Full transcript: Dave Doeren's weekly press conference

NC State Wolfpack football head coach Dave Doeren held his weekly press conference Monday, recapping Saturday's 38-22 win over Florida State plus previewing Saturday's scheduled game against Liberty.

Here is the full transcript:

"I'll start out with a recap on our win over Florida State. First, just thought it was a great job by our staff and players, getting prepared and rejuvenated after a tough loss in he previous week with Miami. I think that's a big deal.

"I've been around a lot of teams that couldn't do that, so very proud of them, first and foremost, for their ability to respond and regroup. It's really what this team has done all year, it started off in our offseason when they came back, they were hungry. They couldn't wait to get to work.

"They learned a lot through the previous year and all the tough things we went through. That just grew as we got into the quarantine period and the beginning of the pandemic after our spring break, and then the social unrest and injustice that took place, seeing our players bond together and really our athletic department.

"It's appropriate that this game is dedicated to our Pack United platform that was formed by our student-athletes and backed by our coaching staffs and administration to support the effort to fight social unrest and discrimination and prejudice and doing so by using the three pillars of awareness, education and action.

"I'm very proud of our athletic department, our student-athletes and Isaiah Moore and Grant Gibson, for all the work that has gone into that and continues to go into that. This game will have a lot of emphasis there, for us as a football program and I look forward to that.

"In this game with Florida State, we talked a lot about them being a fast-start team. They had scored more points in the first quarter than they had in any other quarter, so it was great to see us get out offensively in our first drive and have a 13-play drive and overcame three penalties, two tough third downs and go down and score a touchdown. Defensively, the first drive, we're out there three and out and got the ball right back.

"Throughout the game, I thought we made a lot of adjustments and that happens every game, but not every game do you have as many as we had in this one. The ability of the coaches to communicate well with the players, the players to take the communication, understand it and go to the field and execute. There were a lot of things that happened in that game, particularly on defense.

"We basically played an entire game against unbalanced formations, which you usually might see four to five times in a game. We saw 50 plus plays in those formations. There's a lot of things that, defensively, you do differently knowing that going in, so I thought Tony [Gibson] and his group did a nice job of adjusting, holding them just to three points in the first three quarters.

"A lot of emphasis went into finishing. We finished the first half with an interception on defense by Tyler Baker-Williams and then started fast in the third quarter with a stop and an offensive score. Then to see the offense be able to run five and a half minutes off the clock there in the final quarter and run the football the way they did, finish blocks and finishing with a field goal to extend the lead.

"Obviously, you'd like to prevent them from scoring on those drives in the fourth quarter, but overall I was very excited just about how we played with energy, I thought we had really good focus and practice.

"From a positive standpoint on offense, we ran the ball really well when it counted in the fourth quarter. Obviously, we'd like to run it better in the first three.

"We were extremely efficient on third down. Bailey played an incredible game with a 71 percent completion rate, had four touchdowns, three in the passing game, one in the run game.

"The wideouts and tight ends blocked well on the perimeter and gave us a chance on some perimeter screens and downfield runs. Our wide receivers continued to not only catch the ball well but to make some plays with their feet after the catch. I saw Emeka [Emezie] do that, saw Thayer [Thomas do that.

"On the O-line, Ickey [Ekwonu] and Joe [Sculthorpe] graded out the highest they had all year, and that's a really good defensive line. That's a good group, they're big. Those two defensive ends are NFL players and I thought Ickey played really well.

"From a negative standpoint on offense, we had two fourth and ones. One that we got stopped on when we just didn't block the play the way we wanted to, and the second one where we had a holding penalty that took a first down away where we had the punt then on fourth and six.

"On fourth and one, those are attitude type plays and you'd like to be able to convert there. We had six tackles for loss in our backfield which created second and longs, and we were able to overcome some of those but you don't want to have plays that create second and longs and put you behind the chains.

"On defense, positively, I thought we played really hard. We adjusted well, we had two fourth-down stops, we had a takeaway.

"I thought Isaiah Moore played his best game since he's started for us. It was great having Drake back, he was very physical on the edge.

"I thought Alim [McNeill] had a second week where he's just really, really excelled inside. He's playing hard. Him and CJ [Clark] are playing well at the nose tackle position. It was good to see Daniel Joseph and Savion [Jackson] and Terrell [Dawkins] make some plays at defensive end. There's some things that we got to continue to work on there, but I like the way they played. They were very aggressive.

"Negatives, we gave up three explosive plays for touchdowns. We've been really good on third down, we've been really good in our red zone defense, but we can't allow people to score in those explosive manners. One of them was a missed tackle where we had a guy right there on fourth and short.

"We did force two fumbles that we didn't recover, so those are plays we'd like to do better. But overall, it was a really good night.

"I thought our special teams were good, they created over 40 yards in hidden field yardage for us, which obviously creates field position. I love how hard our kickoff team played. We had two tackles inside the 20, there's a lot of physical play, there's a lot of strain, there's a lot of guys beating blocks.

"I thought CJ Hart really played well on that unit. Thayer had a big punt return, 23-yard return. We had two opportunities on our kickoff return that were one block away from being big, explosive runs, so we need to improve there.

"Coming out of the game health-wise was pretty positive, and I hope that we have Tanner back this week. That's trending positive. As of now, we should have the same lineup that we had last week with Tanner being added to it.

"With that, we have a chance to play a top 20 team in Liberty this week. An undefeated team, very good team, good staff, and a team that's playing with a lot of confidence, has two ACC wins with Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

"Before I move on to them, I know we're limited in how many fans we can have but I do want to thank the fans that were there. We just want to let you know we can hear you.

"Even though it's a small crowd, there's times where your noise does matter and our kids do feed off of that. So, just want to encourage you, if you are at our games to cheer these kids on. You have no idea what these guys have been through, how hard it's been to not only play football this year but to do the things we're doing to stay Covid-free with our football team.

"They have worked really hard and earned every bit of crowd noise that we can get. So I would encourage you, and ask you to do everything you can to help us when we're on the field and scream for those young men that are fighting for you.

"With Liberty, it's a team that has a very explosive offense. You look at them statistically, they're averaging 40 points a game, 490 yards a game, they're rushing the football 254 yards a game. All of these are in the top 20 statistics in college football.

"Their quarterbacks, the transfer from Auburn, Willis. He is a really special player, 68 percent completion, he's got a strong arm, 15 touchdowns, only one interception and he's averaging over 100 yards per game.

"They rotate three different running backs that are all different in style and production. The receiving corps catches the ball well, they don't have a lot of drops on the season. Their slot receivers are big-play guys, and there are sure-handed guys on the outside, their tight end is a good player.

"All of their offensive linemen were lettermen a year ago and they play well together. They're a ball-control offense, they're one of the top teams in the country in time of possession, so we have to do a good job stopping them, getting the ball back for our offense and offensively maximizing our possessions.

"On defense, they're a 4-2-5 defense and play a lot of cover three and cover four. They play hard.

"Their two defensive ends, No. 11 and No. 10 are very productive. No. 11, in particular, jumps off the tape. When you watch them, they play hard, they're where they are supposed to be. They don't do a ton of things, but they do them well.

"We have to make plays, we've got to be explosive, we got to be physical. We've got to take care of the football and maximize our possessions. Obviously, this whole thing is going to be about being able to get Willis off track because nobody has been able to do that.

You've been in Liberty's situation, coaching at a small school that goes on a nice little run and get some national attention. I know you can't speak for Coach Freeze, but can you take us inside the mindset with smaller programs that get some confidence and at this point in the season, they feel like they're world leaders?

"Hugh's done a tremendous job there and he's done this before, when he was the head coach at Arkansas State.

"That locker room is full of guys that felt like they could have played at a higher level. Those kids will have a chip on their shoulder when they play a Power Five team. They want to be noticed, they know that this is a chance to showcase, not just their individual abilities, but how they can play as a football team against teams that have a Power Five name.

"The confidence piece, I know all of those guys, when I was in Northern Illinois, they weren't afraid of anybody. They were just excited to play the game, and I'm sure that's what we're going to get.

"We're going to get a team that believes, for one, because they haven't lost this year. And they're playing for a coach that knows how to win games. It's going to be a very confident group, it's going to be a group that wants to prove themselves and an opportunity for them to do it on a bigger stage.

"For us, we have to acknowledge all those things that I just said. At the end of the day, it's really going to be about how we play. Whether we're playing against a Power Five team or not, we need to be better than we were last Saturday.

"That's going to be our focus, just executing. Each player on the team understanding what they have to do in their role, so that collectively we can play better than we just did against Florida State."

How dangerous of a combination is that when a team is playing with that confidence and playing with something to prove with a chip on their shoulder?

"It's a good football team with good players, it has confidence. Obviously, that's what you want to have. It's a great opportunity for us to play a team like that in the Top 20 that's undefeated."

Coach Hugh Freeze said today that you guys are, from what he's seen, the most talented team that he's going to face this year, at least in the regular season. And that you guys have the best chance of giving them a loss before the regular season ends. Is there an extra excitement of getting to spoil a perfect season for them and also getting to do it in your house?

" You know, I hadn't really thought about it like that. For us, we're trying to finish, and we're in the fourth quarter of our season coming off of a win. Obviously, we'd like to finish winning all three of our games that are on our schedule, and this is just the next one.

"How it impacts their season really isn't the motivating piece of that for me. It's more about us being better, and I think that's the one thing you can see with our team. Even though we didn't beat Miami, we've gotten better each week here coming out of our bye week, and I want to continue that trend. I want to be better football team this week and then a better team the next week and peak out when we're supposed to peak out here.

"Hopefully that'll equal what it is, but I don't think using their team, as a spoiler for their season, really motivates me or our kids. It's just more about us being better than we were last week.

What is it that Willis does so well? And does he remind you of anybody you faced so far this season?

" I think D'Eriq King's probably a good comparison. He throws the ball really well. He has a super strong arm and his downfield throws are really impressive. He throws the ball well on the run. I mean to this point in the season, you're not going to see a lot of weakness with him.

"I mean you look at the statistics. There's not many quarterbacks that have that completion rate and that touchdown to interception rate with those rushing yards. He's done a tremendous job for them, and obviously the players around him are a part of that, but there's a lot of things that happen on a play he just makes happen on his own, which you saw from King.

"His ability to throw the ball down the field accurately is really impressive."

Having seen King a couple of weeks ago, does that help you in any way know what to expect and then maybe prepare for Willis?

"We've seen several athletic quarterbacks, and I think it comes down to tackling and getting off of blocks. You got to get multiple people to him. And some of the plays they are going to do, they're going to motion the tailback out and get you into an empty type picture and then he has the ability to throw it out or run it on a box count.

"So we're going to have to be really good with getting people off of blocks and getting people back to him and then tackling him. That's the thing. You could have one or two guys there, and he makes him both miss. It's not just the design of the defense, it's going to be the technique, and the finish of plays, that's going to matter, and getting the ball out.

"We need, like I said, one of the most critical pieces in this game is shortening how long they have the football. They do a really good job of controlling the clock offensively."

I don't know if this is quite a fair assessment of some other teams, but there are some teams of college football that have had a look like they're not all in on this right now. Things are going bad, and they don't look like they want to be there. Your guys on the other hand, like you've talked about, buying in and their effort.

How big of a challenge is that? COVID has made everything tricky, but has that been a bigger challenge and trying to keep them all the way invested all the way to the end on this?

"I think what that did is it created a moment for your locker room and your coaching staff to either gel together or fall apart. I really do.

"I think all the things that happen in the offseason, when they had to leave us for four months, that was critical time where your team had to really hold themselves accountable or not. And our guys did that. They did a tremendous job of holding each other accountable and coming back ready, and the social unrest created an opportunity again for your team to come together or not. And our guys came together through the leadership of our football team.

"It's very impressive to be a part of both things and to watch it. And I think that's carried us to where we are. This is a really close group of guys. It's a fun group of guys to coach. It's been one of the most fun teams I've been around because of how much they truly care about each other.

"They respect the game. They really like playing football. And so that has been a blessing that's come through all this stuff, that's made 2020, as hard as it's been, a special year because of these guys."

Just to follow up, did you have worries about what if they lose a game or two and things go south, a little bit on the field and things are already so difficult off the field right now? Was there any more worried than you would have with a normal team about that?

"You know, had I not seeing how these guys came together, then yeah probably would have been a concern, but I didn't have that with our locker room. It was the opposite. They were giving me hope. They were showing me leadership.

"The things that these guys did, there hasn't been that. We've witnessed it at other places, and we've had conversations about did you see what happened here or there, but there's never been an inkling of that on our roster. That hasn't been a big thing for us.

How impressive you've been with the ability to still be able to put up that amount of points and how much of that has to be accredited to to Tim Beck as well for changing the system at this point.

"Well I think Tim deserves a lot of credit, and so to the coaches with them. Those guys work well together. I asked Tim to come in and break it apart and put it back together in his terms, so that he could use his system and how he calls it.

"He did that, and with losing how much spring ball we lost and how unique fall camp was, to have a completely new vocabulary with these guys, to have new players that you're coaching and not have the opportunity to really kind of test it out the way you normally would, in the spring and fall camp, I think he deserves a lot of credit for that.

"And then I think the players deserve a lot of credit for that. They bought in. They were excited about the change. They were really good learners, and they're making plays, and that's the thing. You see a guy catch a five yard ball and turn it into an explosive. You see Bam the other night takes a run and turns it into explosive touchdown. You see receivers making acrobatic catches and tight ends, and it's it's a group effort.

"I think it all starts with the leadership over there and the way that Tim has got those guys to buy in and the players wanting to be a really good offense. It's been fun to watch and be a part of, and it's just still evolving and that's kind of the cool part of it. It's each week he's tweaking it here and there."

What have you seen as far as the biggest transformation for Bailey Hockman from last year to this year? In particular, his ability to run the offense and be able to pass the ball downfield as well.

"I think he has good timing right now. He's getting the ball out on time. He's putting it in accurate places. I think he knows what to look at and why. He has a really good grasp of what's going on.

"Like I said the other day it's nice to have multiple games with him, because you can get a feel for what he likes and you can build it around him. Tim and him have done a nice job communicating and getting on the same page with what he likes to see and what's easier for him.

"I think just being comfortable here too, is part of it. Like I've said many times your second year at a school is different from your first as a transfer. I think just your personal life and in your routine and everything else. And he's earned the trust of everyone around him. Guys believe in him, and that means a lot at that position.

How important is going to a bowl for your program? Just how important is it to get those extra reps for the young players and to get to a bowl game?

" The one thing that you can't do is, is give guys reps without practice. Those practices are, they're so beneficial for younger players. Basically you're going to take guys out and get them healthy that have gotten in the lion's share of the reps for about a week and all your developmental guys now are running your systems.

"Now when you go into spring ball with those guys, they've got a lot of work in your system and it makes spring ball different because you're not having to teach them the same way you would if you don't go to a bowl game where they had no reps. It just kind of accelerates your teaching, and there's plays that happen in these practices where a guy all of a sudden makes a diving catch, or one handed interception. His confidence changes, and he starts believing in himself.

"So those reps are critical in the development of a player. That's the piece that really means a lot, not just the reward of the bowl but the developmental part and the confidence that gained by the kids that have been servicing us a lot on the scout team."

If you'd gotten a chance to go last year, can you imagine where this team would be right now? Have you ever thought about that?

"It would have been very valuable for all these kids that are now sophomores that were playing as freshmen last year. At the same time we were so injured last year I'm not sure how many practices we would have been able to do.

"You just can't replace experience. I think that's the one thing in the sport that you appreciate. When Tanner Ingle steps on the field, we go from freshman to junior. There's a lot of game experience and practice experience that happens just with one player.

"Whether it's five practices or 10 games or whatever it is, as a coach I can't insert that into a guy. You have to rep it, and reps are the most important thing for these guys in their development."

You mentioned how your team has handled 2020, you had the election the pandemic and social issues. Do you think you have kids where their responses are going to, this is going to endure in their lives, they're going to continue to build on the progress and the way they've handled this?

"Absolutely. I think there's a lot of growth, personal growth. There were social growth.

"Obviously, there was so many different opportunities to respond to adversity this year, whether it was us losing a game or us having to change schedules or are we going to play, not going to play, who we're going to play. The injuries and guys having to step into roles, there's been a ton of things that have happened.

"I think that's how you grow. I think adversity is the greatest way for somebody. When you're succeeding you're not going to grow the same way as when you have to overcome something, and we've had many opportunities, whether they were self-inflicted or not, to grow up this year. I think it will help us move forward."

You see these guys as being the type that will do things for the community, be active in voting, be active in those things and not necessarily when it's a in the limelight type of thing? Do you feel like they'll do it with just because it's the right thing to do?

"I would hope so. I can't answer that for them. A hundred percent of our team registered to vote. At the end of the day that's going to be a personal choice. I would think that this year is going to instigate a lot of guys to continue to be active because I think it's important to them. But where that goes in their life, we all know that's their choice."

You said Ikem Ekownu had one of his, his better games. Just a sophomore, he's already developed into one of the top linemen. Can you talk about his progression his growth and also kind of take us back to this recruiting process when you first saw him and and realize that he's a guy you want in your program?

"I think the biggest thing you see with Ickey, he's always been super physical. He's a finisher. He was a wrestler he played o-line and d-line, very athletic, great student, incredible family. Checks every box when you talk about a recruit. I mean every box.

"We wanted him on film. Him and his dad came up on the visit and loved his makeup and what they were all about as a family. When I saw him play in person, it was one of the most impressive performances I've ever seen by a lineman. He played both ways the entire game.

"There was a play when he was on defense and they had an interception. Excuse me, he was on offense and their offense threw an interception, and he went down the field and just drilled a guy. Man, I don't know if I've ever seen a kid tackled that hard in my life. I was like, 'Man, this guy's going to play,' and I came back and told the staff I said, 'That guy will start here as a freshman on the offensive line.'

"And they're all look like, 'Yeah it's hard to do.' And I said, 'I promise you, he will.' And then he did. Not trying to say that I'm the greatest evaluator, but when you see something like that in person, it was impressive.

"His improvements been in his technique more than anything. I think you're as strong and as athletic as him, a lot of times you rely on that in your fundamentals. At times you can not have to be great. And then you get up against a really good player and then you can get exposed even when you're talented.

"He's worked really hard with Coach Garrison on just some little things. I know John was proud of him. He graded out like 91 percent against one of the better defensive ends in the ACC. So that was a really good performance for him"

On Ekwonu's physicality:

"He's the instigator of the pancake world around here. He's the guy that sets the bar for knockdowns and pancakes and the guys all compete for that. But I know our whole sideline gets juiced when he does that stuff in the game. They love watching him play.

"How many teams stand there and just can't wait to watch their tackle block somebody? It's something we look forward to. He's a really good football player. He plays with a demeanor that we embrace. And he's a great human being, and I think all those things make it fun to have a guy like that on your roster.

Coach Freeze mentioned is more than you guys I think had been on a golf outing or two together. What do you recall about that, who had the better day and where do you guys play

"The fundraiser that Chick-fil-a and the Peach Bowl have in the spring, they didn't have it this year because of COVID, but to raise money for your charity of choice has been something that we've done every year. Twice we were matched up with Hugh, and he is a good golfer, really good player. And his partner was really good player.

"He's got an awkward swing, I can tell you that, but he's a really good player. They beat us both times when we played them in that tournament. Great guy, always enjoyed my time with Hugh and respect him a lot as a football coach. He's done a tremendous job everywhere he's been."

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