Doeren's Urgent Thoughts After Season Opening Win Over ECU

The Wolfpack head coach spoke about some of the successes his team had, as well as things to work on moving forward.

Aug 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren walks out during the warmups prior to the game against East Carolina Pirates at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

RALEIGH -- NC State head coach Dave Doeren coached his team to a narrow victory in its season opener. The Wolfpack avenged last year's loss to in-state rival East Carolina in the Military Bowl, surviving a scare from the Pirates in a 24-17 win.

A win is a win in the season opener and Doeren spoke at length about the first game being a feel-it-out process for the Wolfpack. There were highs and lows for NC State throughout the win, all of which had Doeren on his toes.

The coach spoke with confidence about the team moving forward, especially given the extra time to prepare for its next opponent in Virginia a week from Saturday.

Doeren's Press Conference

Below are some of Doeren's most urgent thoughts after the 24-17 win over ECU.

Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren after a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

On the end of the game and the defense rising up

• Doeren: "I loved the way the defense battled there at the end. It's great to have a goal line stand like that to win a football game. Being 1-0, there's a lot of things we can get better at but its a good place to be."

On his expectations for the fourth down stop to end the game and the plan to stop it

• Doeren: "I thought it would either be a repeat of their speed option which they scored on earlier in a similar situation or what they ran, you know the naked crack screen that they ran on us last year in the bowl game as well. I didn't expect them to try to run the ball up the middle. I thought it'd be something off the edges. The defense did a great job.

Aug 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren walks among his players during the warmups prior to the game against East Carolina Pirates at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

On the impact of the edge rushers for the defense

• Doeren: "We wanted to be better off the edge. We wanted to create more tackles for loss this year, more sacks and not have to blitz all the time to create those things. We wanted to be able to do it with four or five guys. So, there was a huge emphasis on finding some edge players and Cian Slone, (Kenny Soares Jr.), Tra Thomas, we got some good snaps out of several players. Chase Bond got in the game and made some plays in the backfield. It was good to see him.

On what needs to improve over the next week before the Virginia game

• Doeren: "There's a lot to get better at. I thought we stalled out in the red zone several times with penalties and tackles for losses. We went backwards. We'd have an explosive play to get down there and then all of the sudden we'd be going backwards. Lots to improve on on offense.

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