NC State coach Dave Doeren expects 'old-fashioned football game' at Virginia Tech

As NC State coach Dave Doeren tried to work his way through the coaching ranks, he looked to Virginia Tech to study how they approached special teams under coach Frank Beamer. 

Doeren looked at that, and studied how Beamer used the third phase of football to gain a competitive advantage against his opponents. 

“As a young coach, watching what coach Beamer did on special teams in college football, he was a ground-breaking coach when it came to how he attacked people in that area,” Doeren said Thursday. “I’ve always been somebody that loves attacking the punt team, rushing punts, and attacking punters. He was a coach in my life, even though he didn’t know this, I was like, ‘Wow, look at what this guy’s doing in football on special teams.’ He changed the game.”

After watching hours of Virginia Tech film as a young coach, Doeren worked his way through the various levels of collegiate football until he became the head coach at NC State in 2013. 

This weekend, it will be Doeren’s third trip to Blacksburg, and the first that Lane Stadium will be rocking before kickoff. In 2015, there was weather in the area that caused a late-arriving crowd, and in 2020, there were only 1,000 fans in the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Now, Doeren and the Wolfpack will experience Virginia Tech’s raucous crowd, including Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”

“It’s a program that I have great respect for,” Doeren said. “Their fanbase, the way they support their team, the way they make that stadium feel on game day, it’s going to be fun.”

While NC State’s special teams has been a weapon for the Wolfpack this season, whether it is a long-range kicker or a punter that can flip the field — and Beamer would be proud — the Pack’s defense has been its main strength.

NC State’s defense has conceded just nine touchdowns through its first six ACC games this season, and it has only allowed 9.6 points across its last three games. 

Doeren credited defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and his staff for helping the Wolfpack create such a dominant unit. 

“We play 11-man football [on defense,]” Doeren said. “Those guys play hard for each other, they execute, they understand. [Gibson] does a great job of building off of looks and disguising things. … We’ve been in this system now for three years, so there’s a lot of reps banked, which helps.”

NC State put together a seven-quarter no-touchdown streak until Wake Forest scored in the fourth quarter this past weekend. Doeren was not shy to explain that the Pack’s system leads to success for both the team and its players. 

“This is a place you want to come and play defense,” Doeren said. “This system, it’s aggressive, it’s multiple, it’s productive. That stats don’t lie and the kids have fun in it. The kids are flying around and having a good time.”

While the Wolfpack’s defense has been elite this fall, its offense continues to evolve. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae has worked to incorporate unique wrinkles into his system as the season has progressed, including getting the ball to freshman wideout Kevin Concepcion. 

The newest piece to the puzzle has been Clemson transfer wideout Dacari Collins and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Anthony Smith. Collins led the team in receiving with 38 yards at Wake Forest this past weekend, while Smith logged his first catch of the season — he has been key on special teams as the season has gone on. 

Doeren said he talked to the team about the path that Collins and Smith took this season, from the end of the depth chart to playing a significant number of snaps.

“They were at the bottom,” Doeren said. “They worked, worked, worked, and just kept grinding and let us coach them. Didn’t pout, didn’t complain. And because of that, now they’re playing a ton.”

Collins played the most amount of offensive snaps at Wake Forest with 33, according to Pro Football Focus, and matched his season-high of 11 pass plays. 

The 6-foot-4 wide receiver worked to get to this point, and Doeren said now he has to continue to have that same work ethic through the rest of the season. 

“Now that you’ve gotten the reps, you can’t forget how you got them,” Doeren said. “You can’t relax. It’s a great story of a guy that transferred in, expected things to be a certain way, and quickly found out ‘I have to earn it here.’” 

Doeren said with Collins’ emergence, both the Wolfpack and the wide receiver have benefitted, and he hopes that it continues the rest of the season. 

The Wolfpack’s next stop is Blacksburg, and Doeren is looking forward to the challenge. Both teams boast similar offensive and defensive lines — good pass protection and elite pass rushers — and the 11th-year coach expects a physical contest. 

“Obviously two teams that are really, really tough on the line of scrimmage,” Doeren said. “I think it’s evenly matched. … It’s going to be an old-fashioned football game, man. I’m excited about it.”