the Wolfpack’s matchup against Duke this Saturday. You can watch the video ABOVE, and read the transcript BELOW.

Duke does a good job of tackling in the backfield, in the sacks. How’s your preparation gone this week to combat that?

Really aggressive defense. Statistically, TFL, sacks, force fumbles, they’re one of the best in the country.

And so it’s a huge challenge. And it’s fundamentals, it’s pride in your blocking assignment, it’s understanding of the looks you get and what can come out of them. And then schematically, we gotta do good things to protect them.

We gotta be smart. You don’t wanna stand back there and drop back protection all day against what these guys do. They’ve done a great job, they’ve got good personnel.

Their defensive ends are fun to watch. Their corners are playing at a high level. Safety #2 is really a good contact speed player.

And a lot of respect for what they do, and excited for the opportunity to play with our guys against them. It’s gonna be a fun game. I’m sure.

Will it be challenging for CJ (Bailey), the young quarterback, identifying the pressure and making the right calls.

Yeah, I mean, it’s no different than the other games. I mean, he’s seen a lot already in his time.

And I don’t know if it gets harder than going to Death Valley in your first start, seeing all the stuff Clemson does. I think he’s well prepared for what could come. And this comes down to execution.

I’m sure you were aware of how Justin Joly could be used. But as you go through the season and see how much of a mismatch he has, different than J-Sam, obviously, but same kind of a mismatch. What is it like having that in the toolbox?

He’s kind of a blend of Jalen Samuels and Cary Angeline.

I mean, there’s a big receiving target, tight end that you can have, but also a guy that can really run well once he touches it. So yeah, we’re super excited about not only what he’s done, but the improvements, and he’s still got a lot of upside. There’s a lot that he can continue to work on, he knows that.

He’s a really a hard worker, that’s one thing you like about Justin. He shows up every day and works really hard, and so he’s dedicated to improving. And as a coach, that’s all you can ask for, is to get a talented player with a good attitude that wants to get better.

In general, what is the advantages of having a flex tight end versus a third or fourth receiver out there?

The blocking schemes, he’s 250 pounds, so you can get him in the box and do different things with him. And a lot harder to do that with a 180 to 200 pound guy and expect him to hold up blocking defensive ends and outside linebackers. So the number of formations you can be in where you have a tight end that can move around, you see it all over the NFL, versus four wides where it’s four wides.

It’s just more versatility.

Davin Vann came back for another year. He could have gone to the NFL and probably gotten drafted last year. What was the conversation like with him when he told you he was coming back and just how huge has his presence been for this team both on and off the field?

I think those conversations always start with one thing. Do you think you can get better? In our conversation, he said, ‘yeah, there’s things I need to get better at.’ So that’s where it started.

And then let’s go through the process. Let’s get the information we can get from all the GMs that we know and call people on the phone and let him have those conversations, not just me telling them what I’m hearing, and then sit back down. And he knew that if he had a year that he could have, that he could elevate.

And he said there’s 20 defensive ends on the board in the draft room. He’s at the bottom and those guys go pro. Well, now he’s at the top, and now there’s a new 20.

And if you play well, then all of a sudden you’ve made yourself a lot of income in one college year. In some cases, guys go from seventh round to third or fifth round to second. And you’re talking about generational money.

And so it is betting on yourself in a way. And if you know you can improve, it’s a good bet. And in Davin’s case, to answer your question, I was over the moon when I knew he was coming back.

I knew I could help him. I knew he could benefit from it, not just as a player, but as a person. And become a vocal leader, which he has.

And so his growth is exponential that way, too, as far as being the alpha of the team. And when he talks, people listen. And a year ago, he just put his head down and go to work, and now he’s leading.

How much have you talked to some of your seniors and grad students about this being the last home game?

A lot. We started the conversation in front of the team on Sunday with pictures of guys that will play their last game at home. And I’ve told them stories about what that means for me as a coach and what it meant to me as a player.

And then you’re just challenging guys. Like, ‘hey, we want these guys to lead their last walk up the tunnel after the game to be as memorable as going out to see their families.’ And we have to earn that, a really good opponent.

And I’ll do something with the team at the hotel Friday night, and it’s always a special deal where I’ll get each one of those guys up in front of the room and go through their life, basically, at NC State. And give them the honor and credit that they deserve.

What’s that like emotionally, even as a coach? You’ve spent so much time with these players. When they come out of the tunnel, their families, and you get to have that embrace. What’s that like emotionally, because they’re more than players?

It’s pretty heavy, and that’s one of the things when you stay at a school 12 years. I’ve known the guys I’ve recruited, 15, 16, 17, 18 years old.

And then all of a sudden now they’re 23 years old, and they’re graduating. Some of them engaged, and they’re playing their last game. There’s a lot of memories, a lot of love.

And so it means a lot to me to be a part of the journey. And that’s the thing I love about coaching football. I actually get to have an integral role in helping raise somebody else’s sons and helping him hopefully reach the dreams that he has for himself while he’s here.

For someone like Timothy McKay, who I’m sure you met at a very young age, and he was obviously young when he enrolled here. But to see two degrees later, or maybe three for all I know, everything that he’s achieved and experienced at NC State after whatever age he was when you first met him.

Yeah, eighth grade. I mean, he was in the room when his brother was being recruited here.

And we kind of joked about it, like ‘I’ll be back for you someday.’ And that’s how it ended up. And he’s done a lot here.

He’s played a ton of snaps, played tackle, played guard. Been a really solid leader for our football team, works the way you want guys to work. And academically, I mean, he’s one of the standards of how you become a student athlete, doing all those things in the classroom that he’s done.

How would you describe this class?

I don’t know if I can put it in words. Each one of these groups is different, but at the same time, they resemble each other. They’re guys that have invested and have long stories that have ups and downs in them.

And they’ve overcome them and become better versions of themselves through adversity. There’s a lot of pride in it for me in seeing that growth and because I knew where he was. And a lot of things that these guys go through aren’t public things.

And so you see a senior that’s smiling and crying on senior day. I see a guy that I knew since he was 14, and how far he’s come. And I remember the things he’s been through and the great things that he’s done.

And so it’s not like a eulogy, they’re not passing away. But you certainly look at it almost like you’re sitting there looking at their life going backwards a little bit as a coach. And this class is no different than the others.

It poured a lot of work into our program.

How is it different when you’re celebrating guys who’ve been here four, five, six years as opposed to some of the guys that were only here for one season?

It’s different, but there’s still solid things, like Jordan Waters and I went fishing together this summer and spent a lot of time talking.

I’ve gotten to know him very well and have great respect for him. Grayson and I are out there cracking jokes at each other today, like you build friendships with these guys that will sustain their college life. And some of them are deeper than others.

It’s really about the things that happen and the time you’re with them.

And I do try to do that. I try to have as many memories as I can with these guys.