North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State head coach Dave Doeren
Opening Statement
“It was a great atmosphere tonight and I really appreciate the way our fans were throughout the game. It meant a lot to our players and recruiting staff to have a stadium like that tonight. It was awesome. I was really proud of the way we played in the second half. We scored the last 27 points and had a second half shut out, we forced two turnovers and didn’t turn the ball over at all. Ryan Finley continued to be very efficient and accurate throwing the football.
“You have to hand it to Marshall, especially Tyre Brady the receiver. I thought he was an outstanding player. We didn’t defend him well but I thought our adjustments were solid in the second half. It was a good football game and I’m proud of the way we finished it.”
On momentum of first drive in second half
“We got a key penalty that helped us on third and 15 with the pass interference and then after that I think (Eliah) Drinkwitz just got in a rhythm calling plays and he was seeing what they were doing coverage wise. The guys were making good catches for him on the perimeter. They were being aggressive underneath and we were able to run by them a few times.”
On potential of offense
“I told the team in our pre-game talk today that I think we can be as good as we want to be. I think that as long as we stay out of our own way the ceiling is very high. We just can’t be a team that beats ourselves and we weren’t tonight. We were plus two in the turnover margin and we’re a very good football team when we finish that way. We’re 11-3 now since I’ve been here when we’re plus two, so those kinds of games when we don’t turn the football over and we get it back we’re going to win at a high percentage.”
Marshall head coach Doc Holliday
Opening statement…
“Obviously, we’re disappointed in the outcome. I thought our kids played extremely hard and played their hearts out. Unfortunately, we ran out of time there at the end. That’s an excellent football team so give all the credit to NC State. I thought it was great physical football game and our guys made some plays, but they just made a few more than we did.
On the team’s play in the second half…
“We had a touchdown called back for a penalty and we had too many in the second half.”
On the play of Tyre Brady..
“I thought he was really good today. He’s a heck of a player and a great kid. He didn’t practice much this week, but he went out there and played extremely well and we need him to do that. That’s the kind of player he is.”
“We have to have guys continue to step up and make plays.”
NC State Player Quotes
Stephen Louis
“This week we’ve been really focusing on getting that one win and being 1-0 this week. It feels good to break that tackle and it feels good to get that win.”
On if there was any carryover from the South Carolina game
“I don’t really think that there is anything to pinpoint, we just have to come out harder and have to come out more urgent to get on the board. We didn’t carry anything from last week. We have a 24-hour rule where we let that game be that game.”
On yards after catch
“Yeah, that was definitely (uplifting). In our room, we wanted to have 100 yards after the catch because last week we were catching the ball and getting tackled, so coach made it a huge emphasis in practice all week after catching the ball, just making a move and going two lines extra just to simulate a game.”
When he sees one-on-one coverage
“Man, when I see that, it’s just one-on-one, and we’ve got to win this battle. That’s all I really see.”
On Kelvin Harmon’s strong start to the season
“He’s a great player and I love him to death. He’s a hard worker and everything he does in practice is showing up right now. He adds a huge weapon to this team, as you see, and he goes out there to play hard on every play and he makes a lot of plays for us.”
On shedding a tackle in the first quarter for a large gain
“It was huge. We’ve got to make big plays as a receiving corp, and that right there, breaking tackles, is what’s expected in the room. That’s what we have to do to win games.”
Bradley Chubb
“We had a good time out there. We’re finally getting back to the winning side of it, so guys are confident now. Guys are having fun, playing for each other like we’ve been trying to do.”
On the defense adjusting after missed tackles early in the game:
“Like I said, we’ve got to start off as fast as we finish. We had a great second half, and we need to build on that and start off strong like we did to end.”
On his ability to get through the offensive line:
“It was just the game plan. I did my job as well as I could, and it worked out for me.”
On the second half shutout:
“It feels amazing because it’s definitely momentum going into the next game. We’ve got to get back to work on Monday and start on our next opponent. We all came together and did what we were supposed to do. Sometimes we had guys try to do too much, try to make plays that the defense didn’t need to make. Everybody just took a deep breath, and we all did our job and whatever we needed to do.”