Dave Doeren faces friend, former teammate when NC State plays Notre Dame
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- N.C. State meets Notre Dame; Chris Ash, former Doeren’s former Drake teammate, leads Irish defense
- Wolfpack and Irish meet in South Bend; series spans four prior games.
- Notre Dame defense improved after slow start, holding teams under 17 points recently
When N.C. State takes the field at Notre Dame this weekend, an unexpected but familiar face will be on the opposite sideline.
Fighting Irish Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash joined the program this season after stints at multiple college football programs and NFL franchises. Two stops in Ash’s storied career? Drake and Wisconsin, alongside N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren, a surprise even to Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey.
“Actually, I did not know that,” Bailey said Tuesday. “He did not bring that up, so that’s good news for me.”
Doeren and Ash overlapped as players at Drake, an FCS program, before starting their careers at their alma mater in 1995 and 1997, respectively. They also played and coached with Brendan Daly, the Kansas City Chiefs linebackers coach.
“I know Chris well,” Doeren said Monday. “He’s a good friend, and he’s a really good football coach.”
They added now-Indianapolis Colts defensive line coach Charlie Partridge to their inner circle during the early days coaching at Drake. They were do-it-all assistants and spent time on the road every summer to learn from coaches at other programs, desperate to become better in the profession.
Doeren reiterated this week his appreciation for the two men, both longtime peers and friends.
“We remodeled the locker room. We used to go out and mow the grass and paint the fields. It was a one-stop shop,” Doeren said of the trio’s time at Drake. “You had to drive the bus, you had to cut up the film, you had to coach your guys, you had to recruit an area. You did everything, so we learned from the bottom up how it is to coach football together.”
All three coached together at Wisconsin, too, when JJ Watt played for the Badgers. Doeren said they were “married with kids and trying to make a name for ourselves.” Wisconsin went 11-2 in 2010 and played TCU in the Rose Bowl.
Partridge told the News & Observer last summer that some of his favorite memories of the trio were during their stint with the Badgers. Not only did they have on-field success, but they’d often spend time around a fire, listening to country music and talking about everything.
This will be the first time in 15 years that Doeren will coach against Ash. The previous meeting took place on Sept. 17, 2011, during Doeren’s first season at Northern Illinois and Ash was the Wisconsin defensive coordinator.
“He replaced me when I left,” Doeren said. “When we played Wisconsin [it] didn’t go well. Russell Wilson was actually the quarterback for Wisconsin that year.”
Ash helped guide the Badgers to a Big Ten Championship and second straight trip to the Rose Bowl.
Now in his first season with the Irish, Ash’s defense struggled in the first two games but seems to have settled in.
Notre Dame is averaging 375.2 yards allowed (No. 78 in NCAA), 117.2 opponent rushing yards (43) and 23.6 points given up (70) per game.
Despite losing its first two games by a combined four points, the Irish have picked up three straight victories. In the last three games, however, it is holding teams under 350 yards of total offense, 108 rushing yards and only 16.6 points per game. Notre Dame allowed a combined 20 points in the past two outings; its 56-13 road win at Arkansas led to the Razorbacks firing head coach Sam Pittman.
“They play really hard, they’re physical, their front linebackers and safeties are good tacklers,” Doeren said. “They play square. They use their hands. They do a good job mixing up coverages, zone and man, line stunts and pressures. They’ve improved as the year’s gone on, which happens when you have a new defensive coordinator.
“When you take over a system, it takes a while for the guys to adapt and adjust. They’ve gotten better and better.”
(The two friends have not spoken this week, Doeren said.)
The Wolfpack has a limited history with the Irish, playing them just four times before their trip to South Bend this weekend, but they’ve had some memorable moments. N.C. State hosted Notre Dame in 2023, falling 45-24 at Carter-Finley Stadium during a rainy afternoon that featured a multi-hour delay. In 2016, the Pack defeated the Irish, 10-3, at home during Hurricane Matthew.
Their first meeting took place on Jan. 1, 2003, with the Wolfpack picking up a signature bowl win under former head coach Chuck Amato. N.C. State defeated Notre Dame, 28-6, in the Gator Bowl to give the program its first 11-win season.
All-American quarterback Philip Rivers finished 23 of 37 for 228 yards and two touchdowns, while TA McLendon added two more on the ground. Additionally, safety Rod Johnson picked off three passes in the victory.
“I love playing against physical, aggressive teams like this,” Doeren said. “It’s a great place to play with the tradition and history of South Bend and playing at Notre Dame. It’s been a while since we played them. Excited to have that opportunity, and our guys are excited.”
This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 6:30 AM.
