Doeren Breaks Down Wolfpack’s Win — And What Must Go Right vs. Notre Dame

RALEIGH — After a dominant win over Campbell, NC State and coach Dave Doeren face their biggest challenge so far: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana.

Doeren and the Wolfpack throttled Campbell 56-10 to regain some confidence and snap a two-game losing streak. Now 4-2, NC State is set to face the Irish for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2023, matchup Notre Dame won 45-24 in Raleigh.

The veteran coach spoke to the media at the weekly Monday press conference about the win over Campbell and discussed the matchup against the nation's 16th-ranked team.

Watch Doeren's Press Conference Here

Here is a partial transcript of Doeren's availability:

On what Notre Dame brings to the table as an opponent

"Now on to Notre Dame, a great opponent, very physical football team, big offensive and defensive lines. Tight ends are 6-6. Two running backs, super impressive on film and what you'd expect when you play them. Both run hard, different running styles, but hard to tackle, elusive..."

"They do a good job mixing up coverages, zone and man, line stunts and pressures, and they've improved as the years gone on, which happens. When you have a new defensive coordinator, and I know Chris (Ash), he's a good friend and he's really good football coach, but when you take over a system, it takes a while for the guys to adapt and adjust, and they've gotten better and better."

On his relationship with Chris Ash, Notre Dame defensive coordinator

"We've had a lot of good times together, man, as coaches, back to when we were graduate assistants. Charlie Partridge, myself and Chris and Brendan Daly, who's the linebacker coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, we were all working together at Drake. Taking care of the locker room, we remodeled the locker room. We used to go out and mow the grass and paint the fields and it was a one-stop-shop... You did everything and so we learned from the bottom up how it is to coach football together."

"He was always just so dialed in... I came up in the business with Chris and Charlie, two guys that I have really really long friendships with, but the utmost respect as football coaches."

On whether the performance of running back Hollywood Smothers has surprised him through the first half of the season

"Not at all. You know, I knew last year, as the season wore on, how explosive he was and that if he would have the offseason that we needed him to have, where he could sustain his health, that he would be what he is, what you're watching. It's more than just him as a player. It's how he is on the sideline, it's how he's cheering on his teammates. He is a very integral part of the success of our team when he's in the game and when he's not in the game."

"I'm really proud of him, and I love his desire. I love his heart, how tough he is. And this game's got some good backs in it, man, I tell you, take Hollywood, and he's as good as there is, and their two backs are really good. It's going to be some physical football in this game. And some backs that like being physical too, you know? And if you watch our game Saturday, I mean, Hollywood, his protection is outstanding."

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

On the opportunity to play at Notre Dame Stadium

"It's a special place to play. There's no doubt you know the history and tradition of college football itself, you know. So it'll be a great experience for our guys, as far as anything unique. I mean, it's just a crowd noise thing, you know. So you have over 70,000, 77,000 for them."

"Crowd noise comes down to how you play, and you've got to do a great job offensively, of staying on the field and, you know, winning your third down opportunities and not letting their fan base, you know, be the 12th man. And that's hard to do. You have to really play well to make the noise not a factor in a game like this. So it's our first road game with noise this year. So you know, that's what makes it different, probably more than anything."

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