Here is a recap from this week's Dave Doeren radio show, recorded live on Tuesday on NC State Wolfpack football's Facebook page.

Nickels coach Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay joined Wolfpack Weekly with Dave Doeren Tuesday as NC State prepares for rival North Carolina this Saturday at noon.

Aughtry-Lindsay played linebacker for the Pack from 2001-2004 and went 2-2 against the Tar Heels during his time in Raleigh, but he says that record should be 3-1. Of course, he was referring to the game in Chapel Hill in 2004.

"The infamous game where T.A. actually scored," as Aughtry-Lindsay put it.

It was his senior year and the game still sticks with him, something he hasn't been afraid to tell his players about this week in practice.

"You can't change the outcome. Our guys, we talked on Sunday and we talked yesterday about this week. Obviously, me being a former player and having the chance to come back and coach in a game that I actually played in, being in that it's a huge rivalry.

"The thing that I told the guys this week is, 'Let's prepare like we would every week, let's have a championship mindset in everything that we do. Let's make sure that we're precise in how we study film.' Things that I ask them to do every week. So don't let the emotion happen on Tuesday, happen on Monday.

"Let's build that up. Let's do everything we're supposed to do right now, Sunday through Friday. When we get to that game, it's going to mean a little bit more. It does. But in how we prepare and how we get ready for that game, it shouldn't be any different."

Aughtry-Lindsay was once the victim of a random act of violence from a gunshot as a bystander at a gas station. It came up during his radio show appearance and it's another life experience of his that he has used to help teach his players.

"I'm here to help them make the right decisions and help them, not have to go through things that I've gone through and that I've seen some of my teammates go through. And just to help them grow as young men and make the right decisions.

"The biggest thing that I tell those guys is what Chuck [Amato] always used to tell us, 'Nothing good happens after 12 o'clock.' That's true. To sum it up and to make it simple and that was it."

As for the hybrid position of nickel that he coaches, Aughtry-Lindsay said he feels good about the personnel he has in the group.

"I know what I would like to have and I think we have it in Tyler Baker-Williams. I think he's a guy that fits the mold and what we're looking for physically.

"When you're talking about tangibles and being able to do different things, you have to be able to cover man to man. You have to be able to play in a third, you have to be able to play in post, you have to be able to blitz, you have to be able to play the box at times.

"It is a position with linebacker mix, safety mix with a little bit of corner depending on what coverages we're doing. Also, a lot of times, you're covering the guy in the middle of the field with a lot of space. You have to have a lot of things. I think with the guys that we have with T-Bake, Joshua Pierre-Louis, who's a young guy that I think is going to continue to grow and be great for us. I think we have the guys in this spot to help us be really good."

• NC State head coach Dave Doeren began his availability commending his young team for the improvement he's seen through the first five games of the season. The Wolfpack has gotten off to a surprisingly quick start compared to preseason expectations, sitting at 4-1 with a No. 23 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll.

"The approach that the staff and these kids have had about each week, just finding ways to get better. Continuing to compete as hard, from an effort standpoint, as hard as we can. Just taking little things.

"I asked the players this morning, 'Just find one thing in your game a piece to work on today in practice, just one thing.' If 80 players can do that you have 80 percent improvement in your roster. That's a big deal.

"This team has really bought into what they need to be better at and as long as we continue to focus on those types of things, the reward becomes pretty attainable on Saturdays.

• The availability challenges of the offseason have prepared Doeren's team for the flurry of injuries that comes with gameplay, along with the unexpected absences from contact tracing protocol during a season played through a pandemic. It's something the head coach has reminded his team of.

"First time in my coaching career I can honestly stand in front of a team meeting and say everybody in here might play this year. And not because you're winning, because that's how the season could be. If everyone understands that this is real, that we could lose 15 players in one testing day, and all of a sudden, your fourth string moves to first string. If you approach it that way, you continue to get better and you don't just wait for your opportunity, you're ready for your opportunity, then we'll have a chance.

"There are two things in this your roster has to understand. Their urgency that they have to prepare with, all of them. The second part of it is you have to handle the unknown really well. We had it today."

Coach Doeren alluded to the potential scare of losing his specialists today when they had to be pulled out of practice. Luckily, they passed their assumed COVID tests to be cleared to get back to practice.

"We had four specialists have to leave practice and then they pass the test and could come back. I thought we weren't going to have either kicker or our long snapper today. Then we got them back. Things just happen every day and you just kind of shake your head.

"I'm proud of the guys. Joe Sculthorpe said it well. Everyone has the next man up, it's does the next man up play well? Ours have so far this year and that's what's been fun to watch.

• Doeren was not happy with his team following a first half in which it committed eight penalties which netted for a loss of over 100 yards Saturday in the 31-20 win over Duke. In the locker room at halftime, the head coach told his team to "quit acting like idiots" and they did.

The Wolfpack didn't have a single penalty confirmed against it in the second half and hope to win the penalty battle this weekend against North Carolina.

"Bottom line is, all we're doing is beating ourselves. If we would just play clean we'll win. We were being immature. We were not executing within the rules of the game. Guys were, in my opinion, trying to act a certain way that you can't act.

"There's just decisions you have to make on a football field and emotions can get in the way a lot. We have to manage our emotions better and we did. We had eight penalties for 100 yards in the first half we had zero penalties for zero yards in the second half, so all we did was get out of our own way and the rest happened.

"I'm sure it will be chippy, we've got to manage that. UNC averages nine penalties a game, so they're a team that has hurt themselves as well. We got to make that a strength for us in this game."

• Doeren applauded the collective effort of the defense for shutting out Duke in the second half of the win against Duke and was also impressed with the individual performance of redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson, who led the team with 19 tackles and two interceptions.

• He credits defensive coordinator Tony Gibson for simplifying the scheming. According to the coach, Gibson makes a call and then all of the focus is applied to what the offense is showing as opposed to making pre-snap adjustments on defense. Doeren thinks this has allowed his defense to play more free, which has resulted in better performances.

• Doeren on versatile defender and special teams player redshirt junior linebacker Vi Jones:

"There's a lot he can do. He's really athletic, he has a high football IQ, he plays hard. He's a good pass rusher, so we use him in those situations. Then with Drake [Thomas], rotate at Sam to keep each other fresh.

"We've used them as a big nickel when we get into our goal-line and short-yardage packages, so that we have just better size on the edges and those scenarios. He's doing a lot and his football IQ is high and he's been able to manage it all because it is. There was one game where he played four positions for us.

"We need him to be able to be a versatile player and he's a special teams guy, he's good in space. He's really, really hard to block. He's got a knack for blocking punts and kicks and, and you're just seeing the beginning of that. There's going to be a lot more of it."

• Doeren on Leary's injury and how it unfolded Saturday:

"He'll tell you he's Jersey tough. First thing he said is my ankle is screwed up. I thought he was going to be concussed and I was like, well maybe he's saying that because he's not right and he took a shot.

"He's like, no coach, my ankle is screwed up. I said let's just sit here and breathe for a minute, slow your breath down. They came out and said you're going to be alright. He said coach make sure they finish and win this game. I said we got you man. The guys were all around to make sure hes okay, he's good. He put his thumb up and everyone's like, 'Hey man, you ain't doing that to our quarterback.' It was on.

• Doeren on redshirt junior Bailey Hockman now starting and freshmen Ben Finley and Ty Evans backing him up:

"We go to get hem ready, we got to get them reps. Ben has been getting reps throughout. There's a long window of time when Devin was out and Ty was out during training camp so Bailey and Ben got all the reps at quarterback.

They have been put in this situation already. Now Ben's mindset, he's going from the third to the second. He looked good in practice today. I was impressed, he did a nice job and they'll be ready. Those kids are well-coached and they're competitive and he'll be ready to play."

• With a series of injuries on the offensive line, NC State's depth chart now includes three true freshmen in immediate back-up reserve rolls on the offensive line.

"Doesn't matter if they're ready, that's where we're at. We've got injuries on the line and put them in that situation. I mean we've got a redshirt freshman and three true freshmen backing up our starting five right now. That's where we're at."

• Doeren says that UNC is as talented in the skill positions on offense as anyone else in the country.

"They're elite, either two tailbacks are as good as anybody in the country. They've got a good blend of speed and size at receiver. They have some depth where they can rotate and stay fresh out there.

"Their quarterback was obviously ACC Newcomer of the Year last year and I think he's more athletic this year than he was last year. He's getting out of a lot of stuff, he's what I call he scrambles to throw. He buys time and gives his receivers chances to make plays down the field.

"They're gigantic on the offensive line, I mean it's a really good offensive football team. They're tight end made some plays for them as well.

"It's going to be a great challenge for our defense and I know they're excited about going up against them. I don't know if we'll play another offense with as many guys as they have right now, unless we have a chance to play somebody in a bowl game like them."

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