N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren addressed members of the media Monday afternoon to discuss the upcoming Thursday night matchup against No. 3 Clemson.
“We are obviously excited for the opportunity to be on national television to play Clemson,” Doeren said. “They have a very experienced football team. There are about seven or eight preseason watch list guys, and if you look at almost every postseason award, it seems like they have a name on it.”
Doeren made references to the Tigers’ key offensive variable, redshirt senior quarterback Tajh Boyd. According to Doeren, the team will have to contain the heavy powered Tiger offense to come away with a victory.
“We have got to try to limit the number of explosive plays,” Doeren said. “We have to keep the ball inside and in front of us and be opportunistic. We have to do a great job with understanding our own defenses and their play-action that come off of them, reacting to their quick screen passes and tackling in space.”
With Clemson’s multiple defensive schemes, Doeren said the team will need to adapt its offense accordingly to have success against the Tigers.
“Offensively, we will be facing a lot of pressure,” Doeren said. “No matter what the down or distance is, they pin their ears back. They bring five [blitzing defenders] from all over the place. Our guys will have to decipher everything. We are going to have to run the football, but something that is important for us to have is the ability to throw.”
According to Doeren, the team will embrace being the underdog headed into Thursday night’s ACC opener.
“Anytime you play a great team, it is a great gauge on where we need to go,” Doeren said. “With the crowd behind us, you never know. That is one thing about State—it has a history of upsetting football teams, and being in the underdog role against a great football team on national television is something that we are really excited for.”
The Pack (2-0) will put its spotless record on the line Thursday night against the Tigers (2-0) in the first matchup of its conference schedule. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m., and the game will broadcast on ESPN.
“I have told the players that a lot of people say that they do not have a chance in this game,” Doeren said. “Everyone that has played here knows that they do because of what they did last year with Florida State and the year before when they played against Clemson. It does not help you win this game. Those games are not going to win this game for us, but at least there are guys in the room that have been in those games that remember.”
