Dave Doeren evaluates NC State's first-half performance vs. Louisville
Dave Doeren isn’t satisfied with NC State‘s 10-0 lead over Louisville. At halftime, the NC State head coach evaluated his team’s first-half performance against the Cardinals.
“Our defensive kids are doing a great job,” Doeren said. “They’re playing so hard. Coach Gibson and his staff have a great game plan. We told them we had to get [Louisville QB Jack Plummer] off the spot. We had to mix coverages. We had to disguise. So far, we’re executing. The guys are playing really well.”
The Wolfpack has been lock-down on defense through two quarters. Louisville picked up just 86 yards of offense in the first half compared to NC State’s 134. Of course, it’s difficult to stack yards when you can’t keep possession.
In the first half, NC State forced two Louisville turnovers, an interception and a fumble. Although NC State’s defense has exceeded expectations, Doeren believes the offense must step up in the second half.
“We’re gonna do a better job,” Doeren said. “We’re not getting Brennan [Armstrong] enough time. We got to block. Right now, they’re getting in the backfield so fast. It’s 10-0. We’re going to start the half with the ball, we’re going to make some good adjustments. I like how we’re playing.”
NC State is 30 minutes away from picking up its fourth win of the season and handing Louisville its first loss this year. The game will resume shortly on ESPN.
NC State makes waves in ACC
NC State isn’t letting its beloved conference competition go to waste. And if the Wolfpack had it their way, the ACC would add a few extra opponents in the coming seasons.
The decision by the ACC to expand earlier this month came down to one vote. Florida State, Clemson, NC State and North Carolina were originally against expansion. However, NC State ended up changing its mind and voting to add Cal, Stanford and SMU to the league on Sept 1.
Wolfpack Athletics Director Boo Corrigan explained Friday what led to NC State voting “yes” to expansion. According to Corrigan, the decision came down to changes in the proposal by the ACC.
“The troubling thing to me was the idea that there was any flipping,” Corrigan told NC State’s Council on Athletics on Friday, according to WRAL. “To me, a flipping of a vote means ‘here’s what it is,’ you take a lot of pressure and there’s a lot of pressure to change your mind.”
Corrigan said that is not what happened in this instance.
“It was one thing and then it became something completely different,” Corrigan reportedly said. “When it became something completely different, the chancellor and I had spent a lot of time talking about it, we voted for expansion.”
Boo Corrigan spoke with WRAL after the meeting about what exactly changed in the league’s proposal.
“The terms were different and what it meant from a travel standpoint,” Corrigan said. “There were a number of questions that were asked by the chancellors after the first time. And as we looked at the new questions and the new answers, we came to a different conclusion.”
On3’s Matt Connolly also contributed to this article.