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NC State Football

Dave Doeren Speaks With Media After Practice Prior to ECU

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2 years ago

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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.”

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Football

Does the Addition of the UVA Series Equal the Elimination of NC State’s Series with App St.?

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2 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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Earlier this week it was announced that NC State and Virginia would play one another in a home-and-home series, with the Wolfpack hosting in 2025, and the Cavaliers hosting in 2026.

Prior to the announcement, NC State already had their non-conference slate booked for both of those seasons.

As a result of the addition of the Virginia series, a previously scheduled non-conference game from each season would need to be dropped. While it hasn’t been officially announced by the school, Joe Giglio and David Glenn seem to think that the series with Appalachian State is going to be dropped.

It would make the most sense, considering the Mountaineers were the only opponent the Wolfpack was scheduled to play in both 2025 and 2026. It would also make sense, considering the fact that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips isn’t a fan of ACC teams playing Group of 5 schools on the road.

I will tell you this much. The Mountaineer faithful certainly believe NC State is dropping the series with App State, and it just takes a little scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) to get a read on their feelings on the situation.

This situation brings to mind the bill that has been proposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play App St., ECU and UNC Charlotte in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball.

If the addition of UVA means the elimination of App St. on NC State’s schedule, what are your thoughts? Share in the comments.

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NC State Football

CBS Sports Ranks Dave Doeren as 1 of the Top-20 Coaches in College Football

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2 days ago

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May 16, 2024

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CBS Sports released their Top-25 Power 4 Coaches in College Football, and NC State’s Dave Doeren came in at #16. Heading into last season, he went into the season ranked #25.

16) Dave Doeren: The NC State coach finally gets some overdue credit. He’s always hovered around the bottom of our top 25 or just outside it, and now he finds himself firmly entrenched in it thanks to all the changes at the top. Coaches who take mid-tier programs and overachieve never get enough credit, in my estimation, and the consistency Doeren has established at NC State — where he spent most of his time in a division with Clemson and Florida State — is one of the most impressive things any coach in the country has done. I’m glad to see Doeren getting closer to the top 15. 2023 rank: 25 (+9) (CBS Sports)

Numerous CBS Sports’ analysts voted in the poll, and Tom Fornelli actually ranked Doeren #8.

ACC Coaches that made the Top-25

3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

8. Mike Norvell (FSU)

16. Dave Doeren (NC State)

19. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

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NC State Football

NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

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4 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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Kickoff time and TV Channel details have been revealed for NC State and Tennessee’s game in the Duke Mayo Classic in Week 2 of next season.

The game will be a primetime game on Saturday 7th, at 7:30pm on ABC.

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This game has the makings to be a Top-25 matchup.

Here’s a look at some of the Way-Too-Early Preseason rankings for the Wolfpack and the Volunteers:

Action Network: NC State #24/Tennessee #17

ON3: NC State #22/Tennessee #15

247: NC State #21/Tennessee #11

ESPN: NC State #17/Tennessee #15

DraftKings released their way-too-early odds for the game, and Tennessee is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

Here’s the deal, as NC State fans, if we want to be a big time Football program, NC State fans need to gobble up tickets to this game. Let’s do our part and make sure that Bank of America Stadium is painted RED. Buy Tickets HERE.

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NC State Football

NC State and UVA Agree to Home-and-Home Non-Conference Games

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4 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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NC State announced this morning that the Wolfpack and UVA will play in a home-and-home non-conference series, with the game in 2025 being in Raleigh, and the game in 2026 being in Charlottesville.

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To reiterate, despite the fact that both teams are in the ACC, these games are considered non-conference games, and won’t count toward conference records. This is similar to what UNC and Wake Forest did a few years back.

Here’s what’s interesting about the addition of these games in 2025 and 2026. Prior to the announcement, NC State already had 4 non-conference games scheduled for both years.

It would be my assumption that one of the previously scheduled non-conference games for each season will not take place now.

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