Doeren Speaks on Massive Victory Over North Carolina
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RALEIGH — NC State head coach Dave Doeren joined an elite group in Wolfpack football history. With the Pack's 42-19 win over North Carolina, he became the third coach in program history to lead the Pack to five-straight wins over the Tar Heels. The win was made all the more special because of who patrolled the other sideline, as it marked Doeren's first win over UNC head coach Bill Belichick.
Doeren's group dominated from the opening kickoff, scoring four touchdowns on its first four drives. The defense, which made massive improvements in the win over Florida State, continued to fly around the field and completely neutralized the dismal Tar Heel offense throughout the win.
Many Wolfpack fans were ready to move on from Dave Doeren after a season opening WIN over ECU. 13 years the fatigue is understandable, but the way he finished the season proves love him or hate him he’s still the guy for this job. They dominated Belichick and UNC 42-19 pic.twitter.com/W2zqdTz4KO
— Pat Welter WRAL (@PatrickWelter) November 30, 2025
The win over the Tar Heels ensured the Wolfpack a winning season, no matter what happens in the postseason bowl game, as NC State got its seventh victory on Saturday. Weeks after many Wolfpack fans wanted to move on from Doeren, he finished another year with a strong November, going 3-1 in the final month of the season, including a win over a top-10 opponent.
Doeren battled a cold throughout the win over the Tar Heels and shared his feelings on the Wolfpack's impressive finish to the year in front of a raucous Carter-Finley Stadium crowd.
Watch Doeren's press conference
Taking down a legend
Belichick became the third UNC head coach to fall to Doeren during the Wolfpack coach's 13-year tenure in Raleigh, joining Mack Brown and Larry Fedora. The loss ended Belichick's dismal first season in Chapel Hill. Doeren was asked if the win was any more special because of who walked the other sideline during the game. He downplayed that aspect, but did admit it fired him up.
"I don't know if it's special. It's definitely something that motivated me. I have a lot of respect for Bill," Doeren said. "How do you not? He's one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time and so definitely, as a coach, when you're competing... Coaches want to beat each other. There was a pep in my step this week for sure... I wanted that win."
Help from a freshman
Doeren's trust in freshman quarterback Will Wilson proved to be a major storyline in the game. The young signal caller came in for several running opportunities and made the most of every chance, scoring four touchdowns and rushing for 54 yards. His performance came as no surprise to his head coach.
"He rushed for 400 yards in high school, so it's not like a secret that he could run," Doeren said. "We recruited a guy who can throw the ball and run the ball, and that's what we got. We were hopeful that he'd be able to do what he's doing for us... We got into spring ball and saw how competitive he was."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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