Breaking Down Early Season Film on Duke and NC State

Dave Doeren and the NC State Wolfpack moved to 3-0 a week ago with a win over Wake Forest. However, in typical Pack-fashion, the team already turned the page and has been preparing for an even tougher opponent on Saturday.

NC State will travel just down the road to Durham to face the Duke Blue Devils, who fell to 1-2 last Saturday with a loss to Tulane. Despite being loaded with top-end talent on both sides of the ball, Duke couldn't beat two tough opponents in Illinois and the Green Wave.

On the latest episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, hosts Tucker Sennett and Daniel Rios break down what they've seen on film and in person when watching Duke and NC State over the last three weeks.

Watch the episode here

Durham hasn't been friendly to the Pack over the years and NC State head coach Dave Doeren wants nothing more than to exorcise some of those demons in the Week 4 matchup.

Doeren spoke to the media Thursday afternoon about the game, recent updates with NCAA rules and the exciting quarterback matchup between CJ Bailey and Darian Mensah.

Here is a partial transcript of Doeren's availability:

Oct 14, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren looks on before the first half of the game against Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

On general feelings about the week of preparation

Doeren: "Excited. Good week of prep. The guys are definitely leaning into improvement. I think that's the biggest thing you see. Obviously, we're excited about our record, but we know that we can play a lot better than we've played for four quarters. We're putting together spurts of quarters and halves, but not full games on both sides of the ball, special teams included. We're just trying to play a three-phase football game better than we have and that's really the ultimate goal."

"Third in-state game out of four games, so another opportunity to play an in-state opponent and we all know how important those are here."

On the importance of starting fast

Doeren: "As opposed to what, not a fast start? Kind of an easy one to answer. We want to win every game and momentum helps your team. We've got good momentum. I think better than that, our guys have faced adversity multiple times and have stayed poised. We know, as coaches, what our guys are capable of in tough situations and you don't always find that out in the first quarter of the season.

Looking for more NC State football content during the 2025 season? Follow on X (Twitter) @WolfpackOnSI and@SennettTucker for daily episodes of the NC State Insider Podcast.

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