Dave Doeren hopeful his seniors can "finish somebody off" Saturday at Clemson

The Tigers defeated NC State in Raleigh last season

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Oct 17, 2018, 2:28 PM

NC State head coach Dave Doeren is hopeful that his Wolfpack can accomplish something Saturday they’ve failed to do each of the last two seasons – finish off Clemson.

A late missed field goal led to a loss to Clemson in 2016, and a late interception doomed the Wolfpack in last season’s matchup in Raleigh. For Doeren and the Pack, its all about finishing the Tigers, once and for all.

“I think it's about finishing the big game for us now. I think we played really well in some of those matchups,” Doeren said this week. “Obviously we were able to win at Florida State last year, which was a huge game at the time. We've had other games that maybe nationally weren't looked at as big games, but it's about finishing.

“We put ourselves in places to win some of those close games, particularly against Clemson, and they've made the plays at the end that we needed to make. That's really what it's about, it's finding a way to finish somebody off, whether it's on defense or offense or special teams with that key play.”

Doeren said the Wolfpack are preparing for a loud and raucous Death Valley.

“Obviously, we're practicing with the loudest system we can produce on the field,” he said. “Guys are learning how to handle that. This will be really the first crowd-noise game we've had. It was loud at times at Marshall, but not throughout the game like it will be in this one.

“We have to do a great job of just taking advantage of our opportunities and creating some field position for our offense and defense and executing with the technique that we're coaching. Being on the road in a crowd-noise environment, a lot of it comes down to just not beating yourself and getting behind the chains with penalties that can be created because of noise.”

For the Pack, however, it all comes down to his seniors finishing off the Tigers.

“Oh, there's no doubt. I think all these seniors have been in some dogfights with Clemson and just finishing the job is something that's important to them,” Doeren said. “I think all seniors across the country would say that they want to leave a legacy behind that they can be proud of. Doing something that you haven't done yet is always a part of that. When you talk about raising the bar, it's something that these guys want to be able to say they did. When you talk about raising the bar, it's something that these guys want to be able to say they did.”

He then said he thinks a win would elevate his program.

“I'm excited about it. This is why you work your butt off as a staff, just like our players do, and you want to be in this position where you're playing for a lot, against another team that's playing for a lot,” he said. “This is what it's all about. It's about elevating our program and it's about doing something that we haven't been able to do as a coach, as a player yet. All of those things matter to us, to them. That's why you work so hard.”