North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Opens Critical Month at Syracuse
10/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 31, 2014
TV: RSN/ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network | Live Stats
Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - Make or break month in college football has arrived. It’s this time every year that a sense of urgency accompanies fallen leaves and dropping temperatures. Hope is still alive for many teams around the country. Some are vying for championships, while others are driven by the knowledge that a bowl invitation is still in their grasp.
Two such teams will clash Saturday afternoon when NC State (4-4) meets Syracuse (3-5) within the tight confines of the Carrier Dome at 3 p.m. The game will be televised by RSN.
For the Wolfpack, an open date in the schedule last Saturday was a welcome respite from a non-stop grind that began when players first reported for fall camp back in early August. A season that started with a four-game winning streak was promptly followed by four consecutive losses to teams that own a combined record of 24-7. The remaining four teams on the schedule have accounted for 15 wins and 17 defeats. Of those four schools, only Georgia Tech (6-2) owns a winning record.
During the bye week, NC State head coach Dave Doeren instructed his players to mend their physical bruises and turn the page. “Hit the reset button,” he told them.
“Coach Doeren has talked about wiping the slate clean,” said cornerback Juston Burris. “Those first eight games don’t matter now; we still have a chance to go to a bowl game. Our goal right now is to win these next four, but we’ve got to get the first one first. It’s a four game season for us and we’re wiping the slate clean.”
The open date afforded Doeren and his staff to go over everything that happened the first eight weeks with a fine-tooth comb. Every play on offense, defense and special teams was meticulously dissected. Some plays, formations, personnel groupings and alignments were thrown in the trash bin, while others will likely be employed more and emphasized over the last four games.
More than anything, however, Doeren discovered that his team was often a fingtertip or two away from adding a few more wins to the resume’.
“We’re really close to breaking through in a lot of ways,” said Doeren. “From a coaching standpoint, it’s about getting those guys to have the confidence to finish all the plays they put themselves in a position to make. There are a couple of plays like there are in every tight game that if you can swing them your way, you’re on top.”
Over the course of the first eight games, Doeren found some ‘diamonds in the rough,’ young players who have been asked to accelerate their readiness for this level of football.
With 28 receptions for 422 yards, true freshman Bo Hines is NC State’s leading receiver. Number two on that list with 26 grabs is sophomore running back Matt Dayes. The leading tackler is redshirt freshman Jerod Fernandez. Two weeks ago at Louisville, true freshman defensive tackle B.J. Hill was credited with nine stops, a figure almost unheard of for a player who spends much of the game playing over the nose of the center.
And then of course, there’s the story of Airius Moore. A true freshman from Beavercreek, Ohio, the 220-pound middle linebacker was NC State’s defensive player of the game in his first career start at Louisville. In 70 plays at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, Moore made eight tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. For his efforts, Moore will earn his second start this weekend.
“We knew he could do that,” Burris said. “It wasn’t a surprise to us to see him play like that because he did it in camp. Of course, being a freshman, you didn’t know if he would come into his own in a game like that, but once he made that first play I knew he was ready. He’s just going to continue to grow and his playing time is going to increase because he’s so productive. He’s going to add another element to our defense.”
Burris, Moore and the rest of the NC State defense will certainly have their manhood tested on Saturday. A steady diet of tailback Prince-Tyson Gulley running behind a big offensive line may be in the offing, especially after the Orange flattened the Pack to the tune of 362 rushing yards last season in Raleigh. ‘Unsettled’ would be a good way to describe the Syracuse offense through eight games. At midstream, coach Scott Shafer changed offensive coordinators, handing the play-calling duties over to Tim Lester. Meanwhile, current quarterback A.J. Long – a true freshman – is the third signal caller to occupy the position this season. In three games, the athletic Long has completed 58 percent of his throws for 420 yards and two touchdowns.
At this point, Syracuse relies on a blitzing, aggressive defense to set the tone for the rest of the football team. Among other things, the Orange owns a plus-six turnover margin, a figure that ranks third in the ACC. Eleven of the 17 takeaways for Syracuse have been on fumbles.
“When you look at their team, the best thing they do is protect the football on offense and take it away on defense. For us, when you’re on the road, that’s a formula where we have to flip the script. We have to take the ball away, be opportunistic and make plays defensively.”
In a competitive 16-6 loss at Clemson last week, Syracuse forced four turnovers and held the Tigers to just one fourth quarter touchdown.
The number on the calendar doesn’t lie. It will be on November first that NC State will begin a final four-game stretch that will determine whether or not this season will be remembered as a success.
“It’s a four-game season and a fresh start,” Doeren said. “It doesn’t matter that we won the first four and lost the last four. What matters is how we finish. Everything is built around this being the first of four games. Last week was like preseason camp as far as your mindset is concerned. This week is like an opening game of the year. We’re trying to take that attitude for a fresh start and a strong finish.”
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins its pregame coverage with the Matthews Motors Countdown to Kickoff Saturday at 1 p.m. In hour two of the pregame show, color analyst Johnny Evans takes your questions about Pack football on Farm Bureau’s Ask the Analyst. Send Johnny a question on Twitter @packradio or by email here.
A full recap of the game at Syracuse is available Sunday night on the Dave Doeren TV Show. The show first airs at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5 in Raleigh and on WILM (CBS) in Wilmington. A stream of the Dave Doeren Show will also be offered Monday on Gopack.com.
For a complete list of times and stations, go here.
RSN Affiliates | Thursday Football Notebook
Game 9: NC State Wolfpack (4-4, 0-4) at Syracuse Orange (3-5, 1-3)
November 1, 2014 • 3 p.m.
Syracuse, N.Y. • The Carrier Dome (49,262)
TV: RSN/ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network | Live Stats
Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - Make or break month in college football has arrived. It’s this time every year that a sense of urgency accompanies fallen leaves and dropping temperatures. Hope is still alive for many teams around the country. Some are vying for championships, while others are driven by the knowledge that a bowl invitation is still in their grasp.
Two such teams will clash Saturday afternoon when NC State (4-4) meets Syracuse (3-5) within the tight confines of the Carrier Dome at 3 p.m. The game will be televised by RSN.
For the Wolfpack, an open date in the schedule last Saturday was a welcome respite from a non-stop grind that began when players first reported for fall camp back in early August. A season that started with a four-game winning streak was promptly followed by four consecutive losses to teams that own a combined record of 24-7. The remaining four teams on the schedule have accounted for 15 wins and 17 defeats. Of those four schools, only Georgia Tech (6-2) owns a winning record.
During the bye week, NC State head coach Dave Doeren instructed his players to mend their physical bruises and turn the page. “Hit the reset button,” he told them.
“Coach Doeren has talked about wiping the slate clean,” said cornerback Juston Burris. “Those first eight games don’t matter now; we still have a chance to go to a bowl game. Our goal right now is to win these next four, but we’ve got to get the first one first. It’s a four game season for us and we’re wiping the slate clean.”
The open date afforded Doeren and his staff to go over everything that happened the first eight weeks with a fine-tooth comb. Every play on offense, defense and special teams was meticulously dissected. Some plays, formations, personnel groupings and alignments were thrown in the trash bin, while others will likely be employed more and emphasized over the last four games.
More than anything, however, Doeren discovered that his team was often a fingtertip or two away from adding a few more wins to the resume’.
“We’re really close to breaking through in a lot of ways,” said Doeren. “From a coaching standpoint, it’s about getting those guys to have the confidence to finish all the plays they put themselves in a position to make. There are a couple of plays like there are in every tight game that if you can swing them your way, you’re on top.”
Over the course of the first eight games, Doeren found some ‘diamonds in the rough,’ young players who have been asked to accelerate their readiness for this level of football.
With 28 receptions for 422 yards, true freshman Bo Hines is NC State’s leading receiver. Number two on that list with 26 grabs is sophomore running back Matt Dayes. The leading tackler is redshirt freshman Jerod Fernandez. Two weeks ago at Louisville, true freshman defensive tackle B.J. Hill was credited with nine stops, a figure almost unheard of for a player who spends much of the game playing over the nose of the center.
And then of course, there’s the story of Airius Moore. A true freshman from Beavercreek, Ohio, the 220-pound middle linebacker was NC State’s defensive player of the game in his first career start at Louisville. In 70 plays at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, Moore made eight tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. For his efforts, Moore will earn his second start this weekend.
“We knew he could do that,” Burris said. “It wasn’t a surprise to us to see him play like that because he did it in camp. Of course, being a freshman, you didn’t know if he would come into his own in a game like that, but once he made that first play I knew he was ready. He’s just going to continue to grow and his playing time is going to increase because he’s so productive. He’s going to add another element to our defense.”
Burris, Moore and the rest of the NC State defense will certainly have their manhood tested on Saturday. A steady diet of tailback Prince-Tyson Gulley running behind a big offensive line may be in the offing, especially after the Orange flattened the Pack to the tune of 362 rushing yards last season in Raleigh. ‘Unsettled’ would be a good way to describe the Syracuse offense through eight games. At midstream, coach Scott Shafer changed offensive coordinators, handing the play-calling duties over to Tim Lester. Meanwhile, current quarterback A.J. Long – a true freshman – is the third signal caller to occupy the position this season. In three games, the athletic Long has completed 58 percent of his throws for 420 yards and two touchdowns.
At this point, Syracuse relies on a blitzing, aggressive defense to set the tone for the rest of the football team. Among other things, the Orange owns a plus-six turnover margin, a figure that ranks third in the ACC. Eleven of the 17 takeaways for Syracuse have been on fumbles.
“When you look at their team, the best thing they do is protect the football on offense and take it away on defense. For us, when you’re on the road, that’s a formula where we have to flip the script. We have to take the ball away, be opportunistic and make plays defensively.”
In a competitive 16-6 loss at Clemson last week, Syracuse forced four turnovers and held the Tigers to just one fourth quarter touchdown.
The number on the calendar doesn’t lie. It will be on November first that NC State will begin a final four-game stretch that will determine whether or not this season will be remembered as a success.
“It’s a four-game season and a fresh start,” Doeren said. “It doesn’t matter that we won the first four and lost the last four. What matters is how we finish. Everything is built around this being the first of four games. Last week was like preseason camp as far as your mindset is concerned. This week is like an opening game of the year. We’re trying to take that attitude for a fresh start and a strong finish.”
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins its pregame coverage with the Matthews Motors Countdown to Kickoff Saturday at 1 p.m. In hour two of the pregame show, color analyst Johnny Evans takes your questions about Pack football on Farm Bureau’s Ask the Analyst. Send Johnny a question on Twitter @packradio or by email here.
A full recap of the game at Syracuse is available Sunday night on the Dave Doeren TV Show. The show first airs at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5 in Raleigh and on WILM (CBS) in Wilmington. A stream of the Dave Doeren Show will also be offered Monday on Gopack.com.
For a complete list of times and stations, go here.
Coach Doeren Signing Day Presser (Dec. 3rd)
Wednesday, December 03
FB Players Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Weekly Press Conference (Nov. 24)
Monday, November 24