What NC State is saying: ECU
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Members of NC State's football program, including head coach Dave Doeren, have met with the media over the past week to discuss the Wolfpack and its next opponent, East Carolina.
Dave Doeren: "We have that challenge in our opener as well, and it's a stadium that NC State has not played well in as a program. We’re 1-4 in Greenville, and my last time there, we had 13 penalties and lost a one-possession game. I know this is a tough place. Trust me, our team knows that as well."
Isaiah Moore: “No one cares where we are right now. We haven’t played a game yet. I guess it’s cool to get that respect (being nationally ranked), but we haven’t played a game yet. It’s time to go out there and show who we are.”
Bryson Speas: "We view every game as a big deal. We try and approach every game with a 1-0 mentality and just to keep the team first. We know if we go in there and we play assignment-based football, we get down to ECU, everything will take care of itself.”
Tony Gibson: "They’re a great football team. We broke them down in the summer. We did another breakdown for game week, and we’re preparing for them. They’ve got some skill guys. Their quarterback and tailback are really good. They’ve got a veteran offensive line with three starters back. They do a great job. They can throw the ball. They can run the ball. It’s very scary.”
Devin Leary: “I’m excited. I know this is a big in-state game for both teams. They are going to bring a lot of people out to the game, and it’s going to be rowdy, but we expect it. We expect it to be a good time out there.”
Tim Beck: “They play really hard, and they’re fast. They run to the ball well. They do a lot of intricate things. We’re going to have to be patient, see what they’re playing against us, and find ways to attack them.”
Drake Thomas: “I'm really excited. I know what their fans bring to the table. I've been to a few games growing up, I know people that go to ECU...growing up around this area, so I know what they bring to the table when it comes to game day. I know they like to have a lot of fun, and they like to be loud, and they like to bring intensity, so I'm really excited to go there.”
Doeren: [There's] been a lot of conversation about who we're playing and where we're playing, and I've always felt winning starts with not beating yourself. Particularly in these openers, you see a lot of early-season mistakes in opening games that we need to avoid to be the best team we can be. We need to not make it harder than it needs to be on ourselves with pre-snap penalties and layup-type plays that you have to make, whether it's offense or defense. Our special teams need to be special, needs to be an area like last year, that was a weapon. We talk about complimentary football and playing offense, defense, special teams, and on the sidelines, I love the energy that we have."
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A lifelong native of the Triangle area in North Carolina, Rob McLamb has covered NC State Athletics since 2010, as well as writing about each of the five major sports leagues in North America (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS) for various newspapers and outlets. As a journalist who has also served as a high school and college coach, McLamb provides an educated, unfiltered, and analytical perspective on the Wolfpack and the ACC.