What NC State Learned Watching Future Opponents This Weekend

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, we break down the performances of NC State's upcoming opponents from this weekend.

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

After playing seven games in as many weeks, NC State football finally reached an open date on the schedule and took a hard-earned weekend off. Staying in Raleigh with a 4-3 record, all five of the Wolfpack's remaining opponents were in action throughout the weekend, giving head coach Dave Doeren and his staff opportunities to analyze the upcoming competition.

The Wolfpack's next opponent, Pitt, came away with a dominant 30-13 victory over Syracuse on the road, while some of its other opponents took ugly losses that shook up the ACC standings in a big way.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, find out how the results of the weekend affected the Wolfpack and what the Pack needs to do to be ready for the final stretch.

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Watch the Episode Here

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Last time Doeren spoke was after the disappointing 36-7 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend. The Wolfpack was thoroughly outplayed in the loss and the head coach expressed his frustration in the team's struggles in playing complementary football. Find out what he had to say here:

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 what went wrong offensively

• "I thought we had four or five down the field throws that we've been making, and at least having a chance to make plays on and that just didn't happen today. Unfortunately, when you get man free as much as we did today, you're gonna have to be able to win some one-on-ones down the field."

• "Teddy (Hoffmann) made a couple plays for us, but we had Noah (Rogers) deep. We had (Justin) Joly deep. Not one of those today we connected on."

Sep 11, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren walks his team out on the field against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images | Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images

On the issues with playing complimentary football

• "I wish I had the answer. It's not because we don't talk about it every week. That's what I told the guys in there. We've had games where we played lights out on defense, had games where we played lights out on offense. Had games where special teams was really poor."

• "We need to put all three phases together, and it's a five-game season now. That's going to be the focus of things, finishing with three-phase football, complementary football, and getting better."

Dec 30, 2022; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack helmets during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins in the 2022 Duke's Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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