Next chapter: NC State continues to write its own story with another crucial ACC win
Maybe you’ve heard by now, but there is a big game in Winston-Salem next week.
“Kind of,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren joked after his Wolfpack defeated Florida State 28-14 on the road.
N.C. State improves to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC and rolls into Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest in what could turn out to be the title game for the Atlantic Division crown.
But Doeren isn’t ready to talk about the Demon Deacons yet. He’ll talk about Wake Forest on Monday. He was more excited about the job his team did on the field. N.C State accumulated 400 yards on offense, held the Seminoles (3-6, 2-4) to 38 rushing yards and kept FSU scoreless in the fourth quarter after giving up two scores in the third.
Devin Leary was once again brilliant, completing 21-of-32 passes for 314 yards and four scores to four different receivers. The defense forced a turnover and stopped the Noles twice on fourth downs.
Yes, Doeren had plenty of reason to be in the moment and not get too ahead of himself. But he did take a second to address the success the team has had through nine games.
“I don’t know how many times N.C. State has beaten Clemson and Florida State in the same year as a program,” Doeren said. “That happened this year, and I think that’s pretty good.”
The last time the Wolfpack defeated both the Tigers and the Seminoles in the same year was in 2002. That was a special season for the N.C. State program. That team, led by a guy named Philip Rivers, won a school-record 11 games and beat Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl.
That team has been the benchmark for success at N.C. State. There was no ACC title game back then, but that’s what the current team is aiming for. Even in down years for both Clemson and FSU, wins over the programs is a huge boost in confidence and momentum for a Wolfpack team that continues to overcome injury after injury and hopes to continue to hold the pen to write its own story of destiny.
“I told them after we played Miami,” Doeren said. “We truly are writing our 12 chapter book right now and that we’re the authors of the story currently. We don’t need help from anyone else and whatever we put down each week, that’s what’s going to be in there and each week is a new chapter and this is another one. The guys have really embraced that.”
Doeren has preached going 1-0 each week and staying in the moment. That’s why he wasn’t trying to look ahead to Wake Forest, even though some are already calling it the biggest game in his tenure.
In his eyes, and the players, the biggest game in the tenure, or the season, was just played in Doak Campbell Stadium. In Saturday’s game N.C. State came out the gates swinging, jumping out to a 14-0 lead and never looking back, despite FSU making it a one-score game twice.
“There’s no flinch,” Doeren said. “It is a mature team and having a very poised quarterback helps you.”
Safety Tanner Ingle, who led the team with 13 tackles, said watching Leary is like watching an artist.
The way Leary has performed the last few weeks, he could paint the picture of N.C. State heading to Charlotte. Doeren has his team focused enough not to look too far ahead, but Ingle, a junior on the field, but a senior off of it, can tell this is a special kind of team.
“It’s just exciting to see our team progress,” Ingle said. “It’s exciting to see where N.C. State is going with our football program.”
