Doeren Reviews Duke Game, Looks Ahead to What’s Next

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The NC State Wolfpack suffered its first loss of the 2025 season on Saturday, falling 45-33 on the road against the Duke Blue Devils.

The Wolfpack failed to play a clean game, turning the ball over on four occasions and struggling to limit explosive plays by the Duke offense. The second half performance from the defense was a far cry from the shutout of Wake Forest in the previous week, as NC State allowed 24 points after halftime.

Head coach Dave Doeren spoke at his weekly press conference about the Duke loss, as well as the passing of his good friend Shawn Clark, a former head coach at Appalachian State and the offensive line coach at UCF.

Watch Doeren's press conference here

Here is a partial transcript of Doeren's availability:

On the loss of Shawn Clark, Doeren's close friend and fellow coach

Doeren: "Before we get to football, we lost one of the best of our kind last night in the profession in Shawn Clark's passing, and wanted to send out our prayers and deep condolences to Shawn Clark's family, his wife, Jonelle, and daughters, Giana, and son, Braxton, and the Appalachian State community and UCF community, their teams, staff and players."

Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

"Shawn was a great coach. He's a better man and a good friend. The man that loved his family, his players, and he loved the game in the brotherhood, and that's what this is. It's brotherhood, this fraternity of coaching. And over the years, I've been able to have the privilege of getting to know Sean and meeting his wife, and we've become good friends. When my son Jacob moved in at App State, Shawn reached out, asked for his phone number, called him on the phone, picked him up, took him to lunch. Hadn't met him his whole life. it's just the kind of guy he was..."

Head Coach Shawn Clark speaks to Asheville Citizen-Times sports reporter Evan Gerike after the AppState Mountaineers' football practice at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. | Jasper Colt / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On what to expect from Virginia Tech

Doeren: "You talk about our opponent, offensively, it starts with their quarterback. (Kyron) Drones is a big, athletic guy. He's got a big arm. He's 235 pounds. They run him a lot. You've got to tackle him. He's not going to go down easy. He's thick and he's fast. He's a tough kid. They have a talented receiver corps. They've had some guys in and out, but when you watch them, they've played against good teams, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, and they've made some really nice contact catches. They've made some explosive plays."

On Virginia Tech making a midseason change at head coach and what to expect from an opponent with an interim coach

Doeren: "I've seen it go both ways. Obviously, last year, you saw ECU do that, and their team won five out of six after the change. So, it's hard to say on the scouting side of things because they've had one game and it wasn't much of a game against Wofford. They blew them out... How much can you change? I think the mindset can change. Schematically, it's hard, especially when you're not in a bye week to change a lot of things. But it's Virginia Tech, man. They've got good players there and it's a proud program."

Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack's Mr. Wuf during the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

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