NC State focused on itself, ‘11-man football’ going into Tennessee matchup

NC State coach Dave Doeren does not need to lay out who No. 14 Tennessee is to his team ahead of this weekend’s Duke’s Mayo Classic. The No. 24 Wolfpack is well aware of what the Volunteers can do on both sides of the ball going into the premier non-conference matchup. 

And Doeren does not want his team to be stuck thinking about the Volunteers. Yes, they are preparing for the opponent like any other game with film and specific game plans, but the Wolfpack is focused on itself this weekend. 

That’s the recipe Doeren believes in to get a win at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night. 

“It’s not about them,” Doeren said of Tennessee on Thursday. “Everyone makes it about who you’re playing. We’re going to know these guys just like they’re going to know us. For us to win the game, we have to do what we do. We have to execute. We have to play at a high level. We have to play 11-man football.”

The Pack is focused on playing as one cohesive unit for 60 minutes. Why? Well, NC State did not do that against Western Carolina in the season opener. The Pack trailed going into the fourth quarter before the team seemed to hit a new gear to outscore the Catamounts 21-0 in the final 15 minutes. 

NC State’s season-opening win was littered with little mistakes that added up in a hurry. A missed assignment here. Poor hand placement there. A misstep in blocking over here. All of those seemed to keep the Wolfpack’s revamped offense in the mud — until it exploded in the final period. 

Now, Doeren is looking for that from the opening kickoff because a fast start against Tennessee’s high-tempo offense appears to be imperative. 

“With an offense like theirs that can score a lot of points, the complementary football of up-tempo opponents is important,” Doeren said. “The conversion downs on both sides and creating attainable conversion downs too. …  It’s the offense setting up the defense with long drives that end with kicks, the defense getting off the field, creating your third downs and special teams creating field position.”

While complementary football is the key to success, another in Doeren’s mind, is converting on third- and fourth-and short opportunities. NC State went 1-for-3 on fourth down against Western Carolina, which included two chances with one yard to go that were stuffed at the line of scrimmage in the first half. 

Doeren, a former collegiate tight end, was disappointed the Wolfpack could not convert in those situations during its Week 1 effort. 

It was not anything major that did not let the Wolfpack convert on those downs, rather the Pack’s little mistakes reared their heads in those moments. To correct that, NC State has worked on 4th-and-1 throughout the week to get ready for the rest of the season, where once the team hits the 40-yard line, it is likely in four-down territory.

“That rips my heart out when we don’t get it on 4th-and-1,” Doeren said. “To me, that’s a down and distance that is a personal down and distance. … We put a ton of emphasis on short yardage in this game, not just for Tennessee but for the season. That’s a down and distance [at] midfield that you need to go for it.”

As the Pack continues to prepare for the Volunteers, Doeren will likely keep harping on complementary football. All 11 players working together on each side of the ball is what will set NC State up for success in crunch time against Tennessee. 

It needs to start from the first snap of the game and Doeren knows it, too. 

“To win a game against an opponent that can score like Tennessee, you have to play really good complementary football,” Doeren said. “If you can do it from the jump, it really helps. It’s going to take every minute, every second of this football game.”