Full Transcript: NC State coach Dave Doeren post-Florida State

NC State defeated Florida State 28-14 Saturday in Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla., to advance to 7-2 (4-1 ACC) this season.

Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren answered questions following the game.

Here is the full transcript from his availability:

Opening Statement

“Pretty great to go on the road and get a win in a storied stadium. I think that’s four out of five years that we’ve beaten them.

“And to do it the way we did defensively with another injury. Tyler Baker-Williams was out, but he will be back. This is a short-term thing. But not having him, I thought Josh Pierre-Louis stepped up for us in the game and then Savion Jackson tweaked something and you see Ibrahim Kante come in and get a sack.

“The guys are just playing so hard, and I’m so proud of them.

“Devin Leary continues to operate the offense well. They have a good defensive line, so that was a war in there. We were able to get some runs, it was dirty at times, but we took care of the football other than the one Hail Mary.

“You got to give Florida State credit, they came out in the second half and surprised us on the onsides. That gave them a little momentum, but we were able to respond and just keep the lead to where we needed. Got some stops on defense on fourth down.

“Looking forward to getting home, hopefully, get as healthy as we can get and get ready for the next one.

How much maturity does it show that this team held off the comeback attempt from FSU?

“It’s not the first time this year that somebody’s tried to come back in a game. I mean, it’s just football, so there’s no flinch. I think it is a mature thing. Having a very poised quarterback helps you in scenarios like that. It’s great to see different guys score.

“CJ Riley scored a touchdown, big play for him. Ricky Person on the screen play, and I thought Derek Eason had an incredible block on that play that fired me up. Chris Toudle made a great catch, and then Trent Pennix again sparks us on a naked. It was really good just to see other guys.

“They were keyed in on Emeka Emezie. It’s hard for him to get open when they pressed with the safety over the top most of the night.”

Can you talk about Porter Rooks’s play tonight? 

“It’s a testament to Devin finding the open guy. Porter took advantage of an opportunity. He did some good things. He was targeted six times and had five catches, so that was great to see. That’s what makes a good football team.

“If they’re going to take away option A, you got to have B, C and D. Now we’re able to spread it around to a lot of different people, so that’s good to see.”

How happy were you with the team’s ability to firm up in the fourth quarter?

“They won the third quarter. They got some momentum and made some plays, and you got to give them credit for that. Their quarterback scrambled around, made a hell of a throw into the end zone to get them a touchdown.

“It’s Florida State, they’re going to make some plays. But the guys found it. Solutions in coverage. They were picking on our open side corner a little bit. We started rolling up over there and taking that away and forced them to have to really play dink and dunk. And they didn’t want to do that when they’re down two scores. Tony Gibson made some nice adjustments and the kids hung in there.”

Trent Gill, another five punt game inside the 20. How important has he been?

“Field position is a great friend to the defense. 90-yard fields when you’re a defensive coordinator, it’s nice to call the game. Trent’s a weapon. He’s really, really kicking the football well. On kickoffs, too.

“And this isn’t a one time thing as you guys have scene, this has been multiple games this year. He’s flipping the field too. He hit a bomb on one of those punts. We’re very fortunate to have the specialist crew that we do right now.”

Did you prepare much for McKenzie Milton? 

“No. We had no idea. We worked on quarterback run game all week. They did a nice job of not getting that one out in the news. Had no idea we were going to be playing a throwing quarterback instead of a running quarterback today.”

What does that say about your staff and these players? 

“It says a lot about the kids and that’s one thing I like about our defensive scheme. It’s flexible. There’s a lot of things Tony can do to add guys or pull guys out of the run game. Different inserts with the safeties, corners. Using Tanner Ingle in different places and packing the box, spreading it back out.

“The 3-3-5 gives you a lot of variables. So when it becomes a passing game, regardless of who the quarterback is, it’s not hard for us to adjust that way.”

Kind of a big game next week. How ready is this team? 

“Well, we’ll find out next Saturday. I mean, I know we’re excited about playing those guys. I’m going to enjoy this win if that’s okay with you. We’ll talk about Wake Forest on Monday.

“It was a hell of a win today. So I’m excited about that. I don’t know how many times NC State has beaten Clemson and Florida State in the same year as a program. That happened this year, and that’s pretty good. When you look at those two programs, what they spend on football, their budgets, what they spend on their staffs. What we just did, I think it says a lot about what our program is doing. So, I’d rather focus on that than who play we play next week.”

The team loves to share its motto of going 1-0 each week. How much do you think they’ve taken that to heart?

“I told them that when we played Miami. We truly are writing a 12-chapter book right now. The pen is in our hand. We are the authors of the story, currently. We don’t need anyone else’s help. Whatever we put down every week is what’s going to be in there. Each week’s a new chapter, and this was another one.

“The guys have really embraced that. One of our goals in the preseason was just staying in the moment. Being a 1-0 football team, not making too much out of another team. Like oh, it’s “Clemson week”, you know what I mean? Like, no, it’s the next game. They’ve embraced us by being us as much as they have no matter who we play each week. So I think that’s helped our team stay in the moment, be better and more consistent.”

Devin Leary seems to be getting better each week. How much do you think that goes with his growing confidence?

“You’d have to ask Devin. I think he’s managing the offense really well. He’s making smart decisions. He’s taking care of the ball. He’s giving his guys a chance.

“Every time you win a game, I think he grows. Probably applies for any player. When you make plays, it grows. The thing I like is he’s not getting cocky, he’s not trying to force throws because he’s having success. He’s still going through his progression, running when he has to run, burning it when he has to burn it.

“He’s doing the right things you want in a quarterback. 314 yards, four touchdowns, that’s a pretty good day. “

How big is having guys like Trent Pennix and Chris Toudle to go to when your top three receivers have a quiet game?

“It says a lot about guys seizing the moment. The guys that had opportunities, they took advantage of them. Devin doesn’t care who he throws the ball to. He doesn’t. He trusts these guys. We wouldn’t put them on the field with each other if he didn’t. 

“Keyon Lesane is another guy who didn’t make a catch tonight, but he’s made plays for us. We’ve got some good weapons for him. Anthony Smith is another guy. There’s some good receivers in that room. And the thing you like is that they don’t get frustrated on sidelines. They’re still cheering their guys on. They still know that there are plays to be made.”

Five starters out on defense, and you hold them to 2-of-16 on third downs. You ever been a part of something like that? 

“No, and I hope I never have to again. To be a part of this many injuries on defense.

“These kids are amazing, first of all, so they deserve all that. But you know, if you would have asked me at the beginning of the year a list of guys you can’t lose at the start of the season, we’d start knocking out these names. Right? But the guys that are playing are playing their butts off. The guys that were playing before that, like Tanner, are playing as good as they can play. That’s when you not only fill the void of a good player with the next player. The guys around that player have to play a little bit better. A little bit. And if the other, in this case, 10 guys played. One guy of every 10, that’s just one more thing.

“That growth that you’re having on defense, makes up for who you’re missing sometimes. I think that’s what you’re seeing right now. Joshua Pierre-Louis gets to start tonight and he gets an interception. Kante goes in, Savion’s down, he gets a sack. Devon Betty goes in and makes some plays. Coach Gibson deserves credit for the chemistry that he’s created on the defensive side of the ball. These kids understand what he wants, they know how to do it for him. And they got a mean streak about doing it.”