Connect with us

Close games have a way of separating the good teams from the great ones.  Sometimes it is all about which team wants it more, which team is more focused, and which coach is calling the shots in crunch time.  Dave Doeren’s teams have been among the best when it comes to winning a closely contested game.

In his four years as a head coach he has compiled a stellar record in games that are decided by four points or less.  In fact, he is the leader in win percentage among the Power 5 conference coaches with a percentage of 77.8%.  In his 9 games that were decided by four points or less, he has come away with the win in 7 of them.  If we expand the parameters to a one possession game, he has won 13 out of 17 games, for a win percentage of 76.5%.  The numbers speak volumes about Doeren and his staff.

Not only do close games reveal a teams’ true identity, but it also reveals a lot about a coach.  If coaches cannot remain calm and stick to their plan; then players will regress in the pressure filled moments. However, Doeren does a great job of staying in the moment and sticks to his game plan.  He is also very acute on the sidelines and has a firm grasp of his teams’ pulse.  It appears that Doeren and his staff are excellent leaders.  This will be important for the upcoming season, with only 10 % of State’s roster being comprised of seniors.

It is obvious that his players respect him and play with the focus and desire necessary to win close games.  Winning is what it is all about.  That is why Debbie Yow pegged Doeren for the job to rebuild, as well as grow NC State into a national power in football.  In his four seasons as a head coach, he has won on average 8.5 games per season!  Those are pretty stout numbers considering the fact that he only won 3 games in his first season in Raleigh.  In fact, his average of 8.5 wins per season ranks 5th among ACC coaches.  Doeren will look to add to his 34 career wins this season.

 

 

Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NC State Football

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Football

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

Published

on

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)

Continue Reading

NC State Football

NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

Published

on

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.

Image

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.

Continue Reading

NC State Football

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

Published

on

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.

Image

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.

Continue Reading