Exclusive NC State football coach Dave Doeren Q&A, part I

This week, The Wolfpacker sat down with NC State football coach Dave Doeren to talk about a variety of topics, ranging from star players on this year’s team, revisiting last season, previewing the year ahead and perhaps most noteworthy how to deal with the year ahead.

Here is part I of our interview with Dave Doeren.

Related link: Part II of Dave Doeren interview.

Dave Doeren Interview Part I

Devin Leary is obviously getting a lot of attention, a lot of notoriety, which he deserves. Have you talked to him about how to handle all of that and how, for lack of lack of a better word, stay grounded with all of that?

Dave Doeren: “I talked to Devin and to the team both, just about the complacency that can come with that. Devin’s not the type of kid that, I guess, really feels [satisfied] when this stuff happens. He’s pretty driven.

“But it’s definitely been talked about.”

What was that step he took to become an elite quarterback in your mind versus a couple of years ago?

Doeren: “I think the continuity of coach [Tim] Beck being with him multiple years has helped him. He was young when he first started playing, so he’s going to make mistakes. All young quarterbacks do. That was kind of normal for that to happen.

“Then the injuries that he sustained, and players around him sustained during the one bad year we had. That’s hard on any quarterback. He was playing with freshmen and sophomores out there.

“And then I think coach Beck coming in, getting to know [Beck] and the offense and getting to play for him multiple years in a row. He’s now thinking differently. He’s in a different place. He’s not having to learn an offense or prove himself to an offensive coach. Not that he’s not trying to prove himself, but they know who he is. So it’s a lot different than it was two years ago for him and for a lot of our players. There has been a lot of stability on our staff.”

When you first met [Cory Durden], what were your impressions of him as a person and a football player?

Doeren: “Cory was very thankful for an opportunity to start over. He needed a fresh start. Big kid, obviously the size is the first thing you see.

“Just how thankful he was. He didn’t come in here with an ego or, ‘I’m all this.’ It was more of, ‘I’m thankful to be here and what can I do to help,’

“So, refreshing to be honest, just his mindset was refreshing.”

When you had a chance to kind of digest everything … and look back at last year, for me it seemed like it would have been a year of a lot of fun. Was fun how would you describe last year?

Doeren: “It was a fun team to coach. A very close group of guys and coaches that were able to kind of use our chemistry in fourth quarters to stick together and overcome some odds maybe that other people may not have been able to overcome.

“It’s a group of guys that really enjoyed each other’s company, enjoyed working together. Wasn’t a lot of drama, to be honest. We just kind of went to practice, went to meetings, joked, laughed and worked really hard together. So it was rewarding.

“And that was also very challenging year with all the injuries we dealt with on defense. We had to sustain a level of expectation on that side of the ball with seven guys out of times, and some of them NFL guys. There was a lot of one guy backing up two guys as the season went on. So we spent a lot of time cross training players.”

Have you ever had a season with not just that many injuries, but that many injuries and still rising to the occasion?

Doeren: “No, I haven’t been around that.”

What do you think was different about last year’s team that helped them come out on top and those close games?

Doeren” “Well, we had better depth. We had more experienced depth. We have closer, I guess you’d say, bonds with each other. I think we learned a lot in that tough [2019] season that helped us last two seasons.

“And our staff, I think, did a great job managing it. Nobody panicked. The players just took it as an opportunity and there was kind of a chip on the next guy’s shoulder. To show the team he’s good enough.”

Devin Leary seems really efficient in the two-minute drill. Is that something that bears out?

Doeren: “Yeah. I think that’s what separates the kid, to be honest. He makes the two-minute drill look very simple. And it’s not. It’s been happening for a while. It started in the Pitt game. He’s really good in those scenarios. He understands how to manage the clock. As we know he can throw it, doesn’t get panicked. He doesn’t turn it over.”

In your experience is that the natural ability of a quarterback or over time something that they’ve developed?

Doeren: “I’ve never had one that’s as good as he is in that situation, I just haven’t. It’s nice to see it. Been around some guys that do it every now and then, but not to the degree that he’s been able to do it. To me, that’s what separates him from everybody else out there. He’s really good at the end of the half. And he has been for multiple years. Pretty special.”

How do you want your team to handle you know talk of preseason rankings or whatever they may be?

Doeren: “I want them to enjoy it, embrace it but also understand that doesn’t win any games and we didn’t accomplish our goals last year. We had a good season. We won some great games, went undefeated at home and a lot of success in a lot of ways but we want to win the conference.

“So all these things they’re saying are great, and they’ve earned them, but it doesn’t mean anything when it comes out to how we’re going to finish the season this year.

“We all visibly got to see the same thing happen across the road and it didn’t turn out well. Our guys saw that, and they brought it up. I didn’t have to bring it up to them. ‘Hey Guys, if we rest on our laurels, we can end up just like they were.’

“I’m not trying to put them down. That’s just a great example of what can happen if you listened too much to that stuff. So, we got to do a great job of staying in the moment working hard every day and understanding that it’s hard to win. Got to go out and earn it, man.”

Is that something you think they embrace or will you not really know until it actually comes kickoff and getting into games?

Doeren: “They’re talking about it. So, I think they’re embracing it now. Are they going to be able to manage it on game day? I don’t know. We got to get on the field and see.

“But I don’t think this is a team that shows any signs of letting up. They’re not lazy. They’re working their butts off. So, that’s a good sign.”

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