NC State coach Dave Doeren before WCU game

kind of lifted it thing up at Western Carolina what are your impressions of the job he's done he's done a great job you veteran coach um led the FCS in seven categories offensively did a really good job um did such a good job he lost a lot of coaches and players you know but uh he's a vet he's been around he understands how to do it they're tough they've recruited well they got good size on the line of scrimmage a lot of guys that can make plays in space and and uh yeah it's a really good program I mean you watch them play last year and I haven't studied them you know every year like we are obviously this year but they're impressive on film do you like having the couple day jump start on the season I do uh for a couple reasons you know uh we practice all spring we we go through winter conditioning summer conditioning fall camp and the guys already you know they want to play a game and then on the flip side it gives us a couple days um and this season in particular with playing eight without a buy uh every extra day we can get uh is a good day you know from a recovery standpoint for the coaches too just to be able to have a little extra time to clear our heads and and get ready for another opponent you've been on both sides of the FBS versus FCS games how important is it to college football and obviously who knows how that will go moving forward yeah being in uh FCS football for uh six years as a coach those are huge games for programs and obviously they they make money for those schools as well so they help support their budgets but you know those kids to get a play in a power four Stadium great life experience for them and they're good opponents you know when you play in these games you can't take anybody for granted you have to understand that they're coming in here with nothing to lose when they play us and having that perspective for me you know cuz I played that level coach that level helps you know when talking to the guys for sure when you look at Western Carolina's you know whole lineup is there speciic uh position group that stands out the most um yeah I think their quarterback's a really good player you know um coach's son you can see he's a game operator manages things makes quick decisions accurate doesn't turn the football over you know last year I thought their tail back position was really loaded and they've lost a couple guys so we'll see you know where that is but they did a great job getting the football to the running backs last year in the passing game and the running game those two positions Stand Out coach Grace mle SP Tony Gibson's defense just how much he's enjoyed going up against during camp and how it's going to prepare him for the season how much have you enjoyed that iron sharpet iron has yeah it's fun you know to see the chess match coach and I and Coach Gibson back and forth and then the quarterback's obviously a huge part of that and they have good conversations after practice um Grayson and and Tony on what you saw what was hard today you know and I think it's good information you know Grayson's played football a long time he's seen a lot as a starter and and so I think he appreciates being tested there's not a coverage that he's going to see all season that he didn't see in training camp so he's definitely ready for what's in front of them coach you you've had a lot of success generating turnovers in the last three seasons what do you attribute that success to it's buying you know I think all schools talk about the importance of getting the ball back it's buying by the players and it's finishing plays you know there's a lot of DBS linebackers different guys where the ball gets in their hands and you see them not finish the play our guys finished plays pass rush uh coverage tied together you know obviously the scheme helps to when you have an extra guy dropping in coverage at times you got more people that can break on the football but it's 11 guys you know and really 15 when you get into the rotation of a game they buy into it they understand the value of there's nothing more important in a game than possession of the ball and so defensively getting that back flips the field position gains the momentum puts their defense back on the field for our offense those things it's complimentary football a lot of uh game game operations this year what do you think is going to make a bigger impact the communication ability up to that 15sec Mark or the tablets on the sideline you know I think it might be team to team uh depending on how they communicate teams that are no huddle are still going to be signal and everything you know the teams that huddle have a bigger Advantage with the headset technology I think the tablets for me I'm more excited about because I think the real time uh exact information that you get without having to what did you see you sure you saw that then asking a player to confirm what he saw like no this is what happened you know and so you can make quicker real adjustments as a coach and sometimes you come into uh the office day after a game watch the film and you're mad you know cuz you're like if I would have known that was happening I would have done X Y and Z and you just don't always get accurate information because things happen really fast on game day you don't always get the replay on the jumbo draon you know so for me that is what I'm more excited about but I think both can help depending on the offensive style J kind of fit in at ni you know since he's got yeah a really versatile player um you know played in a similar system at Syracuse played Safety and nickel for them and then played in a different system in Ohio State so you know he's well vered fundamentally he's been coached by some good guys on defense very confident player and uh he fit right in I mean it was a very smooth transition with him you had a very gifted two-way player at Kansas who could return do pretty much everything wide receiver cornerback when you recruit gifted two-way players in high school what's kind of like the process of how you settle on a position or maybe leave it open-ended where they can play both both sides of the ball yeah I was uh fortunate and unfortunate at Kansas you know we played three guys both ways cuz we didn't have that many good players when we first got there and Charles Gordon played both sides of the ball ke to played both sides of the ball or tail back John Randall played both sides of the ball and that's a tribute to their stamina and ability but what I learned from that is if you got a guy that can change the game then try to change the game with them and and sometimes two-way players have the stamina to do that coming to college sometimes they don't you know and so I'm open to it obviously we're doing it now with Isaiah Shirley and uh there's guys that were recuring who I can't talk about but that's something that you know is interesting to them and if they have the mental capabilities and the physical stamina then I'm open to those things CU it's been successful in my history the ACC Network just turned five what's kind of been your um you kind of take away from it so far in these five years this game would not be naturally televised not racist yeah well it's definitely got us more um publicity there's there's more access I think which is the main thing you're in more homes more countries everything involved with that and I think you know as the years have gone the network has improved you know they learn each year how they can get better I I do appreciate appreciate that part they're not hard-headed and this is how we do it get used to it you know if you have ideas suggestions if they make a mistake you know being able to improve uh year after year the talent that they've put on uh game day for us you know has gotten better we built relationships with some of these folks and and it's fun to have them you know I really enjoy getting to spend time with some of the staff that comes in coach St we always hear from the players just how excited they are for the first game of the season but for you as a coach what's the like for you when you wake the first day of the new season every game's exciting for me like the first game it's just been a while you know but the longer you coach the more you appreciate um the opportunity and coming out of the tunnel with your guys and uh seeing the excitement the energy the anxiety the all of it you know it's it's impossible to explain you have to be a part of it as a coach or a player but we work really hard for a few opportunities you know 12 guaranteed and and that walk down the tunnel with that group that sprint out on the field the fireworks the flyover the fans smoke all of it I mean it's it doesn't matter if it's the first game I think this is my 78th maybe home game like every one of them feels good Western's going to fling the ball and then run off of that uh schematically how difficult are you practice like I'm sorry you know that or I I have an idea okay this is my first radio but uh how hard are they schematically to defend and and do they have a system that reminds you of anybody maybe in the ACC yeah I mean they're going to make you defend the width of the field they they use space well but they're also physical in the Run game uh it's a uptempo offense and so you know how you defend that is don't let him have first downs you know don't give them positive first down yardage either if you can get them in what we call off schedu play calling it helps the defense and so you got to perform well on those first and 10s or p and 10s and then the third Downs are really big cuz those offenses really crank up when they start getting first downs and and so getting them off the field you know there's a lot of spread offenses we played I don't think they're anything different than the others they have their system they're really good at it their players understand it they operate well and they make you defend the field you know and you got to tackle well when you play spread offenses that's the key the ball is going to be in space a lot last year y'all didn't huddle you know necessarily a lot at the beginning of the year you re that um toward the end is that going to be a focus again um this year yeah we'll be able to do both okay yeah I mean I because you do end up in two minute offensively you have to be able to operate as an oh offense but we'll be able to do both and uh coach and I has a you know good feeling on which one's helping him and have the ability to do whatever he wants whenever he wants just a couple more coach and I will be in the coaches box this year you know we kind of you kind of like having him up there now CU was on the field last year yeah he's done both in his career uh as a coordinator I've done both I think there's a Serenity up there that you have that's different uh when you're on the field it's loud it's emotional there's people in your way you get bumped into you're looking at your play sheet and for him I think it's just an easier way to focus and he feels like because it's his second year with the staff it's easier for him to delegate things and have confidence that they're going to get done the way he wants coach roer has been on the field throughout his career so it's an easy transition but I think as a play caller I know just personally I always enjoyed being able to spread my stuff out on the desk and take your time and look at it and you're just not as rushed and it's a quieter space to do your work this is your first time going through game planning with this group how what has impressed you about how this group has approached opponent specific preparation um you know really it's not even the game planning it's just whatever you put in front of them it's it's a good group of leaders and the the locker our captains do a great job and whatever we've asked they've stepped up you know and so it's transitioning from going against each other to getting ready for opponent I thought it was very smooth but you know these guys they want to win and so when you tell them hey here's what's next here's why we're doing it this is how we're going to do it they just get in line and go and that's been fun you know there's just no resistance there's a lot of guys working together