Following an inexplicable loss at Vanderbilt, N.C. State football coach Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack are trying to shift their focus to in-state rival App State.
Coming off a 35-31 defeat to the Commodores and one of the wildest finishes in college football history, the Wolfpack (1-2) is reeling and the undefeated Mountaineers (3-0) will try to add to that misery on Saturday, Sept. 28, (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU) at Carter-Finley Stadium.
N.C. State led for all but one second – the final second – against Vanderbilt, losing after quarterback CJ Bailey fumbled in the end zone. The Commodores recovered the fumble for the game-winning touchdown and N.C. State left Nashville with a nightmare.
“We practice those plays every Friday and we have a lot of time spent on game-ending plays,” Doeren said during his weekly press conference on Monday, Sept. 21, via Zoom.
“It’s tough because we were prepared for the moment and we just didn’t execute in the moment. … We take ownership. It’s a terrible way to end a football game you control. So there was a lot of pain in that locker room after the game. And a lot of anger. I know the fans feel the same way.”
Doeren said the coaching staff “decided” to “take a safety,” drain the clock and “not take contact.” But, he continued, “obviously that’s not what happened.” The coaches mulled throwing the ball out of the end zone, but felt that it was riskier.
Following the game, Doeren said “it’s a shame it came down to that play,” because “that should never happen. Obviously a play that breaks your heart more than anything. I was proud of how our guys played for 59 minutes and 59 seconds.”
Teams with the lead and less than 10 seconds remaining were 1,046-1 in the last 20 seasons before Vanderbilt’s Music City miracle, according to ESPN.
“I was in shock,” Doeren said Monday. “I think, after the game, I was just so mad and in shock at what went down, because we were in control of that entire football game. … You never sleep as a coach after a loss like that, when you feel like you were the better team.”
Across 14 seasons in Raleigh, Doeren is the school’s all-time leader in victories but he’s also 4-10 against Power Four teams in nonconference matchups. Three of those wins came in bowl games and his lone nonconference victory against a P4 program during the regular season was Texas Tech in 2022.
If N.C. State decided to fire Doeren without cause, it would owe him more than $9.75 million, the remaining total of his base salary across the final three years of his contract.
The Wolfpack will try to get off the mat against App State, which is 0-6 in the all-time series against the Pack.
“What we have here is a family that cares a lot about these players and these coaches that looks forward to fighting against this team that we’re about to play,” Doeren said.
“Our resolve is being tested, our togetherness being tested, and I know we’ll pass the test. I just ask that people show up and support them. Support these coaches, support these players. There’s a lot of football left in this season. There’s a lot to play for. I know that we’re not gonna quit.”
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to [email protected].
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