9/2/2019 football Edit

Dave Doeren proud of young players' debut performances

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

NC State football coach Dave Doeren was hoping what he saw in preseason camp with his young squad would carry over into an actual game, but he couldn’t be certain about it.

Seventeen players, 13 of them either true or redshirt freshmen, played their first snaps in a game for NC State during Saturday’s 34-6 win over East Carolina.

“A lot,” Doeren emphasized about the number of Wolfpack debuts.

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The results were far from perfect in the win. The coach in particular was displeased with the offense’s third-down performance (4 of 12 for the game and 1 of 8 through three quarters), kickoff coverage on special teams and two pre-snap penalties, one on each side of the ball.

However, he also saw plenty of positives, starting with his young players answering affirmatively the question: Could they handle game day?

“I was really proud of how they handled the elements,” Doeren said. “I thought those guys did a really good job. I didn’t see anybody nervous. They probably were, but it wasn’t obvious. They went out there and just did what they did in practice.

"I thought that was outstanding.”

In terms of on the field, Doeren liked how the team won the line of scrimmage, which was an area of emphasis against ECU. He noted this was an in-state rival with a new coach that made it clear that they wanted to avenge last year’s 58-3 loss to the Pack.

NC State ran for 191 yards and 6.1 yards per carry while not allowing a sack. East Carolina gave up three sacks and ran for just 41 yards and 1.4 yards a tote.

“Speaks to the demeanor of our football team, and that’s something that is really important to us culture-wise — to be a real physical group of guys that can win on the line of scrimmage,” Doeren said.

One of the major developments emerging from Saturday’s game was NC State’s decision to use a 3-3-5 defense over the 4-2-5 that had been the base defense over the past five seasons.

Doeren noted that he and his defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Dave Huxtable, who has been with Doeren from the beginning at NC State, agreed in the offseason that with a deep linebacker corps returning and questions about depth on the defensive line this could be the smart move.

“We used to have a defensive front where you wouldn’t want to take one of those guys off the field,” Doeren said. “Going into this season, we didn’t know [freshman defensive tackle] Josh Harris would be hurt in training camp, but we knew [freshman defensive tackle] C.J. Clark would be out. We didn’t know when [sixth-year senior defensive end] Deonte Holden would return. There were some question marks.

“We wanted to see how it played out and have both available, and then we get into camp we lose three or four defensive tackles within a week for extended periods of time. That forced us into being more one-dimensional in a three-man front."

Doeren suggested NC State could become multiple on defense later in the year.

“As we get healthier and healthier we’ll have the ability to get back into some four-down [alignments], but I think the biggest thing with Hux is he wants his best 11 on the field," Doeren said. "When you have injuries to the front and the linebackers are healthy, it’s pretty obvious what you need to do.”

One of the keys to the 3-3-5 formation will be the “Buck” linebacker currently manned by redshirt junior Brock Miller and redshirt freshman Payton Wilson. Wilson had six tackles, including two for loss, in the opener. Miller added three tackles and a pass breakup. He also had an interception wiped off the board by a penalty.

Miller (6-foot-3, 238 pounds) and Wilson (6-4, 235 pounds) both fit the physical profile, and both have experience rushing the passer from high school, Doeren noted.

“It’s unique because they play linebacker and the next play they are playing d-line,” the coach said. “They have to have a little hybrid to them, but it can be a longer guy who really runs. I think we have two guys that really fit the build. When [USC transfer] Levi Jones is eligible, he’ll be really good in that position as well."

Other NC State Football Tidbits From Dave Doeren's Press Conference

• One of the major developments from Saturday was the loss of redshirt junior receiver C.J. Riley for the season with a torn ACL. Riley caught 28 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns last year, and was elevated into a starting role for this season. He hurt his left knee on punt coverage. Riley had torn his right ACL before his freshman season.

In Riley’s place will be redshirt freshman Devin Carter, who caught a 12-yard pass in the opener.

“He’s a big body, he’s strong,” Doeren said of Carter. “He’s been in that room with those guys and understands by watching last year’s trio now what’s expected, so he needs to seize that moment because he has really good ability and size [6-4, 212 pounds].”

• Doeren knows that getting a fourth straight 1,000-yard rusher is important to the offensive line, but he has a different take on the running game. He wants to see big improvements from last season in yards per carry and explosiveness.

“As you saw all four of our backs have good ability,” Doeren said of sophomore Ricky Person Jr., redshirt freshman Trent Pennix, and freshmen Zonovan Knight and Jordan Houston. “[They] have a chance to be really dynamic there if they stay healthy.”

• For the season straight year, people on the East Coast are tracking a major September hurricane. Hurricane Florence a year ago forced the cancellation of NC State’s game against West Virginia.

Hurricane Dorian has an uncertain track ahead while it gets dangerously close to the coastlines of Florida through North Carolina.

“We’ll keep an eye on the weather and pray for all the people in Florida right now,” Doeren said. “Hopefully that thing takes a turn in the opposite direction. Several of our players are dealing with that back home and all the kids that we are recruiting down there, family members and everything else.

“We went through this last year. Prayers go out to all the families in Florida right now and we hope that everybody is safe.”