Expectations are higher this season for NC State football, and fifth-year head coach Dave Doeren even threw out the ultimate coaching cliché — “We’re taking it one day at a time” — when asked about them.
That first day on the practice fields in preseason camp was Saturday morning, with players working out without pads five weeks to the day that the season opens against South Carolina Sept. 2 in Charlotte.
Taking camp one day at a time, though, is not an empty catchphrase for Doeren. There is no schedule board in the Murphy Center during camp. The theme is simply: “All the focus is today.”
“The only expectation we have is how good are we going to be today,” Doeren added.
On day one, that can be difficult to decipher. Without pads, Doeren noted, “There’s not a lot you can say about where we’re at.”
The first few practices instead will be about the mental aspect to football.
“How much do they know and their fundamentals and footwork, communication; you can still see their effort and how they are chasing the football or going after things,” Doeren stated. “You really get a feel for watching some of the young players who just got here a month ago on how hard the playbook might be already for them.”
It appears the players have passed the initial test for a first practice.
“There’s good focus,” Doeren said. “Obviously, these guys went through what they went through last year and finished. I know they want to continue with the momentum that they’ve had.
“I think the lessons learned in life are for you to do something with what happened with you, the obstacles you face. I think the guys did that. We’ll see where that takes us, but I do like where we are at mentally right now.”
Doeren was happy that they had a full roster of 105 players at the first practice, although he did confirm that redshirt freshman guard Harrison Gee is still recovering from a stress fracture. With so many returning pieces from last season, including 16 starters, Doeren said that more attention is being focused on the second and third strings than years past.
“There are still some places we’ve talked about that are in competition, and that’ll go for a while,” Doeren added. “Last year there were so many open positions.”
Above all others last season was the quarterback battle that was eventually won by Boise State transfer Ryan Finley. Doeren said Finley’s comfort level is noticeably higher as a redshirt junior.
“Totally different, and I think most of that is just because he’s friends with a lot of players on the team,” Doeren said. “They know him. He understands the culture of the program, and they understand his work ethic and how he works.
“Last year, they were all trying to figure out what he’s all about. Just that comfort of the other 10 knowing him and what he brings to the table is what it’s all about.”
This is the first fall camp for a pair of new assistant coaches. Defensive line coach Kevin Patrick arrived from Texas Tech and replaced Ryan Nielsen, who departed to take a assistant coaching job with the New Orleans Saints.
Safeties coach Aaron Henry was hired away from Rutgers to replace Clayton White, who took the defensive coordinator position at Western Kentucky.
“It’s been pretty seamless,” Doeren said of the transition. “I think the players have done a nice job adjusting. The coaches spent a lot of personal time with these young men to get to know them and what they’re all about and backgrounds.
“From a staff standpoint they jumped right in. Coach Henry knew our defense because he played in it. Coach Patrick had worked with a couple of coordinators Coach [Dave] Huxtable has worked for. That part of was pretty easy.”
Doeren’s likely hope is that Henry and Patrick have jumped on board in time for a magical season, and optimism is always high in the preseason. Every journey begins with day one and practice one.
“It’s good to be back on the field,” Doeren admitted. “These guys worked hard all summer. Just to get back out there and coach and be around them and see the focus that they’ve had, that’s a lot of fun.”
Related link on the premium Wolves’ Den message board:
The Wolfpacker Live: Updates from first practice
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