Recap: Dave Doeren weekly press conference

NC State football coach Dave Doeren held his weekly Monday press conference to discuss the upcoming game — Saturday’s home showdown with No. 19/20 Wake Forest at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised on ACC Network.

Here is a quick recap of Doeren’s press conference:

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Dave Doeren opening statement

Doeren begins with a Happy Halloween for the media before diving into what he called “an incredible comeback” by NC State over Virginia Tech last Thursday. He called it a “blessing” to be around a team that did not quit.

• Doeren noted that the inside fade touchdown pass from freshman quarterback MJ Morris to super senior slot receiver Thayer Thomas was exactly what the offense needed at that point.

• Helping the offense, Doeren stated, was the return of fifth-year junior tight end Trent Pennix, but Doeren also thought that both Thomas and fifth-year redshirt junior Devin Carter played well at receiver. Doeren in particular complimented the physicality of Carter on the outside.

• The defense was great, Doeren noted, in the first half and fourth quarter, and he added, “I thought [Payton Wilson] had his best game,” referring to the fifth-year redshirt junior linebacker.

• Doeren noted one of the biggest accomplishments in the comeback win was milking the last 5:35 off the clock after getting the football back with a 22-21 lead. Doeren noted that fourth-year junior running back Jordan Houston probably did not produce the way he wanted in the game, but Houston came up big with tough runs to finish the contest.

• Doeren was not proud of the four false start penalties, and he felt that the team was close to getting more explosive plays on offense in the run game with just a little bit more movement on the blocks.

• The special teams did a real nice job with the exception of the coverage on pooch punts, and Doeren particularly noted that super senior punter Shane McDonough had his best game.

• The third quarter defense was not something that NC State is used to doing, Doeren said. That said, he felt that they pressured the quarterback and stopped the run. Doeren also wanted to see turnovers forced, of which there were none Thursday.

• Moving on to Wake Forest, Doeren noted the Louisville loss Saturday for WFU was “uncharacteristic” because of the rash of turnovers by a Wake team that usually takes care of the football. Doeren added that the Demon Deacons receivers “really jump off the film.” The Deacons have a lot of height at wideout and use their size to their advantage.

Doeren also rattled off a litany of stats that proves Wake Forest is one of the most productive offenses in the ACC.

• Doeren has a lot of respect for Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson and as well as Clawson’s recent hires on the defensive staff.

• “It’s critical that we have a great atmosphere for this one,” Doeren said, before going into a passionate plea for four-quarter support. Doeren added that there is a lot to play for in this game, and he wants the fans “to be the difference in this game.”

“You got two 6-2 teams that really good in my opinion that fight and are competitive, it’s going to be a good football game,” Doeren added.

• “We feel like we are going to have Demie Sumo back this week,” Doeren added, referring to the sophomore running back.

Q&A Portion

• When it comes to making late comeback wins, Doeren said that starts with “faith in what we do.” He added there is a culture “that quitting is not an option, period, and our guys know that.”

Doeren added that, “Losing a game is one thing, quitting in a game, I don’t think I can coach on that team.”

• Morris is the starter at quarterback, Doeren confirmed, but there have not been any discussions yet with coaches about splitting reps with senior Jack Chambers.

• Fourth-year junior defensive end Savion Jackson is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury that required surgery.

• Wake Forest’s combination of talented quarterback and receivers makes them very hard to defend, Doeren noted. Add into that the timing of the offense with the slow mesh scheme that the Demon Deacons utilize.

• Getting three players reps at a position group is challenging, but at quarterback that is impossible, Doeren noted. To Morris’ credit, he did a lot of air reps behind fifth-year redshirt junior Devin Leary and Chambers to prepare himself.

• Freshman receiver Terrell Timmons Jr. has been primarily on the scout team while Morris has been on the varsity field, so it might be a false premise that they had a natural chemistry. Timmons, Doeren noted, is a natural ball catcher and whoever throws to him he will go and get it.

• Doeren is happy for Wilson, who has had a long journey. Wilson has learned how to practice smarter, Doeren added. That has helped keep him healthier.

• Doeren was asked about retweeting a tweet that was critical of fans leaving the Virginia Tech game early. He confirmed that he did retweet it, partially as an experiment to see what the difference in reaction would be between liking and retweeting. Doeren noted that going back to his first press conference after beating Louisiana Tech,

“This isn’t new that I want our stadium full to the end of the game, it’s not,” Doeren added.

Doeren somewhat mockingly said he was sorry he upset the Twitterverse, but he also pointed out that he is there to support his team.

“I had Satruday off, I was bored. I decided let’s try something new here,” Doeren half-joked.

“I was told that we really want to win a championship at this school when I got here,” Doeren added. “I care deeply about this program. I care deeply about these players. I am going to fight for them. I think having a stadium that is full for four quarters helps you win.

“I think it helps you recruit, too. I do. I think when a recruit comes to your campus and he sees that you can sell out your games and they stay for four quarters and it was the coolest thing he’s ever seen, that helps you recruit. And if you recruit better, you play better. And if you play better, you win more. I think that’s an important thing for everybody to understand. If they want to go home, they can, but I am going to continue to fight to make our program better.”

• Going over the Wake Forest rivalry, Doeren noted that he and Clawson have built their programs the right way, and he agreed that the game seems to come down to one possession every year.

The two teams are 6-6 over the last 12 games.

• Pennix’s return makes a difference, Doeren noted. His ability to run after the catch is unique.

• Sumo-Karngbaye had a good amount of explosive plays, and they want to have that back in the offense, Doeren noted. Sumo-Karngbaye couldn’t play a whole game, but they rotate their backs anyway.

“Hopeful we have him, I can’t guarantee it but he was feeling better than he was the last couple of weeks,” Doeren added.

• In terms of true freshmen who are exciting in developmental practices, Doeren noted that running back Michael Allen has another gear. Defensively, linebackers Daejuan Thompson and Torren Wright are hard workers and lineman Brandon Cleveland “has gotten a lot better.”