NC State is ‘tired of being second.’ What unexpected things inspired the team
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Dave Doeren enters his 14th season and says he wants to win a championship.
- Players said the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup run inspired the team.
- N.C. State retained all coordinators and CJ Bailey returns as the starter.
The best part of a tomahawk steak is the meat on the bone, and N.C. State football feels a little bit like an unfinished steak.
Dave Doeren enters his 14th season as the Wolfpack’s leader. The team has been a consistent contender and solid program. The program has been good, and, at times, even great.
But it still hasn’t gotten over the hump. It hasn’t won the ACC, picked up double-digit wins, nor has it made a College Football Playoff or a New Year’s Six bowl game. N.C. State is also second in ACC wins since Doeren took over.
He’s sick of being second.
“There’s meat on the bone,” Doeren said on Wednesday at ACC Kickoff in Charlotte. “Every school I’ve worked at, even as a player, won a championship — a conference championship, was part of a National Championship. It’s what I came here to do. I know that this school can reach that goal and those heights, so it drives me. I’ve always wanted to leave N.C. State better than I found it, for sure. But I want to put it at a place where it’s special for everybody for a long, long time. That’s what this is about.”
One team that managed to take things to the next level after a long drought? The Carolina Hurricanes.
N.C. State football took notice of its NHL Final-winning neighbors at Lenovo Center and hopes to replicate the success.
Running back Duke Scott was reminded of the importance of staying focused, not looking at games except the next one, and playing to the team’s style. When the Canes played outside of their typical style or in an attempt to “catch up,” that’s when they struggled.
The Wolfpack was inspired by watching the Canes push through the Stanley Cup Finals and the six-game championship series. They saw the way Raleigh supported the team in the postseason and partied when it won. Players and coaches were among the celebrants.
“I want to do exactly what they did: Win some championship,” quarterback CJ Bailey said. “The city was crazy when they won the championship. I want (Raleigh) to experience that with the football aspect, as well.”
There are plenty of questions going into the season, of course. Luck and injuries play into a season’s success, too, but the team feels more settled than it was a year ago.
N.C. State retained all of its coordinators, meaning there is less focus on jargon and more on scheme, this time around. Plus, Bailey is returning to the starting role for a third straight year; something many schools can’t claim.
The Pack’s schedule also appears favorable, avoiding several programs that have been a thorn in the Wolfpack’s side, including Virginia Tech, Miami, Clemson and Georgia Tech. Preseason rankings are always deceiving — see the 2025 Virginia Cavaliers — but the team believes it has an opportunity to cash in.
“We have a great chance to do something special that’s never been done here,” Scott said. “This is an opportunity that we need to take full advantage of. I’m 100% excited, and I feel like this year is going to be the year we can do it.”
What is the biggest improvement on defense?
Doeren: We have to get quarterbacks getting rid of the football before they want to. We’ve got to have more sacks, more forced fumbles, more interceptions because of pass-rush.
We’ve added some pieces that we’re excited to see. That’s what training camp is going to be about. It’s going to be about what Harvey Dyson is going to be like. We saw him in the spring, sample what he is, but fall camp is a lot different than spring football because you’re on the field every day.
Really excited about the competitive depth in the secondary. Last year in the Pitt game we had four freshmen playing in that game. I think we had eight different starters throughout the year in the back end because of injuries. They’re all back, so now you have a lot of competitive depth. Those things are important.”
What is the significance of playing an ACC game to open the season?
Doeren: “The kids know when we play, they know who will play, and you want to be in control of your own destiny. Winning a conference game in Week 1 does that; it gets you right in that position. They understand. There’s definitely an intensity in the summer workouts because they know we’re playing a really, really good football team out there a week earlier than normal.”
Note: N.C. State opens at Virginia on Aug. 29.
Comparing the leadership on this roster to previous years
Duke Scott: “One-hundred percent. There’s a lot more. There’s a lot more buy-in from the team, buy-in from the leaders. We do a lot of stuff, a lot of independent events for the team to make sure that everybody’s on the same page.”
Doeren: “We’ve always had leadership council. We’ve always had these type of meetings. This team has embraced that differently. Versus, ‘I have to go to this meeting,’ it’s, ‘I get to go.’ That’s credit to them. They want to learn to be better leaders, and they’re taking the material from the classroom. That’s awesome to see.”
How has CJ Bailey improved since his freshman year?
Bailey: “(My) first season in college, I can honestly say like my first year I was winging it. I was just out there making plays, being an athlete. I really didn’t know much about the game, to be honest with you. Going into that next off-season I learned a lot. It changed my whole perspective on everything about football, defense and everything like that. I learned a lot. From now, everything is slow for me right now. Everything is moving fluent. Shoot, I got confidence with the whole offense, the whole team, and everybody believes in me. I’m just ready to make some plays for N.C. State.”
“From middle school, from high school, I could not run the ball for nothing. My linemen were faster than me. For some reason, when I got here, either I grew, my legs got stronger, maybe I just started running the ball more. My freshman year and last year, there was not as much as running as I should be. To be honest with you, I didn’t trust my ability to run because my whole life I’ve been throwing the ball. Now this year, I’m gonna run more I’m gonna put more on the table.”
