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Dave Doeren, NC State shift to ACC play

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For now, with no potential 12th game scheduled yet, NC State is done with its non-conference slate with a 3-0 record after a win at Marshall that left head coach Dave Doeren very pleased.

Doeren began his weekly press conference with a litany of positives from the 37-20 win on the road, including:

• Winning first down on both sides of the ball by averaging over six yards per first down and holding Marshall to three yards per play in that situation.

• Throwing for 377 yards in the steady rain.

• Limiting Tyre Brady to three catches for 25 yards via a good game from junior corner Nick McCloud and good schemes defensively after Brady had 248 yards receiving in Carter-Finley Stadium the year before.

• Getting 15 explosive plays offensively, including three in the running game and 12 in the passing game.

• Holding Marshall to two field goals in its red-zone opportunities.

• The most physical performance of the year for the offensive line.

• A forming rotation at middle linebacker after sophomore Louis Acceus had nine tackles in relief of redshirt freshman Isaiah Moore, who had a sore hip.

Not everything was great from the game. Doeren noted the kickoff coverage has to improve and the red-zone offense needs to be more efficient after being forced to try four field goals in six trips.

Nevertheless, NC State enters ACC play on a good note, although its conference opener has a weird vibe to it. Virginia comes to Raleigh for a 12:20 kickoff, and it is the first time since 2012 the two teams have met. That was the year before Doeren arrived as head coach. Virginia third-year coach Bronco Mendenhall is also coaching against the Pack for the first time.

Doeren acknowledged it almost feels like a non-conference game.

“It has a feel of that,” Doeren said. “I have not coached against Bronco. I have seen BYU a lot when he was there. I have seen Virginia a lot in crossover film now in six years.

“It’s unique, but it is a conference game."

The Cavs come to town with a 3-1 record and a dangerous running quarterback in Bryce Perkins. He has rushed for 317 yards and three scores in four games. Doeren noted that Virginia will use a lot of motion and option plays to utilize Perkins’ athleticism, which can compare favorably to former Louisville Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.

“He’s dynamic like Lamar, not only with him being able to hurdle people … but just how fast he gets to top gear,” Doeren said. “He’s aggressive as a runner. He’s not one of these quarterbacks that just tries to slide. He’s going to get what he can get. He’s a good football player.

“We have done well in the past against Lamar and we have not done well in the past against Lamar, so we need to put our best plan together. It really comes down to tackling. You have to tackle and you have to get off blocks, so you have extra hats there in case you miss.”

The running game for NC State is still a work in progress, but Doeren saw a much improved effort there against Marshall.

“We don’t have that guy that is going to turn a five-yard run into a 50-yard run, which helps your stats a lot,” Doeren added. “It’s going to be more of a slugfest in the run game, which hurts your numbers — but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. I thought we were very effective running the football in that game.”

Defensively, the Pack is ninth nationally in points per game allowed (13.3), 22nd in rushing yards allowed (108.0 per game) and 46th in total offense (346.0 per game) through this past weekend.

“The energy that they have is fun to see,” Doeren noted. “I think our back end is playing at a higher level than it did last year. I think our d-line is not as flashy, but is doing a really nice job with gap integrity and they’re playing hard.”

Of course the highlight of the team is the passing game, which is averaging 370.7 yards per game to lead the league by almost 100 yards and ranks fourth nationally. Putting everything together will be the task as the conference action gets started against what Doeren believes will be a tough test.

“They’re very impressive,” Doeren said. “Coach Mendenhall has done a nice job building his program. You see that they have experience, have got good athletes, have got tough schemes.

“They are a team that doesn’t beat themselves a lot.”

Other Tidbits

• On the injury front, redshirt sophomore wideout C.J. Riley and redshirt freshman receiver Thayer Thomas were both knocked out of the Marshall game.

“They are doing great,” Doeren said. “Just saw our trainer, and we’ll see where we are at for practice tomorrow, but he feels optimistic about both of them. We just have to see how they progress.”

The Pack is hoping that fifth-year senior left guard Terronne Prescod is a go after missing the Marshall game with a back injury. Doeren was pleased with how well redshirt sophomore Joe Sculthorpe played in his absence.

Freshman running back Ricky Person Jr. (hamstring) may practice this week after being completely shut down the past two weeks to try to heal his injury.

• NC State will have its third straight noonish start to the season for a home game, and that trend will continue after the ACC announced a 12:30 kickoff for the Boston College contest Oct. 6.

Doeren joked that he might have to tell the fans it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.

“We don’t get to choose what time the game is, but we get to choose how loud we are and how much fun we have,” he said

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