Saturday, October 24
Winston-Salem, N.C.
12 PM
NC State
at
Wake Forest
Pack Begins Second Half of Season at Wake Forest
10/23/2015 9:45:00 AM | Football
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Game 7: NC State Wolfpack (4-2, 0-2) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-4, 1-3)
October 24, 2015 • 12 p.m.
Winston-Salem, N.C. • BB&T Field (31,500)
TV: RSN/ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Sirius 112, XM 193
Live Stats | Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - Guided by data collected from a review of his team's first six games of 2015, NC State head football coach Dave Doeren used last weekend's open date to formulate a blueprint he believes will position the Wolfpack on a path for improvement and success in the second half of the season.
In its first game following a midseason bye, Doeren will certainly get more helpful feedback on Saturday when the Pack (4-2, 0-2) faces off against its oldest football rival. The 109th meeting with Wake Forest (3-4, 1-3) does qualify as a litmus test, based primarily on the recent history between the two schools.
Only twice in the last 18 games has the home team won. And among other things, NC State hasn't celebrated a victory at Groves Stadium in Winston-Salem since Philip Rivers was slinging footballs as a sophomore when the Wolfpack tripped up the Deacs, 17-14 back in 2001.
There's ample evidence to suggest this may indeed be State's best chance to exorcise its Deacon demons in The Triad. If post-bye week success is a helpful barometer, then the Wolfpack has much to look forward to. Since Doeren arrived on the scene in Raleigh, the Pack owns a record of 7-2 when he and his staff have more than a week to prepare. After each of its open dates last year, the Pack gained victory on the road in ACC play, at Syracuse (24-17) and at North Carolina (35-7) to close out the season.
"I'm very confident because of how the guys have worked, how positive they've been, how excited they are about the challenge and the opportunity," Doeren said. "We talked about this game in the preseason and during the summer just because of the history of these games as far as the road teams not doing well on either side. We knew this was a big goal, a challenge and a big rivalry game coming in. You can see that in their preparation; they're excited to play."
Adding to the Pack's resolute attitude is a long three week wait to get back on the winning side of the ledger. NC State went into its bye week following back-to-back ACC losses to Louisville and Virginia Tech, games that were in the Wolfpack's grasp for most of the second half.
A little extra time to mend wounds -- both mental and physical -- could prove beneficial.
"It's a turning point in the season," NC State cornerback Juston Burris said. "I think this was a good time. Obviously, we lost to two good opponents, but we have six more good opponents coming up and it's a good time to reflect on our first six games, try to learn from our mistakes and build on that."
Last week's break in the schedule was a welcome respite for NC State, but the subject of open dates is one that draws the ire of Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson these days. Incredibly, the Wolfpack will be the third ACC team that will have had a bye before facing the Deacons this season.
"Yea, it's great," Clawson said facetiously. "Florida State, North Carolina and NC State get extra time to prepare for us. That's a big advantage for a team to have an extra week to get ready for somebody."
Doeren hopes his coaching rival from the MAC is right. For State to get hot in the second half, a passing game that has been unproductive the last two weeks must get back on track. On the other side of the ball, the Wolfpack defense has been fairly solid when it hasn't yielded big plays and hurt itself with untimely penalties.
"In many of the games where we've been able to run the football, the pass game off of the run has been good," Doeren said. "It wasn't particularly good in the last game (against Virginia Tech). Our first down offense hurt us."
State quarterback Jacoby Brissett was just 12-of-25 passing for 113 yards a few weeks ago against the Hokies, although many of his struggles were a direct result of shaky pass protection against an aggressive, blitzing defense.
Defensively, NC State currently ranks 3rd in the nation in total defense (247.8) and 8th in passing yards allowed (147.7). In what can only be chalked up as a rather quirky statistic, Wolfpack opponents have fumbled 12 times in six games, yet the Pack has managed to recover only two of those loose balls. The ability to create more turnovers is a major goal in the second half.
"It would put us at a different level as a football team if we can get more takeaways," said Doeren. "We've just got to keep playing hard, run to the football, and get more hats to the piles where those balls are coming out."
A 3-9 team a year ago, Wake Forest has made strides in Clawson's second year on the job. The Demon Deacons pushed Florida State late into the fourth quarter on October 3rd before falling 24-16. A week later, the Deacs blanked Boston College on the road, 3-0. Last Saturday, however, Wake fell apart in a 50-14 defeat at North Carolina.
State could see rotating quarterbacks on Saturday since both John Wolford and Kendall Hinton have split time at the position this season. Wolford is considered to be a better thrower, and Hinton a more productive runner. Both players have been banged up the last few weeks.
"They're throwing the football better," said Doeren. "Both quarterbacks have played, Wolford and Hinton. Both have done good things with their feet. They're quick release guys that get the ball out."
Getting rid of the ball has been a necessity given the fact that the Wake Forest offensive line has surrendered 20 sacks in seven games.
Very few players on the NC State roster have figured prominently in the current six-game losing streak at Groves Stadium. Nonetheless, it is an important speed bump to overcome.
"This team has never played there before," said senior guard Alex Barr. "With that said, we need to look at past experiences and past teams and learn from that."
Saturday's noon kickoff will be preceded by Wolfpack Sports Network coverage, which begins at 10 a.m. In the second hour of the pregame show shortly after 11 a.m., former NC State All-American and color analyst Johnny Evans takes your question about Pack football on Ask the Analyst. Send Johnny a question on Twitter/@packradio or through GoPack.com by clicking here.
A full recap of the NC State-Wake Forest game will be available on the Dave Doeren TV Show, which will air in the Triangle on Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5. For other times and stations, click here.
Game 7: NC State Wolfpack (4-2, 0-2) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-4, 1-3)
October 24, 2015 • 12 p.m.
Winston-Salem, N.C. • BB&T Field (31,500)
TV: RSN/ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Sirius 112, XM 193
Live Stats | Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst
RALEIGH, N.C. - Guided by data collected from a review of his team's first six games of 2015, NC State head football coach Dave Doeren used last weekend's open date to formulate a blueprint he believes will position the Wolfpack on a path for improvement and success in the second half of the season.
In its first game following a midseason bye, Doeren will certainly get more helpful feedback on Saturday when the Pack (4-2, 0-2) faces off against its oldest football rival. The 109th meeting with Wake Forest (3-4, 1-3) does qualify as a litmus test, based primarily on the recent history between the two schools.
Only twice in the last 18 games has the home team won. And among other things, NC State hasn't celebrated a victory at Groves Stadium in Winston-Salem since Philip Rivers was slinging footballs as a sophomore when the Wolfpack tripped up the Deacs, 17-14 back in 2001.
There's ample evidence to suggest this may indeed be State's best chance to exorcise its Deacon demons in The Triad. If post-bye week success is a helpful barometer, then the Wolfpack has much to look forward to. Since Doeren arrived on the scene in Raleigh, the Pack owns a record of 7-2 when he and his staff have more than a week to prepare. After each of its open dates last year, the Pack gained victory on the road in ACC play, at Syracuse (24-17) and at North Carolina (35-7) to close out the season.
"I'm very confident because of how the guys have worked, how positive they've been, how excited they are about the challenge and the opportunity," Doeren said. "We talked about this game in the preseason and during the summer just because of the history of these games as far as the road teams not doing well on either side. We knew this was a big goal, a challenge and a big rivalry game coming in. You can see that in their preparation; they're excited to play."
Adding to the Pack's resolute attitude is a long three week wait to get back on the winning side of the ledger. NC State went into its bye week following back-to-back ACC losses to Louisville and Virginia Tech, games that were in the Wolfpack's grasp for most of the second half.
A little extra time to mend wounds -- both mental and physical -- could prove beneficial.
"It's a turning point in the season," NC State cornerback Juston Burris said. "I think this was a good time. Obviously, we lost to two good opponents, but we have six more good opponents coming up and it's a good time to reflect on our first six games, try to learn from our mistakes and build on that."
Last week's break in the schedule was a welcome respite for NC State, but the subject of open dates is one that draws the ire of Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson these days. Incredibly, the Wolfpack will be the third ACC team that will have had a bye before facing the Deacons this season.
"Yea, it's great," Clawson said facetiously. "Florida State, North Carolina and NC State get extra time to prepare for us. That's a big advantage for a team to have an extra week to get ready for somebody."
Doeren hopes his coaching rival from the MAC is right. For State to get hot in the second half, a passing game that has been unproductive the last two weeks must get back on track. On the other side of the ball, the Wolfpack defense has been fairly solid when it hasn't yielded big plays and hurt itself with untimely penalties.
"In many of the games where we've been able to run the football, the pass game off of the run has been good," Doeren said. "It wasn't particularly good in the last game (against Virginia Tech). Our first down offense hurt us."
State quarterback Jacoby Brissett was just 12-of-25 passing for 113 yards a few weeks ago against the Hokies, although many of his struggles were a direct result of shaky pass protection against an aggressive, blitzing defense.
Defensively, NC State currently ranks 3rd in the nation in total defense (247.8) and 8th in passing yards allowed (147.7). In what can only be chalked up as a rather quirky statistic, Wolfpack opponents have fumbled 12 times in six games, yet the Pack has managed to recover only two of those loose balls. The ability to create more turnovers is a major goal in the second half.
"It would put us at a different level as a football team if we can get more takeaways," said Doeren. "We've just got to keep playing hard, run to the football, and get more hats to the piles where those balls are coming out."
A 3-9 team a year ago, Wake Forest has made strides in Clawson's second year on the job. The Demon Deacons pushed Florida State late into the fourth quarter on October 3rd before falling 24-16. A week later, the Deacs blanked Boston College on the road, 3-0. Last Saturday, however, Wake fell apart in a 50-14 defeat at North Carolina.
State could see rotating quarterbacks on Saturday since both John Wolford and Kendall Hinton have split time at the position this season. Wolford is considered to be a better thrower, and Hinton a more productive runner. Both players have been banged up the last few weeks.
"They're throwing the football better," said Doeren. "Both quarterbacks have played, Wolford and Hinton. Both have done good things with their feet. They're quick release guys that get the ball out."
Getting rid of the ball has been a necessity given the fact that the Wake Forest offensive line has surrendered 20 sacks in seven games.
Very few players on the NC State roster have figured prominently in the current six-game losing streak at Groves Stadium. Nonetheless, it is an important speed bump to overcome.
"This team has never played there before," said senior guard Alex Barr. "With that said, we need to look at past experiences and past teams and learn from that."
Saturday's noon kickoff will be preceded by Wolfpack Sports Network coverage, which begins at 10 a.m. In the second hour of the pregame show shortly after 11 a.m., former NC State All-American and color analyst Johnny Evans takes your question about Pack football on Ask the Analyst. Send Johnny a question on Twitter/@packradio or through GoPack.com by clicking here.
A full recap of the NC State-Wake Forest game will be available on the Dave Doeren TV Show, which will air in the Triangle on Sunday night at 11:30 p.m. on WRAL TV-5. For other times and stations, click here.
Players Mentioned
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Saturday, September 06
Coach Doeren Postgame Presser vs Virginia
Saturday, September 06
Pack Rewind 🎥 : East Carolina
Wednesday, September 03
Coach Doeren Weekly Press Conference (Sept. 1)
Monday, September 01