Dave Doeren addresses MJ Morris first road start against Duke

NC State and head coach Dave Doeren are sitting at 4-2 on the season and looking to pick up win number five against in-state ACC rival, Duke However, the Blue Devils are also looking for their fifth win of the season at 4-1.

Ahead of the game, the ACC network crew covering the game caught up with Doeren. It was then that the Wolfpack headman shared his thoughts on a number of topics, including his recent change at quarterback.

“I’d just like to see all three phases playing really good the same night,” said Doeren when asked what he’d like to see out of his team against Duke. “It’s been a season that we’ve been through a lot as a team. It’s brought us closer together. Getting 48 points on the board at the right time, and our defense and special teams has played well. It’s a great opportunity to go out here against a good Duke team (and) see if we can play three-phase football.

MJ Morris was named the starting quarterback for NC State going forward. And all he did last week was lead the NC State offense to their best scoring performance of the season in a 48-41 victory over Marshall.

Morris has made a handful of starts, but Saturday’s game against the Blue Devils will be his first road start. And Doeren revealed his pre-game message to his young quarterback.

“Hust go play; just go be you. He’s a special kid. He’s got great confidence (and) the team believes in him. Just go out there and do it he’s supposed to do.”

With all the talk about quarterbacks, NC State had to prepare for their showdown against Duke without knowing who their starting quarterback would be. The Blue Devils star QB Riley Leonard’s status was questionable following an ankle injury suffered against Notre Dame. Doeren talked about how the Wolfpack defense would address Dukes’ quarterback conundrum.

“Yeah, you just gotta go out there and execute Tony’s gameplan; he’s gonna bring pressure. We’re gonna have a lot of disguises built in. And whoever’s back there’s gonna have to make decisions post-snap with some angry people chasing them. Hopefully, that’s enough to get us the win,” said Doeren.

It has since been revealed that Riley will not play in Saturday’s contest, which is huge for the Wolfpack’s defense as they try to keep pace in the ACC rankings.