Hoping to end ACC title drought, Doeren wants to ‘help ease that pain’ for NC State fans
During ACC media days in Charlotte, a reporter ran off a list of recent times N.C. State athletics has come up short.
He mentioned the Wolfpack baseball team being pulled from Omaha in the summer of 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the women’s basketball team, a No. 1 seed in last season’s NCAA tournament, having to face No. 2-seeded UConn in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 90 miles from its campus; the football team traveling to San Diego only to have its bowl game against UCLA canceled the day of the game, robbing the team of a potential 10th win.
“Well, you’re a doom-and-gloom guy, huh?,” Doeren said, drawing laughs from the room. “I mean, damn.”
Doom and gloom has been the name of the game in Raleigh for some time now. N.C. State hasn’t won an ACC championship in football since 1979. The Pack enters the 2022 season with as good a chance as its had in a long time to end the suffering.
“I want to bring it to them, man,” Doeren said about ending the drought. “I want to help ease that pain. It’s been 42 years in football. I understand, it’s a long time as a fan.”
N.C. State should have a considerable number of first-place votes when the predicted order of finish — voted on by media members who cover the league — is released by the ACC.
Last year, the Pack knocked off conference heavyweight Clemson in Raleigh. In the offseason, several key players returned, sparking a #RunItBack movement on social media.
The window of opportunity is as wide as it’s been in Raleigh in a long time and everyone in that locker room knows it.
“This is it,” N.C. State linebacker Isaiah Moore said. “We got one last shot to do what we came here to do.”
Motivation
In 2010, N.C. State defeated UNC on the road late in the season. All the Wolfpack had to do was win at Maryland and it would advance to the ACC title game.
The Terrapins won 38-31. That was as close as the Wolfpack has gotten to Charlotte.
On the way to this week’s ACC media days, Moore and his teammates passed Bank of America Stadium, the location of the ACC title game. N.C. State hopes to be back in December.
“Seeing that (ACC) trophy in the lobby,” Moore said. “Seeing Bank of America Stadium, you definitely want to earn the right to be there. To see that field and knowing we can be there in a few months it’s inspiring, and I want to take that back to my teammates.”
Moore is one of 10 starters returning on defense. Quarterback Devin Leary returns on offense as well as four starting offensive linemen. N.C. State has already made it into the top 15 of some way-too-early preseason polls.
‘Full circle’
Doeren has coached three nine-win teams in nine seasons at N.C. State.
His first two were loaded with future pros. With so many guys returning, his 2022 roster will be his best yet.
Clemson is still the class of the league, but Wake Forest and Pittsburgh — who played for last season’s ACC title — showed that any team can make a run.
If N.C. State can stay healthy (seven defensive starters suffered season-ending injuries in 2021) it is expected to be one of the league’s best.
Doeren said he’s learned from watching N.C. State women’s basketball coach Wes Moore of how to get a team over the hump. Moore has led the Pack to three straight ACC tournament titles.
The Wolfpack football program is the only in-state team that hasn’t played in an ACC title game, which has been played annually since 2005. Doeren hopes 2022 is finally the year to end the pain of the fan base.
“It’s going to come full circle, and we’re going to be smiling at the end of it,” Doeren said. “And I believe that whole-hardheartedly.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 5:05 PM.
