Why the Bye Week Was So Important For NC State

After playing for seven straight weeks, the NC State Wolfpack reached a much-needed open date on the schedule and utilized the bye week. Dave Doeren's squad experienced a flurry of injuries during the opening stretch, so the rest was critical for the Wolfpack.

Coming out of the bye week, the Wolfpack is set to face a red-hot Pitt program that has won its last three games. The Panthers made a change at quarterback, starting true freshman Mason Heintschel throughout the win streak.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host Tucker Sennett looks at Doeren's historical success coming out of bye weeks and why this particular open date was so critical for the Pack.

Watch the Episode Here

Doeren Press Conference

The veteran head coach spoke about the upcoming matchup during his weekly press conference on Monday evening. Doeren shared his views of Pitt's recent success, as well as his feelings about some of the Wolfpack's bounce-back ability coming out of the bye. Here is a partial transcript:

Oct 11, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren walks on the field against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

On the changes to the ACC and the parity of the conference

"I'll be honest, the whole time I've been in the league, every game has been a fight. It has. Who the teams are on top is changing more now. But, I mean, you can look across the board, man, and you see teams you don't think are going to play with that team and they do. And sometimes they beat them."

"Stanford had a heck of an upset over Florida State this week. I think you go across the board in this league, there aren't any easy outs. Obviously, with the portal, a lot of teams have opportunities to change the rosters ... But this league has always been a league that's well-coached."

On the team's mindset with a 4-3 record

"We've got a lot to play for. I told them today, I expect to win every game we play, every single game we play and we prepare that way. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't from an outcome standpoint."

"But we have five games to play and, you know, you go 5-0 in those five games and you're sitting here with nine wins. We got a lot on the table and so we'll take it one at a time... You go in there, 'Hey, we got five left. Let's go 5-0,' and that's the mindset."

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