Year 14 of the same old story with the same main character.
No matter the supporting cast, Dave Doeren never wins the games we “aren’t” supposed to win. It’s partially a program issue; NC State hasn’t won a regular-season non-conference Power conference road game since 2002 (Texas Tech). Doeren himself is 0-for-his-opportunities in those spots and sits at 1-8 against the SEC.
Now insert everyone’s favorite topic: money. In the NIL era you’ll see comparison chart after comparison chart. We aren’t at the absolute top end of most, but we’re competitive across the board. We spent real money retaining a third-year starting QB (almost unheard of these days) and added some very good portal pieces.
Preseason brought every bit of hype I can remember for an NC State team in recent years. National pundits talked 5-0 start, sleeper playoff team, ACC dark horse. You name it: the hype was there.
Then Virginia happened. We looked completely unprepared. A defense that seemed not to have watched tape, allowing a QB who mostly runs to gas us, and a 6’6” QB dealing with passes tipped at the line. Absolute beatdown on all fronts.
Week 2 was the Dave we know: Richmond 0, NC State 73. Local media and Doeren haters, be quiet for a minute…
Then Week 3. On the road against an SEC team in Vanderbilt. Horrible clock management and poor offensive line play all day, but a lead we held for 59 minutes and 59 seconds. We can argue the last six seconds until the cows come home. Should CJ Bailey have just taken a knee or launched it into the stands? Should Will Wilson (the running QB who understands ball security) have been in there? Should they have put Casper the Friendly Ghost under center and snapped it into the field-level suites? All viable options compared to what actually happened.
Instead: fourth-and-7 from our own 5, six seconds left, leading 31-28, Vanderbilt out of timeouts. Plan was to burn clock and take the intentional safety if needed. CJ Bailey rolled into the end zone, got hit, fumbled. Cayden Daniels recovered for the walk-off touchdown. Vanderbilt 35, NC State 31. First lead of the game for them…with one second left.
We’ve become a national laughingstock in the last 24 hours, and this one won’t be forgotten for years. What’s abundantly clear is that “MAC Dave” Doeren is going to keep letting this fan base down until he’s shown the door. The administration needs to find him a peaceful exit.
On to App State.