Dave Doeren ready to turn page to impressive Florida State

On Sunday, a group of tired, frustrated, angry and disappointed NC State football players and staff met with head coach Dave Doeren to put the Clemson game to bed. Hours earlier, literally, the team was just arriving home to get into bed. The Pack did not get back till 4 a.m., following the primetime, 30-20 loss at the fifth-ranked Tigers.

Breaking down the game, Doeren identified culprits in the defeat that he called a role reversal from last year when the Wolfpack knocked off Clemson. This time, the Tigers were the team that made more plays and fewer mistakes than their opponent, Doeren noted.

Doeren identified two potential interceptions that were in NC State hands which could have altered the game, one preventing a TD drive by Clemson at the end of the half and the other being a potential pick-six if third-year sophomore corner Aydan White could have held onto the pass.

Yet, by the end of the team meeting Sunday, Doeren was confident the page had been turned. And according to Doeren, that better be the case with Florida State coming to town Saturday for an 8 p.m. kickoff at Carter-Finley Stadium.

“I know they’ll have juice,” Doeren proclaimed about his roster. “They’ll be ready to practice, and our leadership and experience on this football team will help in a situation like this.”

A year ago, NC State twice lost heartbreakers on the road. A 31-30 defeat at Miami was followed up with a 28-13 home victory over Louisville. A 45-42 setback at Wake Forest was succeeded by a 41-17 lopsided win at Carter-Finley Stadium against Syracuse.

“There’s no concern on that side,” Doeren noted about moving on from the Clemson loss. “The concern is just we’re playing a great team this week. I don’t think it’s going to be whether or not we’re ready to play. We’ve got to play good enough to win.”

Doeren noted this is the best Florida State team that NC State will have faced in a few years. The Seminoles started the season 4-0, including a pair of ACC wins, and reached the top 25 before falling at home Saturday to No. 15 Wake Forest, 31-21.

“Coach [Mike] Norvell and his staff deserve a lot of credit for the turnaround they’ve had down there,” Doeren noted.

Thus, Saturday will represent a bigger challenge than last year’s follow-up games after disappointing losses.

“I think it’s just an opportunity to respond,” Doeren added. “I think in life you find out who you are when you’re knocked down. It’s easy to be what everybody wants you to be when things are good. But the best way to get over that feeling is to go back to work. Put your head down, [and] focus on what led to success earlier. We know what the formula is for that here. It’s a great week of preparation, a great week of practice.

“A 1-0 mentality doesn’t mean you get to celebrate wins and then linger with losses.”

You can see Dave Doeren’s press conference below:

More tidbits from Dave Doeren and NC State football

• This will be the first time that NC State has faced Florida State multi-year starting quarterback Jordan Travis. Two years ago, Travis was injured. Last fall, he was part of a group of FSU players who missed the contest with illness.

Still, Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack coaches prepared for Travis because his availability was not disclosed until the last minute.

“Last year, I thought he was an athlete playing quarterback,” Doeren recalled. “This year, he’s a quarterback. He’s throwing accurate passes. He’s reading coverage. He’s giving his receivers chances to make plays.”

Through five games, Travis has completed 82 of 126 passes (65.9 percent) for 1,226 yards and 8 touchdowns with just 1 pick and has rushed for 50 yards and another score. Most importantly, FSU is 9-4 when Travis has started at quarterback over the past two years.

• The passing game has been the subject of discussion after struggling in games at East Carolina and Clemson and home vs. Texas Tech.

Doeren believes there is a collective improvement that needs to be had, and that the Pack needs to be more explosive downfield and competitive in making 50-50 catches.

“Give the quarterback a chance to make that throw and make the throw and then go out and finish the play,” Doeren described. “I think that’s the thing that we can improve on.

“We’re catching the ball underneath. You’re seeing some good yards after contact. The guys are blocking better than they have in the past. It’s just being more explosive and connecting with them so they have a chance to be more explosive.”

• NC State will host FSU at 8 p.m., Saturday for a third straight primetime game. The contest will be televised on ACC Network.

That streak of 3 straight evening games ends Oct. 15 at No. 21/22 Syracuse. The Orange, ranked after starting the year 5-0, have a bye this week. The two teams will meet at 3:30 and the contest will also be broadcast on ACC Network.