Following a one-week hiatus with the team on bye, NC State football head coach Dave Doeren addressed the media at his weekly news conference Monday to discuss the Wolfpack’s showdown at No. 3 Clemson this week. Here are some of the highlights.
On the bye week: “Had a good bye week with our guys. Had a good chance to focus on our fundamentals and as a staff really study us, our different tendencies and things that we need to improve on. I thought our players did a very good job of taking the practice opportunities and the time we gave them to improve and work hard diligently on those things as individuals.”
On Clemson: “We’re playing a great team. It’s going to be really good environment, I’m excited to play at Clemson and two undefeated teams. It’s their homecoming, so expect a great atmosphere. Excited to have that kind of opportunity in October against a really good team. I have a lot of respect for [Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney] and his staff, their program, what they’ve done for our conference. For us, an opportunity to go play them when they’re playing really good football.”
“Personnel wise, as always, they’re explosive on offense. A lot of big plays. A receiving corps that, as always, has playmakers in it. Guys that run after the catch, big, long guys that can run by you on the outside. I think [quarterback Trevor Lawrence] has been very impressive in what he’s done. He’s got a great arm; he’s got a good release. He can make every throw; he’s made good decisions, hasn’t turned the ball over much. Their tailback is really dynamic. I think [Travis Etienne] is a fun guy to watch. He’s fast; he gets to top speed in a hurry. He sees things well. He’s definitely somebody that you’ve got to be really concerned about. Tackling him, getting him on the ground.”
“…Obviously, you’ve got to know where [Hunter Renfrow] is. He’s a great player, a great route runner. He’s a clutch player, makes a lot of plays for them on third down and in the red zone. They return four starters on their offensive line. Obviously they do a great job there. Defensively, a very veteran group. Experienced and big defensive front. Big linebackers. They live in people’s backfields and we’ve got to do a good job of handling that. Their pressures, their size and their length. 58 tackles for loss and 20 sacks is top in our league. Obviously a great matchup there.”
On looking at last two games against Clemson: “We’ve studied. They’ve had the same staff, for the most part, for the duration. So there’s a lot of film you can look at with how their defensive coordinator and defensive coaches schemed us, and how we schemed them. What’s worked and what hasn’t. Same thing with their offensive system. It hasn’t changed a lot, other than the quarterbacks. We have to do that.”
On graduate quarterback Ryan Finley and the seniors’ last game against Clemson:“There’s no doubt. I think all these seniors have been in some dogfights with Clemson. Just finishing the job is something that’s important to them. I think all seniors across the country would say that they want to leave a legacy behind that they can be proud of. And doing something that you haven’t done yet is always a part of that. You talk about raising the bar; that’s something that these guys want to be able to say they did.”
On the team’s health: “We’re in a pretty good place. You’re never going to be 100 percent halfway through the year, but we’re in a pretty good place. I think for the linemen in particular, there were some guys like you always do that had some bumps and bruises. Everybody was out there running around yesterday. So I feel good about it.”
On ESPN College Gameday not going to Clemson:“We knew there was a possibility that we would have that opportunity and we didn’t get it. Obviously, you would think the two undefeated teams out of the eight left, that that would make sense. But there’s other things at play that obviously I’m not in the conversation, so I don’t know why it wasn’t picked that way. We’re excited to play them, regardless of where they put it. They can put it on AM radio for all I care; I can’t wait to play the game and I know our players feel the same way.”
On running the ball against Clemson’s D-Line: “Fundamentals, first of all. Getting the first step, getting off on the snap count for our offensive line and tight ends. Sustaining blocks comes down to technique and want to, more than anything. And I think our guys do a really good job of getting on their targets. It’s about finishing your blocks and wearing people down all the time. With our run schemes that we have, where we get people moving, that helps. I think our ability to throw the football where they’ve got to pursue and you just hope that over time they wear down.”
On playing in big games: “I think it’s about finishing the big game for us now. We’ve played really well in some of those matchups, and obviously we were able to win at Florida State last year, which was a huge game at the time. We’ve had other games that maybe nationally weren’t looked at as big games but they were big games to us where we’ve played really well. It’s about finishing. We’ve put ourselves in places to win some of those close games, particularly against Clemson, and they’ve made the plays at the end that we needed to make. So that’s really what it’s about, is finding a way to finish somebody off whether it’s on defense, offense or special teams with that key play.”
On playing Clemson tough: “I don’t why other teams haven’t. For us it’s just about execution. I don’t know if it’s just them; I think our guys love a challenge. I think our guys get up, get excited about playing them. They’re obviously the class of our conference and have been. They’re the team that you’ve got to knock off if you want to be in a different place than you are. This game has been meaningful for those reasons. Our guys have rose to the challenge. They haven’t finished it. Whether it’s me, our assistants or them, it’s all of us together finding that one more play and that one more thing that we can do. And then it’s just making your layups in some positions and not allowing a false start to derail a drive. If you have a play to make, make the play. Just finish it.”
On graduate linebacker Germaine Pratt: “Germaine has size, speed and incredible football IQ. We’ve had some really tough, high football IQ guys playing linebacker here, like [Jerod Fernandez] and [Airius Moore]. Those guys were smart; they were tough, physical guys. But they didn’t possess the speed that Germaine has. Now that Germaine’s been in the position for as long as he has, his skill set’s improving because his fundamentals have gotten better. So now you’re seeing that consistency that he lacked last year at times. He was able to produce, no doubt, because he’s a really good athlete; he’s a really good coverage player. But now his run game fundamentals have helped our defense a lot. He’s making a ton of plays that aren’t his to make, to be honest with you. Showing his ability against the run.”
On his excitement for the Clemson game: “I’m excited about it. This is why you do it. You work your butt off as a staff, just like our players do. You want to be in this position where you’re playing for a lot against another team that’s playing for a lot. This is what it’s all about. It’s having these kind of matchups. .. For us, it’s about elevating our program. It’s about doing something that we haven’t been able to do as a coach, as a player yet. All of those things matter to us, to them. It’s why you work so hard.”
