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Dave Doeren on Holiday Bowl: 'We would have won the game'

MattCarterby:Matt Carter•12/28/21•

TheWolfpacker

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NC State football coach Dave Doeren (right) poses for pictures with UCLA coach Chip Kelly during Monday's press conference. (Photo by Dominic Stearn)

Going into the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl against UCLA, NC State football coach Dave Doeren was certain of his team’s chances of getting a 10th win this season.

But he’ll never know if he was right or wrong.

UCLA, less than five hours before kickoff, announced that it could not play due to ongoing COVID-19 issues. The development took Doeren by surprise. He received a call from NC State director of athletics Boo Corrigan just as FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman was posting the news on Twitter.

“I thought it was fake news, to be honest,” Doeren noted. “Our team has done everything right. We had 100 percent of our team vaccinated. The guys last year played every game we could play; this year played every game we could play.

“We were prepared to play this game. Our opponent wasn’t, apparently. It’s disappointing. A lot went into the finish of the season and a 10th win.”

The news caused a lot of grief, confusion and anger within the NC State football locker room.

“Felt lied to, to be honest,” Doeren said. “We felt like UCLA probably knew something was going on, on their team, [and] didn’t tell anybody on our side. We had no clue that they were up against that.

“I don’t feel like it was very well handled from their university. It would have been great to have had a heads up that this could have happened, so maybe two or three days ago we could have gone for plan B.”

Given that other teams have had to back out of their respective bowl games, including Boston College, Miami and Virginia from the ACC alone, there might be a potential opportunity that arises for the Wolfpack to play another bowl game against a different opponent.

However, Doeren noted there would be a lot of logistical challenges that would have to be handled.

“It is possible? Yeah. I don’t know how possible it is,” Doeren added. “Right now, I’m more concerned for our guys and trying to figure out what’s next.”

When Doeren huddled with his players, he noted players like senior receiver Emeka Emezie, junior running back Ricky Person Jr. and redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary spoke in front of the team.

“A bunch of guys spoke from the heart,” the coach stated.

Doeren does not want the accomplishments of the NC State football season to be forgotten: nine wins, an undefeated home record and a No. 18 ranking in all the major polls all despite a long list of injuries on the defense, with seven players, all of whom had started, out.

“But yeah, you feel like we deserve a little bit of luck here,” Doeren admitted.

Before receiving the news, Doeren was watching a one-possession Auburn-Houston game go down to the wire, thinking of what he would do if he was coaching in those scenarios.

Hours after the announcement was made and he stepped in front of assembled media in San Diego, Doeren was still wondering, “Is this happening?”

“We would have won the game, the way our guys prepared,” he said. “It’s tough.”

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