Why NC State’s word of the week is ‘faith’ heading into road trip to No. 16 Miami

NC State coach Dave Doeren picks a new word for each game week. It’s plastered everywhere, from social media graphics to the various rooms of the Murphy Center, ahead of every opponent. His goal is to motivate the Wolfpack, while also inspiring the team to rally around a common phrase at every turn.

The messages have ranged from “hard work” ahead of its tilt with Virginia to “loyalty” before then-No. 8 Georgia Tech arrived in Raleigh two weeks ago — both of which were successful as the Pack earned its two signature wins, handing those ACC-Championship hopefuls their first defeats of the season. 

And with a trip to square off with No. 16 Miami this weekend? NC State’s word of the week is a simple, yet powerful phrase: Faith.

Doeren, who mapped out each word before the season began, knew this week was going to be a tall task. The Hurricanes, which were picked to finish second in the ACC preseason poll, were going to present a challenge — and this word was there to galvanize the roster as it prepares to fly into a hostile environment at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.

“Faith obviously has a lot of meaning. In the football world, for us, it’s believing in the journey and never flinching in the face of adversity,” Doeren said Monday evening. “We know playing on the road in an NFL stadium against a team that has all these accolades, you can’t achieve anything you don’t believe can happen.”

In a way, it is the perfect word coming off the Wolfpack’s 48-36 upset win over the top-10 Yellow Jackets that led to the field at Carter-Finley Stadium being flooded with jubilant fans once the clock hit zero before going into its final open date. That win, which snapped a four-game losing streak against FBS competition, served as a “proof of concept” for Doeren’s squad. 

Everything they changed on the practice field following a players-only meeting worked. Now, it’s time to carry over those same habits that allowed the Pack to earn its 13th top-10 win in program history before going to face another top-20 foe this week.

“The way we practiced that whole week and since that week, no question about it, getting a win like that helps,” Doeren said. “It helps with the messaging that you’re giving them because the things we’ve been preaching finally came together. I’m proud of the guys for continuing to believe and fight.”

Faith is a key word within the Murphy Center this week, but it’s played a role throughout the season. The team has a Bible study for those interested in participating, which has seemingly helped bring the group together as one through the turbulent 2025 campaign. 

It’s also applicable to everything that happens on the football field. Doeren wants his team to believe in the plays being called by the coordinators, while the players all have faith in one another to do their job and everything that comes with that, from pass progressions to eye discipline and more. 

If all 11 players on the field take care of their assignments for 60 minutes, which was evident against Georgia Tech for the first time this season, then a similar outcome may follow. Doeren has preached that message through the open date, and it continued Monday as the team returned from a weekend away from football.

“We’ve got to lean into the process that gave us that win. The trick is trying to replicate that when our back was up against the wall going into that game,” Doeren said. “There wasn’t anybody saying a nice word about anybody around here for weeks, and then all of a sudden, we’re everybody’s favorite coach, favorite friend. … It’s temporary. You’ve got to remember that, and you’ve got to remember what got you into that position to get the reward.”

Execution was the biggest reason for the most recent upset win, and as NC State looks to earn back-to-back ranked wins for the first time since the 2008 campaign (it beat No. 24 Wake Forest and No. 22 UNC), it’s imperative that it continues at Miami. The road, after all, hasn’t been kind to the Pack as it holds a 1-3 mark outside of Raleigh — the lone victory coming via a second-half comeback at Wake Forest in Week 3, while it lost by multiple scores at Duke, Notre Dame and Pitt. 

Doeren would like to play from the lead this time. It’s going to require a complete effort yet again, but the bar has been set. It’s a matter of the Pack rising to the occasion again because that level of excellence isn’t going to be lowered the rest of the way as the team looks to close the regular season on a high note yet again. 

NC State is 15-6 in the month of November since 2020, a four-week stretch when the squad tends to hit its stride under Doeren. The Georgia Tech win was a key example of that success, and the veteran coach is looking for more of the same this week.

“You take that success and say, ‘OK, remember what happened. Now we can’t just go back,’” Doeren said. “That becomes the standard. The standard is not going to be lowered because you allow it to. It’s our job to uphold it.”

Having faith in one another will be a key part of doing so. It’s the message that Doeren has hammered home to his team — and will continue to do so until it’s go-time at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

He made it simple in the Wolfpack’s team meeting Monday on the second floor of the Murphy Center. The vast room filled with padded chairs and a projector at the front of the room became a venue for those to channel things in their life that they’ve already overcome.

For some it was a season-ending injury. For others, it was a death in their family or a tragic event that shaped who they are today. But as each player raised their hand to show they’ve battled through challenges in life, Doeren was able to tie it all together.

“Well, everybody’s still sitting here, you made it through that,” Doeren recalled telling them.
“And you’re probably tougher and more resilient and a better version of yourself because you faced those adversities and you had faith you could do so.”

It’s just a game, something less important than those life events, but NC State is looking to channel the same faith that helped each of its players through those tough times when it battles Miami this weekend. That’s the key, Doeren believes, to winning another ranked game in upset fashion.