Following the Virginia Tech loss in game two of the season, NC State head coach Dave Doeren said the road loss gave his team a wake-up call on the importance of winning the week of practice ahead of Saturdays.
Leading up to the 30-29 road win over then-ranked No. 24 Pittsburgh, the head coach claimed that his Wolfpack had its best week of practice up to that point. He’s been pleased with his team’s attention to detail in game week practices ever since.
Now entering what will be the Pack’s third road game against a ranked opponent this season with No. 14 North Carolina this Saturday, Doeren said the focus this week has been continuing to find ways to improve the practice habits of the team.
“I think the standard has been set, our job is to try to raise it,” Doeren said. “This week it was, 'Let's have the best Tuesday we've had all year, let's have the best Wednesday' and so on. Just trying to do one thing better than you did the last time you had an opportunity and that's kind of the mantra we have right now. It's all about the 22 guys that are in the two-deep on each side of the ball, just being a little bit better each day of the week that they go out there.”
Other than fine-tuning the dedication to preparation before the Pack attempts to advance to 5-1 entering the bye week, an emphasis has been placed on the run game ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Tar Heels.
The team that has been able to get more rushing yards has won nine of the past 10 meetings between the rival schools. Without starting redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary, who broke his fibula against Duke and will miss at least the next 4-8 weeks while recovering from surgery, the rush attack will be of utmost importance to give anticipated starter redshirt junior Bailey Hockman an opportunity to succeed.
“We definitely need to be able to run the ball to help Bailey,” Doeren said. “I think the run game is a big part of his success being in there just because the playactions, the nakeds, the full protections you can do in downfield play action, all that stuff is better when you're able to run the football. Whether it's a tailback run or a quarterback run or a receiver run with some of our jets that we do, we've got to be able to run the football in this game.”
Since Hockman took Leary’s place as QB1, true freshman Ben Finley has been promoted to back-up duties and is now just one play away from seeing his first snaps at the collegiate level.
Although Doeren has mentioned in the past that he would have preferred to use Finley’s first year as a chance to develop before seeing the field, the head coach has been impressed with the freshman’s preparation and feels confident putting him in if needed.
“During training camp when we lost Devin to the contact tracing, we were able to soak Ben and Bailey at that time,” Doeren said. “Ben's done a really good job of understanding the offense. We do developmental practice every Friday where he gets to run [in helmets and shoulder pads], so he hasn't really looked like a guy that hasn't practiced.
“He's had a very good week. He's ready to play if called upon and I think he's done a really good job of preparing himself for this moment when it comes.”
North Carolina’s rush attack will be another factor to watch this weekend. Tar Heels senior running back Michael Carter and junior Javonte Williams average 8.4 and 6.8 yards per carry, respectively, and both rank in the top five among ACC backs with at least 10 attempts.
NC State will also have to account for UNC sophomore quarterback Sam Howell, who was last year’s ACC Freshman of the Year and set an FBS record for a true freshman with 38 passing touchdowns in 2019. Through four games this season, Howell has averaged 287.8 yards per contest with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.
“When I watch them, first of all, they're very skilled at running back, wideout, tight end, quarterback,” Doeren said. “The biggest thing you see this year, their quarterback Sam gets out of trouble and extends plays not by running down the field, by letting his receivers get open as he scrambles and there's a lot of explosive plays that way in their offense.
“You've got to tackle their quick game, tackle their hitches, tackle their screens and all that, that's every week. He is really, really good at getting out of trouble and extending plays. We've got to be disciplined. One in keeping him in the pocket but two, staying on our guys in coverage.
In the Wolfpack’s three-game win streak, the run defense has been strong. The Pack has held its last three opponents to an average of 101 yards rushing per game with 2.8 yards per carry.
“Stopping the run is a collective thing,” Doeren said. “The way that college football is now with so many perimeter plays, it always starts inside-out with your nose guard and we're getting very good nose guard play. Then it goes to the leverage, the edges of your defense and we've been sound in those areas for the most part. Then it's pursuing the football and I think all it just kind of ties together.
“If you're soft in the middle, then you got no chance. If you don't leverage the ball, your pursuit doesn't matter. Our guys just understand the kind of 11-man approach we're taking.”
It is expected to be an emotional game for redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson, who formerly committed to UNC before flipping and signing with the Wolfpack in the 2018 class. Wilson leads the ACC with 11.0 tackles per game entering Saturday after a 19-tackle performance against Duke in which he also had two interceptions.
On Thursday, Doeren reflected on a memorable story from the recruiting trail in which the rival schools crossed paths in pursuit of the prized four-star prospect from Orange Country High School in Hillsborough, N.C.
“There was a night that [former defensive coordinator] Coach [Dave] Huxtable and I were going to see him play and that same afternoon, we found out that the UNC staff was going to be flying in there in a helicopter,” Doeren recalled. “I just called Payton's coach and A.D. and said, 'Hey, just so you know, we're coming in a pick-up truck and country music's playing on the radio. I hope you know that we're real and this is a better place for him.'
“The A.D. called me back and just thanked me for not creating all the stuff that got created over there for them having to find a field for them to land a helicopter in. I just kind of felt like it put us in a place that made us more like them as a family. I think I had Hank Williams Jr. on the radio when I was talking to him so we were laughing about that.”
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