NC State carries the ACC banner into its matchup with Mississippi State in Starkville
Dave Doeren won’t harp on it all week, but there’s no avoiding the conversation with his team.
N.C. State (1-0) travels to Starkville, Mississippi this weekend for a prime time (7 p.m., ESPN2) showdown with Mississippi State (1-0). The Bulldogs represent more than just the next opponent: It’s ACC versus SEC, which is always a big deal in the world of college football.
Over the weekend, the SEC defeated the ACC in two head-to-head matchups, with one more pending Monday night. Under Doeren, the Wolfpack knocked off one SEC foe, Vanderbilt in 2016, while falling short four other times, including a loss to Mississippi State in 2015. Yes, the SEC cloud looms large over the ACC footprint and Doeren won’t avoid the talk, but it won’t be the main talking point every day.
“It won’t be something we talk about fives days in a row, I’ll tell you that,” Doeren said. “It is something worth the conversation.”
N.C. State hasn’t played a true road game at an SEC stadium since 2008, at South Carolina, the first career start for Russell Wilson. It’s just the second trip ever to Starkville for the Pack, who have faced the Bulldogs three times in bowl games, the last matchup coming in Charlotte, in the 2015 Belk Bowl.
N.C. State’s last two bowl trips ended in losses to SEC teams. Davis-Wade Stadium will be one of the rowdiest venues the Wolfpack has ever played in, with 61,000 fans, armed with cowbells. If the friendly confines of Carter-Finley gave N.C. State life last Thursday, the bowels of Davis-Wade will be a house of horrors if the Pack go in intimidated.
Doeren and his team realize what they are walking into; in their eyes it’s a chance to make a huge statement.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Doeren said. “To go play against a coach like Mike Leach, who’s done nothing but win everywhere he’s coached. In a stadium that’s 61,000, but sounds like 100,000, it’s going to be an awesome opportunity. We’re on ESPN, a great audience for people to watch the game, it’s a great opportunity for us.”
Carrying the ACC flag
Since N.C. State played on Thursday, a 45-0 win over South Florida, Doeren had a chance to view some games when he wasn’t watching film on the Bulldogs.
He noticed how things went for the ACC this weekend. Alabama and Georgia outscored Miami and Clemson by a combined score of 54-16 (granted, most of that work was done by the Tide). Georgia Tech, Duke and UNC, ranked No. 10, all lost games they were expected to win. One bright side was that the Notre Dame-Florida State match up in prime time was perhaps the best game of the weekend.
Doeren watched from Raleigh, naturally, more focused on his own team, but realized the Pack will be carrying the flag of the ACC next weekend.
“It’s an opportunity for us to continue to earn respect,” Doeren said. “Obviously, playing on the road against a team like that in their league, if you find a way to win the game it’s good for your team, for your program.”
Doeren didn’t have too much to harp on from the dominating win over South Florida, but would like to see the defense come up with more sacks and connect on a few passes that got away from quarterback Devin Leary.
The margin for era becomes smaller next weekend. Mississippi State narrowly escaped week one with a 35-34 win over Louisiana Tech last Saturday. The Bulldogs will provide a sturdy test up front on both sides of the ball, and any offense called by Leach adds extra stress to defensive coordinators. Doeren added that his team, full of veterans, handled the win very well on Thursday, and his message about moving on was well received.
“You get to enjoy it for 24 hours and soak it in,” Doeren told his team after the opening night win. “When we get back to work that one doesn’t matter anymore. They understand it and now we have to go do it, but they definitely understood where I was coming from with it.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2021 at 2:04 PM.
