NC State coach Dave Doeren believes team needs to ‘be better fundamentally’
Less than an hour after his team beat Virginia in walk-off fashion last week, NC State coach Dave Doeren thought his team needed to pare the playbook down to master a handful of things, and not have an eclectic array of plays to pull from.
But after he watched the film, Doeren said that actually is not the case. Instead, the Wolfpack need to refine the basics, which should eliminate some of the mistakes that were on display against the Cavaliers.
“To me, watching the film, our mistakes aren’t in the fact that we have to narrow it down, we have to be better fundamentally,” Doeren said during his weekly Zoom media availability Monday evening. “So it’s going back to your fundamentals. … Just little basic things. One play a guy does it right, the next play he doesn’t, and he gets exposed. It’s fundamental focus, and that’s really where the emphasis is.”
One of the main emphasis this week is improving the Wolfpack’s blocking skills. NC State had four players grade below average in pass blocking, according to Pro Football Focus: graduate right guard Derrick Eason (53.7), redshirt sophomore left guard Anthony Carter Jr. (49.1), sophomore running back Michael Allen (27.3) and redshirt junior running back Demarcus Jones II (23.6).
That, coupled with a couple injuries at tight end, Doeren is focused on getting those positions better at protecting the quarterback.
“As blockers, whether it’s running backs, tight ends or offensive line, I think we can be better,” Doeren said. “I know we can be better in those areas.”
NC State allowed five tackles for a loss, including two sacks, in its win over UVA. That’s a week after it conceded eight tackles for a loss against VMI.
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“It doesn’t matter what play you call, if you’re not using good fundamentals or technique as blockers, it’s not going to be a successful play,” Doeren said. “That’s been the area of emphasis and that’s where we’re putting all of our eggs right now.”
Doeren thought the Wolfpack’s wide receivers had improvements in their fundamentals against the Cavaliers. NC State’s wide receivers did not record a dropped pass in the rainy weather conditions, and freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion logged a career-best 116 yards and two touchdowns.
So as Doeren looks at it now, it’s not about pairing a playbook down, rather the team is focusing on honing their technique and fundamentals ahead of Louisville on Friday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Doeren added that the team learned a lot from its loss to Notre Dame in week 2, and he wants to see that continue as the Wolfpack enter the thick of ACC play with one non-conference game remaining (vs. Marshall on Oct. 7).
“We’re sitting here at 3-1 and I’m excited about it,” Doeren said. “The attitude and the effort and the individual improvements within the roster have been noticeable, and those things excite me quite a bit. And that’s what you want, you want to get better each week individually so you can get better collectively.”
