NC State Head Football Coach Dave Doeren met with the media for his weekly press conference today leading up to the Tennessee game next Saturday. You can watch the videos BELOW, and the transcript is UNDERNEATH.

Happy Labor Day. This is the 32nd consecutive Labor Day that we’ve worked. So, starting with the game Thursday night, recapping the win over Western Carolina.

Obviously, excited to be 1-0. And it was great to see our players, you know, overcome adversity. Obviously, you never know how a game’s going to be.

But we did get to see a lot of things in that film, on that field, in that locker room. And I think, you know, at the end of the day, you never apologize for winning a football game. Obviously, love to play the way we did in the fourth quarter for four quarters, but that’s not what happened.

And so, we were able to really see guys handle adversity, see them overcome things, go through the first game with the iPads, you know, the headset technology. I loved how we finished, you know, 21-0 in the fourth quarter. We had 22 players play for their first time in a Wolfpack uniform that didn’t play for us a year ago.

Eight new starters on defense took the field in that game. And so, there was a lot of first-time things that I know we’ll improve from. And a lot of good film to watch.

Really valuable for us as players and coaches. And look forward to that opportunity. We were on the field last night, had a really good focused practice.

It was great to be home and see the fans. 14th straight consecutive sellout in the stadium, and they were awesome. Lightning delay didn’t impact anything.

And so, thank you for that. It was coming out of the tunnel and saw the students. I guess they held them out for a while.

And when they let them in, I mean, it was like a waterfall of people coming down just with excitement. And so, it’s awesome to have that kind of fanfare. So, thank you for that, for your support, for the noise.

It was great to have D.J. Burns back, getting the crowd going early. So, just a really good game-day environment. And so, the game ops people did a great job.

The game itself, offensively, from a positive standpoint, I thought we caught the football really well and ran with the ball well after the catch. There was a lot of explosive plays in that football game. And that was really when your turnover margins are the same, the explosive plays are the biggest piece in the scoreboard.

Our guys did a really good job making things happen after they caught the football. The time of possession, you know, any time you play an up-tempo offense like Western is, and our next opponent, you know, time of possession is a factor. And keeping their offense on the sideline, we were able to extend drives.

We didn’t hurt ourselves with drops and penalties. We had no pre-snap penalties. Obviously, KC (Concepcion) had an electric game, did a tremendous job, creating explosive plays, doing things with his feet after the catch.

I thought Justin Joly really played well in that football game, did some really good things. I think him and Grayson have a good chemistry right now. You know, as far as Grayson (McCall) goes, you know, obviously, you never want to see an interception.

I thought the way he responded his next throw was a really nice throw and catch on the sideline down the field to Wesley (Grimes). It was good to see him respond. I love the way he manages things, the way he communicates on the sideline, his competitive spirit.

I mean, he was 65% in his completion rate, which is a pretty solid day. I know for him, there’s some throws that if they were a little more accurate, he’s got a 400-yard-plus day. And so, things for him to work on.

We were only sacked one time in the game, and it was a play that we scrambled on and would have liked to have seen him throw that one away. It was the one we ended up kicking the field goal on. I thought our run game early was not very good and improved and improved and finished really well.

Areas we got to do a better job, I think, just with the number of things that you see in a first game that you don’t practice and being able to use the rules and tools that our guys have. But there was a lot of strain, a lot of finish. Guys played hard, we ran hard.

And our guys on the perimeter, I thought there was some really good receiver blocking. Negatives, short yardage, third and one, fourth and one, fourth and one. We did not convert an area that our program takes pride in and obviously an area we’re going to get better in from that.

Twice, we had plays called back for linemen downfield, and that can’t happen. We got to do a better job coaching and the guys understanding in that area of our call sheet. We got fortunate, we did put the ball on the ground three times in the game and were able to recover those fumbles.

But we’ve got to protect the football. You protect the ball, you protect the game and the team. That’s what complementary football is all about.

So, you know, you get into these live things, whether it’s a scrimmage or a game, and you see where technique and as little as details are so critical. And so I think from that, obviously it’s going to be emphasized, but sometimes you have to learn the hard way. And we did and got away with it, fortunately.

You know, defensively, we had a takeaway to finish the game, you know, a sack force fumble by Isaiah (Shirley). I thought we had two interceptions we should have had. One to open the game would have been a pick six.

But, you know, those kind of plays change football games. And being able to make your layups, as I call it, you know, if they’re going to throw one right at you, you got to make them pay for that. Really, the two plays that impacted us the most, were two third and longs that, you know, statistically we were really good on defense on third and long.

And we gave up two third and long conversions that ended up extending drives and leading to points, an area that we’ve got to win. It’s interesting because fourth and ones are harder, and we were 100% on fourth and short on defense. And then you get a third and eight and a third and 12, and they converted.

So, areas we’ve got to do better. I thought, you know, first game we tackled well. We only had six missed tackles in the entire football game.

You never want any, but that’s a good start to the season. Really good. We had no pre-snap penalties on defense.

There was a lot of hard count, a lot of cadence. The guys were very disciplined that way. I thought our front really strained.

You know, I thought Davin Vann, his stamina throughout the game, making plays when we needed him at the end. Brandon Cleveland, same thing. I think his stamina.

Those two guys have done a great job. Travali Price, conditioning. Able to, you know, against an up-tempo team, being able to maintain their level of performance as they get tired.

I was really proud of Jayland Parker. You know, we had a targeting ejection on Caden (Fordham) on play five of the game. And Jalen’s only played special teams here in his career and went in and really played well.

At MIKE Linebacker, so I was proud of him.

You know, negatives on defense. Like I said, the two third downs.

We had two penalties that extended drives. One was the targeting and another, Brandon (Cleveland) had a great pass rush on the center. And unfortunately, his hand hit the helmet.

And you just can’t get near a quarterback’s head, you know, and that’s something we know and have to be able to do that in the moment of truth.

On special teams, you know, it was good to see we had a good return with Hollywood (Smothers). He had another one where he should have stayed in and didn’t.

KC had a nice punt return. It’s nice having KC and Jalen (Coit) as punt returners. They can both do really good things.

It was great to see Kanoah (Vinesett), our kicker, his first college kick, 46 yards, right down the middle. Not a gimme by any means and did a great job. I was proud of him.

Colin Smith, our kickoffs was 100%. With his touchbacks and his ball location, I thought our players on those units really strained. You got to see a lot of technique.

I know fans aren’t seeing that kind of stuff like we are, but a lot of times you get into live play and you see some things show up that hurt you. We had no penalties on special teams. So, a really clean game in that area.

We can be better in some areas, obviously, and we’ll work hard to do that. Now we get to go to Charlotte and excited for the opportunity to play in Bank of America Stadium versus Tennessee. A really good opponent that dominated their opening game against Chattanooga.

Explosive offense with really talented players. Up-tempo system. Coach Heupel and their staff do a great job making you defend 53-and-a-third and doing it in a way where it’s not just dink and dunk.

It’s run game right at you. It’s RPOs behind you. It’s shots, screens, getting the ball in space, making you tackle, playing with tempo.

It’s a really good offense. And they’re committed to running the football. They were ninth in college football last year in rushing.

Defensively, have probably the best defensive front we’ll play when you look at the depth and talent that they have on their defensive line. Not that we won’t see other talented D-lines, we will, but with their depth, it’s a strength of theirs, in my opinion. As you look at all the pieces that are on the field and the skill and the names and things like that, the front’s where it’s going to be at.

It’s going to be a trench game to win it. I think defensively, there’s so many things you have to do well when you play an offense like this, but tackling is going to be the premium. They’re going to complete balls.

They’re going to throw hitches. They’re going to throw screens. The underneath stuff, we got to do a great job limiting yards after catches and tackling their backs, obviously defending deep balls and all that goes into it, but you can’t let a five-yard gain turn into a 10-yard gain.

You know, you can’t let a zero-yard pass turn into an efficient play. We’ve got to tackle really well in this football game. There’s no doubt it’s going to be a great environment in Charlotte.

I think Danny Morrison and his team at the Belk Mayo Classic do a tremendous job with the premium fan experience. I’m excited for both fan bases. It’s going to be a really passionate group on both sides and a fun game to be a part of.

You know, their quarterback (Nico Iamaleava), man, is he talented. He’s fun to watch. His first college start in their bowl game, he rushed for three touchdowns.

Saturday, he was completing every ball, throwing accurate on time, shows touch, shows arm strength, shows mobility. His running backs run really hard. They protect well.

He’s got a veteran O-line and a deep, fast receiver group that has a lot of different varieties in it. So it’s a great challenge, great opportunity that way. Excited, you know, about the game, the test, the opportunity to play a team like Tennessee, two top-25 teams, and I know we’ll have a great week of preparation and look forward to the matchup.

You know, there’s been a lot of talk about this game, going back to when we scheduled it, and I’ve known Josh Heupel a long time, and I have a lot of respect for him, you know, as a coach, as a player, when he was a player, but I’ve known him since, you know, I was at Kansas. Our head coach there was his offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. One of my best friends in the business, Seth Luttrell, and him were teammates.

I’ve known Josh a long time. I think a lot of them. I’m excited to compete against him.

You know, these are great games. You know, as a coach, you’re tested. It’s, you know, your staff against their staff.

You’ve got good players on both sides. It’s a game that’s obviously played in our state against a team whose, you know, state line touches ours, so there’s a lot to play for in a game like this, and that’s what it’s all about, you know, and I’m excited for the opportunity. You know, to win games like this, there’s a lot of noise, and that’s not what it’s about.

You know, it’s about executing. It’s about fundamentals. It’s about doing the right things in the game plan.

It’s about your mental preparation. It’s about your emotional control. You know, as coaches, getting these guys the best opportunity to play as fast as they can, as hard as they can, longer than the other team, and so it’s going to be a fun one.

Questions

Being able to learn from the positives & negatives from WCU win

Yeah, you know, I think obviously you want to win. That’s the bottom line.

And we came out of that game healthy. We were able to really test our guys. We didn’t know it would be a test like that.

You just don’t know when you get into games like that what you’re going to see. And obviously some of what we saw is on us. You know, we didn’t execute well enough.

But what we were able to do was see how our guys handled adversity. So we are tested. And when you have as many new players as we do, new leaders, you know, two of our captains weren’t even on our team last year.

So you can’t test that in a scrimmage. You know, you have to get into games and be in the fire, per se. And so I feel great about the fact that we were able to test our roster in a game, win the game, finish really well, and come out healthy.

Not happy at all about, you know, some of the things we didn’t do well. But that’s what the film’s about. And, you know, when you come out of a game with a win and your team’s healthy and you have a chance to study it.

And, you know, for us, we played Thursday. So we got an extra day of recovery, an extra day of film study on ourselves. It’s a really valuable opportunity for this team and staff.

Leaders Stepping Up

You know, just for Grayson (McCall), he’s just next play. You know, he doesn’t beat himself up on the sideline. He’s competitive, yes.

He gets mad at himself. But the next play, he’s right back in it. You know, he’s really able to respond and not react, which was great to see.

You know, I thought Davin Vann, throughout the game, just kept talking in a positive way with intensity to the guys on the sideline about what we need to do better and settle in. So you got to see just, you know, it’s easy in those situations to respond the wrong way, you know, to go what we call internal, start saying negative things, and it was the opposite. And the guys that needed to step up and make plays did.

You know, I mean, Jordan Waters will tell you he was mad at himself, that he fumbled and, you know, there was a lot going on in his head. And look at how he responded. You know, he used that energy to play better in the second half.

It was great to see how he finished runs in the second half. He was a man possessed, you know, and sometimes when guys make mistakes, it really can waterfall into more and more and more negativity. And I felt like the guys used, you know, their energy the right way in the game.

And KC was electric, you know, and every time he had a chance to make a play he did. And so, you know, when the guys you’re leaning on can make plays, Davin with a sack, TFL on a third down, you know, those are the guys that you count on, and it was great to see that.

2-Minute Warning

Yeah, I think I’ve said this. You know, we spent a lot of time going back to February as a staff, each of us calling different NFL coaches, going on NFL trips, visiting with NFL staffs, looking at their time charts. And so we were very involved in decision-making around the two minutes in both halves and what we should or shouldn’t do, and also what we think the other sideline is going to do.

And in some cases they did, in some cases they didn’t. But it’s an extra timeout that obviously is going to come at a certain time, no matter what, and it allows you to do certain things. So there was a lot of thought around it.

I felt very prepared. I know our staff felt very prepared, our players. But it is new and it is different, and it does allow you to use a timeout potentially a different way, knowing that you have another one in the bag later.

Run Struggles and Run Improvements

It’s one thing each play.

Offense, defense, special teams is 11-man football, and that’s the thing. When ten guys do something well and one doesn’t, it’s usually that one that creates the problem on the play. And if you go through the plays where we weren’t what we call efficient, it was one guy, you know? And one guy not getting his first foot in the ground the right direction, and so the guy beats him across his face, you know? Or it’s one guy leveraging a block the wrong way.

It’s a running back maybe being a little too quick on his path and not letting the block set up. And there’s always one thing, you know? And I just thought we started playing 11-man football better as the game went on, you know, and that’s the biggest thing. And it doesn’t matter what side of the ball you’re looking at when it comes to mistakes or not performing well.

It’s usually not a defense or an offense. It’s usually a player within that that needs to play along with the other guys. You know, that’s what makes football so interesting because it takes 11 guys in unison to have success.

It really does. And we learned a lot in that game. You know, like I said, I think the first game and really the first two or three sometimes you’re chasing because sometimes you’re playing a new staff and you don’t have a lot of film to study.

And so a lot of the things you prepare for you’re not using or going up against in the game. And so we were caught off guard, I felt like, a couple times with some things they were doing up front that they hadn’t put on film. And that’s good by them and bad by us, and we’ve got to do a better job preparing for the unknown.

Roster with a lot of new faces

It can be big. You know, I think that’s a common said thing that the biggest improvement you have is game one to game two.

I don’t really believe that. I think you can have a huge improvement in every game if the roster takes what we call their ‘one mores’ personally. You know, what did you just put on tape that you have to correct by the end of the next week? And can you do that? Can 11 guys each have one thing better in their game? And when you take that to heart, and all of a sudden you have an 11% improvement per player, there’s a big jump.

And you saw that for us in the middle of the season last year. It didn’t happen in week one or week two. Obviously, we’re playing against a way different opponent this week.

You know, the skill level, the scheme, their success, all those things. And so naturally you think you’ve got to get 100 times better. You don’t.

You need to play 11-man football, and we need to do that. How many plays in a row can we play together and improve 1% every player on the field in a certain area, fundamentals, technique, focus, whatever that thing may be. Eye discipline.

Each player has got an area of his game that he knows coming out of our grading session with them, this is an area I’ve got to fix. Because we know, just like our opponent knows, what we put on film. And so game plans are always built around what you see schematically and what you see personnel-wise.

And as a player, you need to protect the roster, protect the game plan by doing your part to make that game plan fail by improving in those areas. We have to do that with scheme and tendencies, but players have to do that with fundamentals, technique, and effort.

Nationally Televised Game

Yeah, I think first of all, to your first question, yeah, it’s great exposure for the program. Anytime you’re on the nationally televised game, that’s really good, not just for NC State football, for NC State as a university, for our athletic department, for our state, for our fan base, for our alums, all of that matters.

The more you’re exposed that way, the better for the program. But that doesn’t play into anything that we’re talking about with the guys. To play well, regardless of how you’re televised, it’s going to come down to the process of preparation and practice habits and recovery, sleep, nutrition, hydration, all these things are going to turn into the score at the end of the game.

And so that’s where we spend our time.

Top-25 Game

As far as the rankings and all that, that was all preseason, January, February. Our guys know, and they know right now it’s a one game at a time process, you know, one game at a time.

No seasons are determined in week one, week two. I mean, this thing’s going to go all the way through November. It’s going to get blown out of proportion by you guys because that’s your jobs and people are quitting on certain teams already.

It’s a long season. There’s a lot that’s going to happen. We went from 4-3 to 9-3 last year, kind of forgotten to popular.

So a lot can happen in the course of a season. But every game on your schedule is a game that you want to win, and every game on your schedule is a game that’s meaningful. You know? And this one’s no different.

Anthony Belton vs. a good Tennessee D-Line

Yeah, I’m excited for A.B. I’m excited for Jacarrius Peak. All of our linemen have great one-on-one matchups, you know, this week. It’s going to be a really competitive box.

There’s no doubt about it. And A.B.’s ready for the opportunity. I know all these guys are excited to play against good players.

It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun to watch. You know how much I like watching the line of scrimmage.

This game’s going to be won and lost in that box. There’s no doubt about it, you know. And so those guys are excited about playing against them, and I’m sure they feel the same way.

You know, you got to play in that box every snap with great technique, with great strain. You’ve got to be fluid with the guys you’re playing next to, and communication’s got to be really good. And there’s just got to be an elite level of technique and strain that’s happening, because you can against, you know, any good pass rusher, and we’ll see others this year.

You can’t be off, you know. You’ve got to really do a good job with your fundamentals and your technique, and, you know, knowing if you’re to the slide, away from the slide, if you’ve got people helping you and protection if you’re alone. But those guys will be ready.

Justin Joly

Yeah, I mean, he’s straining on the perimeter. He’s working hard, you know. Obviously, you’re never going to say a guy’s a polished player all the way.

There’s things he needs to do better, displacing guys. But Justin’s playing at a high level. He’s playing fast.

He’s playing with confidence. I hated to see his touchdown come off the board because that was a great play design. And, you know, I’m excited about Justin, and I’m proud of him.

He’s worked really hard. It’s funny, we were watching UConn against Tennessee because they played him last year, and he was in the film. And so he’s done a good job developing since he’s gotten here.

I was like, dude, I saw you on film. You looked a lot smaller. And he’s gained a lot of weight.

He’s beefed up his upper body. And because of that, you’re seeing him be able to fit into the run game a certain way that allows him to be physical.

Matt McCabe

Yeah, you know, Matt did some really good things. I think as the game went on, he got better and better. I mean, that was his first real game plan.

He played 40-plus snaps in that game. And I think he really learned the value of, you know, how precise his footwork needs to be. He’s got great strain all the time.

But, you know, when you’re a little bit behind in your first step or you step under yourself, you fall a step and you give that guy an opportunity, you’re going to lose. And so just how detailed he needs to be in his footwork, and I know that’s an area Matt will work tirelessly to improve this week. You know, having, like I’ve told you guys, having him and Isaiah Shirley as bigger tight ends brings some different things.

And Coach Anae and I will do a lot, you know, in the game plan to make it hard for people. You know, that’s what he does. And I think Matt will build and build and build.

The more you play, the more things start to slow down and you can anticipate things better and your technique comes with that. So I’m excited for Matt. I was proud of him in his first game.

Obviously, there’s some blocks that he can be better in, and I know he’ll improve.

Importance of setting up 2nd-and-long and 3rd-and-long vs. Tennessee

Yeah, I mean, when you’re playing against an up-tempo, explosive offense, not allowing efficiency is a big deal.

You know, I think as those guys get first downs, the tempo only gets harder and harder. And so creating what we call off-schedule play calling for them is important. You know, whether that’s an efficient first down or an efficient second down on defense, creating long yardage third downs, and then getting off the field.

Like I said before, that’s the down where, you know, if you can keep their offense on the sideline because you are winning the conversion downs and creating winnable third downs through first and second down defense, their running backs are good players. I mean, they protect the football. They don’t fumble the football.

They run hard. You know, they don’t have a ton of schemes. Their guys are good at blocking them.

The backs are good at timing them up. And they do a good job, you know, and so it’s, like I said, it’s a talented group with a good scheme. And they’re balanced.

You know, a lot of these spread teams, you play or not, they’re not committed to running the football, and Tennessee clearly is.

Players on Roster from Charlotte Area playing a game in their city

Yeah, I think we have 20 from Charlotte. And so, yeah, it’s fun. Yeah, I think it’s fun for them to be home, no question about it.

Playing in an NFL stadium, too, I think all the players on both sidelines, those are great experiences for the teams. But, yeah, I mean, to play back in your home city for the guys that are from that area, it’s always going to be special, and to do it in a stadium where they grew up, cheering for that team in some cases probably adds to that as well. But it’s an important recruiting area for us.

You know, we’ve always had success recruiting in Charlotte, and so our roster is represented that way.

Pieces in place for a multifaceted offense

I do, yeah. I thought, you know, Noah (Rogers) and Wesley did a nice job catching the football.

Terrell Anderson came in, made a nice catch on the sideline. Keenan Jackson was open on a post. That was one of the plays we missed on a completion.

And so we have a good rotation there. Dacari Collins obviously is a guy that can make plays on the perimeter and is a really good blocker. And then there’s a rotation in the backfield.

I thought Kendrick (Raphael) ran the ball really hard. You know, Hollywood (Smothers) had a couple of explosive runs, and so there is depth in a rotation that allows for guys to stay fresh. It’s definitely not going to be an offense that can only go through one player.

You see that with Joly. I mean, he would have had over 100 yards without the penalty and a touchdown. The outside guys, you know, were catching the ball down the field, and that’s what we wanted, you know.

We wanted to be a lot harder to zero in on, you know, from a personnel standpoint. We knew we had a special player in KC, and to put pieces around him, you know, where if the feature of the defense is being heavy in the slot, you’ve got some weapons elsewhere for the quarterback. And a rotation so that if somebody’s, you know, tired and goes out of the game, the next guy in is productive.

And so that was a big emphasis in our recruiting, and the guys did a nice job bringing in some talent.

Value of the Tennessee game and Clemson Game

Of course, yeah. I mean, this is one of the most talented, if not the most talented, rosters we’ll face, you know, in the regular season for sure. And so there’s value in that.

You know, your players going up against elite guys on their sideline. There will be crowd noise. You know, I know it’s a sold-out game, and both teams have sold their allotments.

And so you’re going to have some noise. And obviously, Death Valley’s going to be a loud place to play. So it’s a great game from the standpoint of getting us ready for the ACC and being on the road and crowd noise against Clemson in week four.

But each one of these games, like every one of them, is a building block, you know, for what’s coming. And if you’re not getting better each week, then you got a problem as a football team. And we got to get a lot better from week one to week two.

Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava & Volunteers Offensive Scheme

Yeah, I mean, you’re kind of leaning on the Iowa game for some of it.

You know, you look at their spring game knowing that that’s DNA and kind of vanilla. And then you have the opener, and he only really played a half of football. But you can watch Coach Heupel’s offense for a long time, you know, and see what it is.

And the players within it, obviously, are going to be what makes it go. But the scheme itself hasn’t changed a lot over the years. It’s just the guys that are playing in it and what they’re capable of doing.

But it’s week two, and, you know, week two in a game where they only played 50 percent of the game with their starters. So there’s going to be some adjusting. There’s going to be some unknowns.

And that’s just how it is. And it’s going to be the same for them with us. You know, I mean, our offense is going to evolve, too, as the season goes on from week one to week two in particular.

So that’s part of the coaching, you know. You get on that sideline, and now you have the iPads. You see what they’re doing.

And our guys have got to do a great job within the game of winning their one-on-ones, tackling, and using the rules and tools of each side of the ball to adjust to things that we didn’t practice. We’re going to take two more. Noah.

Defensive Tackle DJ Jackson

You know, first of all, I’m really happy for him.

It’s been a tough three years, you know. He got hurt his senior year of high school before he got here, and then he was hurt two consecutive years for us. And so it’s been a long time since DJ could be himself on that football field.

I’m really happy for him. And he’s playing well. He’s straining.

You know, he brings a different type of guy into the game than B. Cleave. And the thing about him, he is really strong. And so you see him, he’s a little smaller, obviously, than Brandon.

But, man, he’s strong, and he’s quick. And so there’s some things there, if you’re a center, where you got different types of players coming in the game at you, and they bring different skill sets. And just from a personal side, it’s been… I’m proud of him, man.

He’s been through a lot. It’s hard. It’s hard being hurt once, you know, three times.

And so he’s been through a lot mentally, emotionally, spiritually through this journey, and I’m happy for him and looking forward to seeing him continue to get better.

Safety Devan Boykin 

Yeah, Devan’s out for the month.

His timeline is to be back sometime in October. Can’t really give you a date on that, because, you know, every month, you kind of reassess where guys are at as they get to this stage of the ACL recovery.

Nickel Ja’Had Carter

Ja’Had will play.

He’s ready to go. He practiced last night, and like I said, after the game, he could have played Saturday. We just felt like it was best to get him one more week to be back 100%.